Orange County SC
American soccer team based in the Orange County, California From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team that plays in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Started in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level of American soccer.
The team plays its home games at Championship Soccer Stadium, inside Great Park in Irvine.
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History
The then Los Angeles Blues were made by Iranian-American Ali Mansouri in 1998 and announced as a USL Pro team on December 7, 2010.[1][2][3][4][5] The team was a part of the United Soccer Leagues W-League team LA Blues, and was part of the larger Orange County Blues group, which has competed in Los Angeles-area amateur leagues since 1998.[6]
During the 2012 season, the Los Angeles Blues changed their name to the Orange County Blues FC. This was due to a disagreement between the club and its fans, who wanted the club to be named after the area where the club played soccer.[7]
In 2016, the team was purchased by American businessman James Keston, rebranded to Orange County SC.[2] Prior to the 2017 season, Orange County became the USL affiliate of Los Angeles FC in a multi-year deal, which was ended after 2018.[8][9]
In the 2021 season, Head Coach Braden Cloutier was let go during the season and replaced by Assistant Coach Richard Chaplow.[10] OCSC went on to end up second in the Pacific Division, and played in the USL Championship Final, defeating Tampa Bay Rowdies in at St. Petersburg, Florida, 3–1.[11]
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Stadium
- Titan Stadium; Fullerton, California (2011–2013)
- Anteater Stadium; Irvine, California (2014–2016)
- Championship Soccer Stadium; Irvine, California (2017–now)
In October 2023, the City of Irvine and Orange County SC created a 5-year agreement for the team to play in Championship Soccer Stadium.[12] On October 23, City Council agreed to the deal. The 5-year agreement includes one 5-year renewal.[13]
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Club culture
Fan groups
Orange County has one main fan group, named the County Line Coalition.[14] A fan group that was made in 2014 when the team changed their name from the Los Angeles Blues to the Orange County Blues SC,[15] they sit in the left corner of the team's stadium behind the north goalpost, singing songs similar to popular music, like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.[16]
Mascot
On April 9, 2021, Orange County showed their new mascot, Gnarly.[17] He is an orange monster that can be seen during games and at Orange County SC activities around the county.[18]
Players and staff
Current team
- As of June 25, 2025[19]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Office
James Keston – Owner & CEO[20]
Peter Nugent – Sports Director- Dan Rutstein - Interim President of Business Operations
Coaches
- Danny Stone - Head Coach
Robert Earnshaw – Helper Coach
Didier Crettenand – Helper Coach- Victor Nogueira – Goalkeeping Coach
List of head coaches
- Charlie Naimo (2011–2012)
Jesus Rico-Sanz (2012–2013)
Dariush Yazdani (2013–2014)- Oliver Wyss (2014–2016)
- Barry Venison (2016)
- Logan Pause (2017)
- Braeden Cloutier (2018–2021)
- Richard Chaplow (2021–2023)
Morten Karlsen (2023–2024)- Paul Hardyman (2024)
- Danny Stone (2024-)
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Record
Year-by-year
This is a small list of the last five seasons completed by the club. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Orange County SC seasons.
^ 1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league play, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and other competitive matches.
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Honors
- USL Championship
- Winners: 2021
- USL Championship Western Conference (playoffs)
- Winners: 2021
- USL Championship Western Conference (regular season)
- Winners (2): 2015, 2018
References
Other websites
Wikiwand - on
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