IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County SC announced on Thursday it had agreed a contract with Danny Stone to remain as the club’s Head Coach, removing the interim tag under which he had led the club to close the 2024 USL Championship season. Stone becomes the 11th head coach in club history as it enters its 15th season.

After taking over on August 30, Stone led OCSC to a 5-1-3 record to close the regular season, the third-best record in the USL Championship over that stretch. After an undefeated month of October, he was named the USL Championship Coach of the Month. His side secured the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference before upsetting Memphis 901 FC to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals in the postseason.

“We are delighted to name Danny our head coach, he came into a difficult situation last season and demonstrated tremendous leadership that helped propel the club to a Western Conference Semifinal,” said OCSC President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Peter Nugent. “He fully deserves the opportunity to lead this team forward and we are excited for the season ahead with Danny at the helm.”

Stone had joined Orange County SC as an assistant coach in early August after his departure earlier in the season as Head Coach of Phoenix Rising FC, where he had served as an assistant coach for three seasons prior to being promoted prior to the 2024 season. Stone had also previously served as an assistant coach at Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer from 2014-18, and OKC Energy FC in the USL Championship from 2018-2021.

“I’m incredibly pleased and very happy to have been given this opportunity, and I can’t wait to come back with the club next season,” said Stone. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here over the last three months of [last] season and I’m looking forward to continue building on that foundation that we began to create in the last 10-12 games last year.

“For us now, we do a lot of work in preseason to get back to the point where we are performing well again by the beginning of the season in March. From my personal perspective, I’m very pleased and really excited to be working with the squad in January for preseason, and of course to be back here at Championship Stadium in front of the fans and representing Orange County SC.”