SD Loyal and Orange County SC meet once again
Orange County SC vs. San Diego Loyal
Championship Soccer Stadium – Irvine, California
Saturday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Loyal travel up the I-5 to take on rivals Orange County for the second of three matchups
The San Diego Loyal are in a great position as the season is starting to get shorter and shorter. Currently, in second place in the Western Conference, the Loyal are one of the top teams in the USL Championship in all areas of the game.
San Diego is (12-5-4) with 40 points and a (+12) goal difference on the season. Colorado Springs SC is even with the Loyal with 40 points and a (+12) goal difference as well, but SD won both of the matchups against the Switchbacks.
Orange County is struggling this season after taking home the crown last year. OC is currently 12th in the Western Conference with 22 points and a (-3) goal difference. The reigning champs are only two points ahead of the last-place Monterey Bay Union.
The Loyal took the first matchup back on June 29 when SD won 2-1 at Torero Stadium. The next two battles will be in OC, as the final will be on October 1 near the end of the campaign.
Last time Out
The Loyal are coming off of a huge win over RGV Toros last Saturday night. Evan Conway scored the winning goal in the 55th minute to beat the Toros 2-1 at Torero. Tumi Moshobane inserted himself onto the Team of the Week for the second time this season with a goal and an assist in the victory.
Still out here stacking W’s.
Full match highlights from another 3 points at Torero Stadium. #SDvRGV pic.twitter.com/N8JCmqQXaG
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) July 24, 2022
Conway scored his fourth goal and recorded his second assist of the season. Moshobane now has six goals on the season and also assisted his 6th of the year, which is good for 6th place in the USL Championship. That’s a lot of sixes. The Loyal have now scored in 19 of its 21 matches this season which is the most in the USL.
SD vs. OC
As mentioned earlier, this will be the second of three matches played in 2022. Last year’s matches were very entertaining, and the first match of this season was just the same. These two squads don’t like each other, and it is obvious to see on the field. These battles are intense, and there is a lot of action. Look for the head official to be on his toes, as there could be a good amount of cards drawn on Saturday.
When these two sides met back in late June, it was Alejandro Guido who was the hero. He scored two goals, with one coming from the penalty spot. However, if you were in attendance, that isn’t what you remember.
Kyle Vassell and Ahmed Longmire were both sent off with red cards after a scuffle broke out on the pitch. Both players served their time and should be back and available for round two Saturday night. Saturday night is usually fight night in the U.S., but you don’t see many fights breaking out on the pitch.
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This week’s match should have the same intensity, but I can assure you both managers will not be happy if that happens again. The intensity will only be to a certain extent.
This is a huge match for the Loyal as they hope to gain ground for an important home match that looms. Next after OC is No. 1 San Antonio FC, who the Loyal will host on August 6 at Torero Stadium. SA FC has 46 points on the season and will play two more matches to play before traveling to SD.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.