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Orange County SC kick off the 2019 USL Championship regular season on Saturday afternoon, with a matinee matchup on the road against Reno 1868 FC. These teams met in their season openers two years ago in Reno, with OCSC beating the then-expansion Reno. A lot has happened in the meantime. Most notably, both teams reached the playoffs last season, when Orange County got the better of them, winning 1-0.
OCSC is bringing back 11 players from Braeden Cloutier’s squad a year ago, plus the return of Jerry van Wolfgang, who played for OC in 2017 and Reno in 2018. But don’t overlook Reno, who have a good coach too in Ian Russell and seem to be a USL Championship club that balances their MLS affiliation and independent team ambitions better than just about anyone. Oh, and they blasted their MLS affiliate San Jose Earthquakes, 3-0 in preseason, so they could be quite good.
Still, Orange County had an excellent 2018 and will look to build on that. One game does not make a season in this case for either team, and it’s bound to be a tight game, but this should be a firecracker of an opener for both sides.
Tale of the Tape:
Orange County SC: 0 points (0-0-0); Goal Difference: 0
Phoenix Rising FC: 0 points (0-0-0); Goal Difference: 0
How to Watch Reno 1868 FC vs. Orange County SC: The game is scheduled to kick off at 2 pm PT at Greater Nevada Field in Reno. You can watch the stream only on ESPN+.
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