Orange County SC fell 3-1 to Phoenix Rising FC in the final home game of the 2026 season. The loss took OCSC to eighth in the Western Conference and hoping to hold on to a playoff spot as they head into next week’s road match.
Despite the scoreline, Orange County’s defense put in the work to keep the game as close as it was, facing 15 shots and blocking three of those, with Alex Rando saving five, including an incredible double save in the 9’ minute where he was able to push the ball off the line.
Phoenix Rising were the first to get on the scoring sheet in the 10’ minute of play. Phoenix earned a corner with Diego Gomez sending the ball towards the middle of the box. Pape Boye sent the ball into the net with a header, giving Phoenix the 1-0 lead.
Within ten minutes, Phoenix Rising found a second with Ihsan Sacko driving the ball to the 6-yard box and curling it past Alex Rando in the 19’ minute.
The first half left Orange County hungry to equalize, but in control of possession with 60%. Orange County also held 83% pass accuracy to Phoenix’s 70%, and tested Phoenix’s keeper with two shots on target out of their four taken.
The second half saw Phoenix score another from a Sacko header in the 58’ minute. Orange County had a chance to respond in the 66’ minute after Tom Brewitt was fouled in the box. Ousmane Sylla stepped up to take the penalty, which went just over the bar.
Orange County were able to find a place on the scoresheet in the 76’ minute with a Yaniv Bazini strike from inside the box. Bazini received an over-the-top ball from Ryan Doghman, curling it past Chituru Odunze into the bottom right corner.
Orange County would go to fight till the final whistle, with the 18-year-old Jamir Johnson trying to pull another for the County Boys, taking the shot outside the box but putting it just over the crossbar in the 90+1’ minute.
The match ended with Orange County taking 62% possession to Phoenix’s 38%. The County Boys took 13 shots with five on target; Phoenix took 15 with eight on target.
Orange County’s match was not without its triumphs. Ryan Doghman was honored with the most career starts in OCSC history with 117 starting appearances in the lineup. The team also played their final home match in front of a sold-out Championship Stadium.
Orange County SC will have one more match on the road in San Antonio. A win from the Black & Orange in Texas will put the team in a good place to make the playoffs.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PHX | 2 | 1 | 3 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
76’ Yaniv Bazini (Assist – Ryan Doghman)
PHOENIX RISING FC
10’ – Pape Boye (Assist – Diego Gomez)
19’ – Ihsan Sacko (Unassisted)
58’ – Ihsan Sacko (Assist – Jean Moursou)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
15’ Yellow Card – Nico Benalcazar (OCSC)
51’ Yellow Card – Ascel Essengue (Phoenix)
53’ Yellow Card – Pape Boye (Phoenix)
78’ Yellow Card – Jean Moursou (Phoenix)
79’ Yellow Card – Chris Hegardt (OCSC)
81’ Yellow Card – Tate Schmitt (Phoenix)
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-3-3)
Alex Rando (GK); Tom Brewitt (C), Ryan Doghman (86’ Mataeo Bunbury), Nico Benalcazar, Tyson Espy (46’ Jaylin Lindsey), Ousmane Sylla, Marcelo Palomino (66’ Jamir Johnson), Kevin Partida (35’ Brandon Cambridge), Chris Hegardt, Lyam MacKinnon (35’ Stephen Kelly), Yaniv Bazini
Unused subs: Tetsuya Kadono (GK); Sydney Wathuta, Garrison Tubbs, Efren Solis
Head Coach: Dekel Keinan
Possession: 62% | Shots: 13 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 9 | Fouls: 10 | Offsides: 0 | Saves: 5
PHOENIX RISING FC: (3-4-2-1)
Patrick Rakovsky (GK); Tate Schmitt, Diego Gómez (87’ Adrián Pelayo), Ihsan Sacko, Gunnar Studenhofft (79’ Dominique Badji), Luke Biasi (87’ Juan Torres), Kelvin Arase (72’ Collin Smith), Pape Boye, Ascel Essengue, Jean Moursou, John Scearce
Unused Subs: Chituru Odunze (GK); Conrad Ambursley, Patrick Rakovsky, Damian Rivera
Head Coach: Pa-Modou Kah
Possession: 38% | Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 8 | Corners: 6 |Fouls: 24 | Offsides: 2 | Saves: 4
Orange County SC v. Phoenix Rising FC
2026 USL Championship Match 29
Date: October 17, 2026
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, CA