IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County SC announced on Monday the club had signed forward Ethan Zubak ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Zubak becomes the sixth player from Southern California to join the Black and Orange for the upcoming season. The 25-year-old Corona, Calif. native most recently appeared for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer, where he made 27 appearances across all competitions and scored two goals and provided one assist. He also played two matches for Huntsville City FC, Nashville’s MLS NEXT Pro reserve team.

“I’m excited to be joining Orange County SC and coming back to my home in Southern California,” said Zubak. “I hope this will be a big year for both the team most importantly, and myself individually. My goal as a forward is of course to score goals, tally assists and be a playmaker, but also to simultaneously impact the team in a positive fashion in order to win games and competitions.”

Prior to arriving in Nashville, Zubak began his career with the LA Galaxy. While he was at the Galaxy, he made 41 first team appearances across all competitions and tallied three goals and one assist. Additionally, the 25-year-old recorded 26 goals and seven assists in 106 appearances for the LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship, including a pair of hat tricks.

“We are delighted to welcome Ethan back home to Southern California,” said OCSC President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Peter Nugent. “Ethan is a proven goal scorer at this level, he is relentless with and without the ball. His athleticism and tenacity will be valuable attributes to have this season.”

Analysis

Among the free agents suggested that USL Championship clubs could target this offseason, Ethan Zubak can be a sterling central forward for Orange County SC and the potential replacement in the lineup for the departing Milan Iloski. As he ascended through the LA Galaxy’s ranks with Los Dos as a teenager, the 25-year-old recorded 20 goals in 52 appearances at a strike rate of a goal every 183.3 minutes.

That projects to a potential 15-goals-a-season finisher for OCSC as he returns with more experience at the MLS level with both the Galaxy and Nashville SC. With the potential to raise his career shooting accuracy rate in the league of 51.7 percent, Zubak’s historic shot conversion rate of 22.4 percent bodes well for the SoCal native to be a key part of his new club’s success.