Photo courtesy Liza Rosales / Orange County SC
IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County Soccer Club announced on Tuesday the return of veteran central midfielder Richard Chaplow and attacking midfielder Zach Kobayashi for the 2018 USL season. The signings are pending league and federation approval.
No stranger to Orange County SC fans, Chaplow has been a staple of the team for the past two seasons, making 30 appearances for the club in the USL regular season and USL Cup Playoffs. A former Premier League player with Southampton, Chaplow recorded one assist and eight key passes in the 2017 regular season, while notching a passing accuracy rate of 80.3 percent on 51.5 passes per 90 minutes.
“Delighted to be with the club for my third season, to be part of the project from the start and see the strides the club has made in such a short period of time has been amazing,” said midfielder Richard Chaplow. “I now can’t wait to get going again and I am extremely excited about what lies ahead as we continue to grow and bring a winning team to Orange County.”
A local standout, Kobayashi had a solid first season with Orange County as he made 17 appearances and recorded four goals and one assist for the club. A former member of the Pateadores Academy, the 20-year-old notched 13 key passes and a passing accuracy rate of 80.3 percent in 2017.
“Zach is an incredibly gifted technical player who has the talent to play at the next level. We are looking forward to his continued development with our team and are expecting Zach to contribute significantly on the field for us this season,” said Orange County Executive Vice President and General Manager, Oliver Wyss.