• Orange County (12 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses) currently sit in 2^nd spot in the USL Western Conference table, ahead of Rising on goal difference but have played a game more.
• The sides are meeting for the third time this season. Rising opened the year with a 0-0 draw in California. In June, an early Chris Cortez goal gave 10-man Rising a 1-0 home win after Wakasa had been dismissed in the 35^th minute.
• Since the June encounter, OC has been on a good run of form, losing just once (against Los Dos), while claiming 4 wins and 2 draws.  Two of those wins were against fellow play-off contenders Swope Park Rangers.
• One factor in that good run has been the goalscoring form of Michael Seaton. Last time the two sides met, Seaton had only scored 1 goal since March. In the 4 games which followed, the Jamaican international has scored 3 times.
• Another player to score 3 times since June 29 is Thomas Enevoldsen. Currently on 12 goals this season, the Dane is 2^nd top-scorer in USL, 1 goal behind Cameron Lancaster who scored a hat trick for Louisville in a 6-4 win at NY Red Bulls 2 last night. Enevoldsen has proven himself to be a spectacular acquisition for Orange County from NAC Breda (Netherlands).
• Aodhan Quinn has also proven invaluable for OC, with 8 assists this season. He is one of just two players (the other being Enevoldsen) to play in every minute of OC’s USL campaign this season.  Quinn previously played for FC Cincinnati, Louisville, and Orlando City in the USL.
• Enevoldsen is the biggest threat in front of goal, with 62.7% shooting accuracy.  However, Quinn is arguably more of a play-maker, given his combination of assists and goals.

• OC often finish games strongly.  24 of their 42 goals have been scored in the last 30 minutes of league games, including 16 in the last 15 minutes.

• OC has failed to score in 5 USL games this season.  These were the home games against Sacramento and Los Dos; and the road trips to RGV, Sacramento, and Rising.
• Both Andre Rawls and Luis López have impressed in goal for Orange County. However, Rawls hasn’t appeared since their June fixture against Rising, and López has been recalled by parent club LA FC.
• Unless Rawls returns from his unexplained absence, Casey Beyers will likely play between the posts. Beyers joined OC in 2017 out of college, and has conceded 4 goals in 3 starts, with 1 clean sheet, this season.
• Beyers currently has a 63.6% save success rate, compared to Woszczynski’s 76.5%.

• The current backup goalkeeper is 16 year-old Aaron Cervantes. Cervantes signed in March when he was just 15, and is still awaiting his professional debut.
• OC has kept an impressive 10 clean sheets this season – 4 at home, and 6 away.  That’s the joint best record in the Western Conference (shared with Real Monarchs).

• OC has collected 46 yellow and 2 red cards this season.  That’s 3 more yellows and 3 less reds than Rising.
• Two of the OC team are just one yellow card shy of a suspension. Both Alex Crognale and Aodhan Quinn have picked up 5 yellow cards, but each has had one absolved under the USL Good Behavior Incentive. On Rising’s side, both Mike da Fonte and Doue Mala are one caution away from being suspended. Musa will miss tonight’s game for Rising through suspension.
• OC is better at keeping hold of the ball than Rising. With a passing accuracy of 79%, they are 7^th best in USL. Rising lag behind in 25^th place, with 74%.
• Recently released data from modelling website FiveThirtyEight suggests OC is most likely to win this season’s USL Cup (12% chance).  Rising’s chance is rated at 8%.
• One of the reason’s for Orange County’s turnaround from 10^th place last season to a USL Cup contender this year is a drastic change in their roster. Only 4 players remain from last year’s squad, and English midfielder Richard Chaplow alone joined the club before 2017.

From the Ashes Prediction:  Rising to be held at home by a strong playoff rival.