IRVINE, Calif. – Two teams in contention for the lead in their respective divisions will square off in a notable interdivision matchup on Saturday night as Orange County SC hosts Rio Grande Valley FC at Championship Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

@OrangeCountySC (6-3-3, 21pts) will be hoping to rebound after a deflating 2-1 defeat to San Diego Loyal SC on Wednesday night that saw the visitors hold both the lead and a man advantage but fail to seal all three points at Torero Stadium. Eero Markannen scored his fourth goal of the season for the side, but Orange County saw its eight-game undefeated streak come to an end as SD Loyal rallied for victory. OCSC remains two points back of Phoenix Rising FC for first place in the Pacific Division as it enters Saturday’s game, which will be the first between the two sides since 2019 when each team took victory at home, with Orange County earning a 2-1 victory behind goals from Michael Seaton and Darwin Jones.

@RGVFC (6-3-3, 21pts) heads west for its second game against an opponent from the Pacific Division having taken four points from the past two games. The Toros played to a 1-1 draw with Austin Bold FC on July 7 as Juan Carlos Azocar scored a second-half goal to level the game at Bold Stadium and earn his side a point. Rodrigo Lopez recorded the assist on Azocar’s goal, which served as the 30th regular-season assist of the veteran’s career in the Championship, making him the seventh player to reach the mark in the league’s history. The Toros are now tied on points with El Paso Locomotive FC at the top of the Mountain Division and will be hoping for a similar result to when it faced OCSC’s Pacific Division foe San Diego early this season when a late goal by Vicente Sanchez earned a 1-0 win at H-E-B Park. RGVFC has lost only once on the road so far this campaign, earning one win and three draws on its travels so far.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Orange County SC 50%, RGVFC 22%, Draw 28%

Most Recent Lineups

Orange County SC (4-2-3-1): Abraham Romero; Brent Richards, Rob Kiernan, Michael Orozco, Nathan Smith; Eric Calvillo, Tommy McCabe; Mikko Kuningas, Brian Iloski, Chris Wehan; Eero Markkanen

Rio Grande Valley FC (4-3-3): Tyler Deric; Carter Manley, Erik Pimentel, Adrian Diz Pe, Adrian Vera; Juan Cabezas, Rodrigo Lopez, Roberto Albuquerque; Juan Carlos Azocar, Christian Sorto, Wan Kuzain

Discipline

Orange County SC – None

Rio Grande Valley FC – None