• Orange County (8 wins, 3 draws/ties, 4 losses) currently sit in 5^th position in the Western Conference, 3 places and 5 points behind Rising in 2^nd, but with 2 games in hand.
• It’s been a great start for Head Coach Braeden Cloutier, who replaced Logan Pause after 3 seasons as assistant coach at OC.  The 43-year-old Kansas native’s playing career started in the youth setup at Hamburg, before returning across the Atlantic to play for several MLS and indoor winter clubs.  Cloutier’s preferred formation is 4-1-4-1, used in 11 of 15 league games to date.
• OC have won 4 and lost 3 of their 7 games on the road this season.  The victories were earned at OKC, Tulsa, Los Dos, and an impressive 3-0 win at San Antonio.  The defeats at RGV, Monarchs, and Sacramento.
• The 1-0 reverse at Sacramento on June 2 is OC’s only defeat in their last 6 games.
• Tonight’s encounter is the second of three 2018 games between both clubs.  OC and Rising previously shared the spoils on the opening game of the season in Irvine. A feisty encounter featuring 6 yellow cards, Rising enjoyed a dream start with a Solo Asante 11^th minute goal.  However, substitute defender Alex Crognale retrieved a point for the home side with a 90^th minute equalizer.
• Currently on loan from Columbus Crew, Crognale has made 10 appearances in 2018 and is one yellow card shy of a suspension.  He also scored in the 6-1 club-tying record rout of Tulsa Roughnecks last weekend.
• Goalkeeper Andre Rawls is one of 3 ever-presents for OC this season.  The 26-year-old is on loan from New York City.  Rawls has kept 7 clean sheets, and boasts an impressive 83.3% save success rate.  He previously played 22 games for Wilmington Hammerheads in 2015, but has never played above USL level.
• The two other ever-presents are midfielder Aodhan Quinn, and top scorer Thomas Enevoldsen.
• Aodhan Quinn previously played for Orlando City, Louisville City, and FC Cincinnati in the USL.  A close season arrival at Championship Soccer Stadium, Quinn has scored 3 penalty goals for OC, and also contributed 4 assists.  In 2012 and 2013, he starred for Sounders U23s (26 appearances, 8 goals).
• Danish winger/striker Thomas Enevoldsen is currently joint-highest scorer in the USL with 9 goals. The 30-year-old joined OC from NAC Breda (Netherlands) in February, and has terrorized defenses with his right foot ever since.  Capped 11 times by Denmark (2009 – 2011), Enevoldsen scored in a May 2010 friendly against Senegal prior to playing in the 2010 World Cup.  He also earned 26 youth international caps for the Danes. Enevoldsen’s former clubs include AaB (Denmark), FC Groningen (Netherlands), and KV Mechelen (Belgium).  Like Quinn, he has contributed 4 assists this season. The Dane has scored in 3 back-to-back games against Los Dos, Reno, and the Roughnecks, and will be eager to extend that run tonight.
• Jamaican international forward Michael Seaton has scored 2 goals in 10 appearances for OC this season. At 22, he’s already collected 14 full international caps for the Reggae Boyz, scoring twice in 2014 friendlies against Saint Lucia and Serbia.  Seaton’s former clubs include DC United, Portland Timbers, Örebro SK (Sweden), and three Israeli sides (Hapoel Ramat Gan, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Maccabi Ahi Nazareth).
• Forward Giovanni Ramos Godoy and midfielder Mark Segbers have also scored 2 goals apiece this season.
• OC’s current USL tally of 28 goals sees them trail only Rising and FC Cincinnati in terms of goals scored this season. A staggering 11 of those goals came in home and away games against the Roughnecks.

• Most likely to score in the second half, OC has scored 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of league games this season, emphasizing their roster’s fitness levels and never-say-die attitude.
• OC also boasts one of the best defenses in the league, resulting in an impressive goal difference of +17.  Only 3 of the 11 goals conceded have been scored in the first half.

• 19 year-old Noah Powder has become a key fixture in the OC defense, featuring in 12 of their 15 league games.  He was signed from Red Bulls II after 2 seasons and 30 games for the New York club.  Born in New Jersey, Powder has turned down advances from the US national setup to represent his father’s birthplace, Trinidad & Tobago, up to U20 level.
• Other defenders vying for a starting berth include Thomas Juel-Nielson, Owusu-Ansah Kontor, Walker Hume, and Joe Amico.
• Danish center back Juel-Nielson joined over the winter after struggling to nail down a place at Aarhus (Denmark) and Maccabi Netanya (Israel).  He has featured in 10 matches to date, including 9 starts, and has won 69.4% of his aerial duels for OC.
• Ghanaian Owusu-Ansah Kontor joined OC from Greek Superleague team AEL.  The 24 year-old’s career includes 5 seasons at Metalac GM in Serbia (81 appearances, 3 goals).
• Walker Hume is a tall and physically imposing center back boasting a 100% tackle success rate this season.  He originally played 9 games on loan to OC from FC Dallas in 2017.
• Joe Amico is a former Sporting Kansas academy player who made 2 substitute appearances for Swope Park Rangers in 2017.  Amico has started 5 games, and also made 4 substitute appearances for OC this season.
• Mats Bjurman and Christian Duke could well line up in midfield tonight, having both started 14 league games.  Bjurman played 23 times for Orange County Blues in 2016, but spent last season at Saint Louis (27 appearances, 2 goals).  Duke spent the previous two seasons at Swope Park Rangers (70 appearances, 4 goals).
• Former WBA, Millwall, Southampton and Preston midfielder Richard Chaplow is in his third season in Southern California.  A combative and industrious player, he has yet to collect a yellow card in 9 appearances this season – an impressive feat given his return of 7 yellows in 20 matches in 2017.
• Player discipline elsewhere is not so impressive.  In fact, OC has one of the worst disciplinary records in the league.  Their 36 yellows collected in 15 games is the third highest total in the USL. OC has also received 2 red cards.  Michael Seaton was dismissed for a serious foul at home to Sacramento on March 24.  Defender Joe Amico was dismissed in injury time away to Sacramento on June 2 when he collected a second yellow card.

From The Ashes Prediction:  Rising to narrowly claim all 3 points.