skip navigation

Matchday Preview: Orange County SC vs. Oakland Roots SC

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 06/11/21, 9:43AM EDT

Share

Orange County welcomes Oakland for first meeting between clubs at Championship Soccer Stadium


Orange County SC's Brian Iloski could square off with Oakland Roots SC's Tarek Morad when the two sides meet for the first time on Saturday night at Championship Soccer Stadium.

IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County SC will play host to Oakland Roots SC on Saturday night at Championship Soccer Stadium in the first meeting between the clubs, with both having played to a draw in their most recent outings. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

@OrangeCountySC (2-2-1, 7pts) earned a 1-1 draw against San Diego Loyal SC on Wednesday night as Ronaldo Damus scored a second-half equalizer for his second goal in as many games. Orange County has taken four points from its past two games to move into third place in the Pacific Division standings going into the weekend, sitting on top of a logjam of teams below current front-runners Phoenix Rising FC and the LA Galaxy II. Wednesday’s game saw the first assist this season for attacking midfielder Brian Iloski this season, and his first since early in the 2020 campaign after a 15-game gap for the playmaker. Orange County has boasted one of the best defensive records in the Championship this season, but that could be tested by an Oakland side that has notched three goals in each of its past two outings.

@OaklandRootsSC (1-1-1, 4pts) put up its second consecutive three-goal performance in a 3-3 draw against Sacramento Republic FC on June 2 at Heart Health Park, a game that saw the visitors lead twice as Ariel Mbumba and Jeremy Bokila each found the net, only for the hosts to level before Roots SC goalkeeper Luis Barraza made a pair of key late saves to preserve a point. Bokila enters Saturday’s game having scored in each of Roots SC’s past two outings. The visit to Orange County is Oakland’s last outing in a four-game road trip to start the season, with New York City FC loanee Barraza set to retain his place in the lineup with Roots SC goalkeeper Zeus De La Paz on international duty with Curacao as it faces Panama in a two-legged contest over the next week to determine which side will advance to the final stage of FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying this fall.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Orange County SC 59%, Oakland Roots SC 17%, Draw 24%

Most Recent Lineups

Orange County SC (4-4-1-1): Patrick Rakovsky; Michael Orozco, Rob Kiernan, Rhys Breen, Nathan Smith; Ronaldo Damus, Tommy McCabe, Mikko Kuningas, Chris Wehan; Brian Iloski; Eero Markkanen

Oakland Roots SC (4-2-3-1): Luis Barraza; Memo Diaz, Tarek Morad, Max Ornstil, Akeem Ward; Matias Fissore, Ariel Mbumba; Yohannes Harish, Danny Flores, Jesus Enriquez; Tyler Blackwood

Discipline

Orange County SC - None

Oakland Roots SC – None

Follow the USL Championship

Most Recent News

Most Read News

Latest Videos