IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County SC has announced its initial roster moves ahead of the 2026 USL Championship season with the club currently set to return 15 players from the past campaign.

Orange County exercised contract options for goalkeeper Tet Kadono, defenders Nico Benalcázar and Tom Brewitt, midfielders Chris Hegardt and Ousmane Sylla and forward Mouhamadou War, and signed forward Ethan Zubak to a new contract ahead of the 2026 season.

Also set to return are defenders Ryan Doghman, Nicola Ciotta, Pedro Guimaraes, Tyson Espy and Grayson Doody, midfielders Apolo Marinich and Stephen Kelly, and forward Lyam MacKinnon.

Benalcázar returns having led OCSC in minutes in the USL Championship over the past campaign, logging four goals and three assists in 2,807 minutes as he appeared in 31 games across the regular season and playoffs. The 24-year-old also led the side with 1,454 completed passes at a 87.8 percent accuracy rate and 174 duels won at a 62.8 percent success rate.

Hegardt returns having led the side with eight assists and 58 chances created while also recording three goals in his first campaign for the club. The San Diego, Calif. native became the first player in club history to record a three-assist game in the USL Championship against New Mexico United on October 11 and over the course of the season won 155 duels at a 57.2 percent success rate.

The 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy winner, Sylla recorded two goals and four assists in his first season with Orange County, notching 21 chances created in 1,284 minutes across the regular season and playoffs. The Senegal native also completed a team-high 34 dribbles at a 65.4 percent success rate, providing creativity in the attacking third.