Wikipedia

2026 Orange County SC season

The 2026 Orange County SC season is the club's sixteenth season of existence, and their sixteenth consecutive season in the United Soccer League Championship, the second tier of American soccer.

Orange County SC
2026 season
OwnerJames Keston
ManagerDanny Stone
StadiumChampionship Soccer Stadium
Irvine, California
U.S. Open CupSecond Round
← 2025
2027 →

Over the offseason, Orange County SC announced that they'd expand their long-time home Championship Soccer Stadium, where they've played matches since 2017, to accommodate the rapid increase of fan attendance.[1]

Roster

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As of March 11, 2026[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  USA Alex Rando
2 DF  USA Grayson Doody
4 DF  USA Nico Benalcazar
5 DF  ENG Tom Brewitt (Captain)
6 DF  USA Garrison Tubbs (on loan from D.C. United)
8 MF  SEN Ousmane Sylla
9 FW  USA Ethan Zubak
10 MF  USA Chris Hegardt
11 FW  SUI Lyam MacKinnon
12 FW  ISR Yaniv Bazini
13 DF  USA Pedro Guimaraes
14 MF  USA Brandon Cambridge
15 DF  USA Tyson Espy
17 FW  USA Jamir Johnson
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF  USA Marcelo Palomino
19 MF  USA Kevin Partida
20 FW  CAN Mataeo Bunbury
21 FW  JPN Mouhamadou War
22 FW  USA Apolo Marinch
23 DF  NOR Ryan Doghman
25 MF  USA Efren Solis
27 MF  SCO Stephen Kelly
29 MF  USA Oliver Kurnik
31 GK  JPN Tetsuya Kadono
32 DF  USA Nicola Ciotta
35 GK  USA Fernando Aguirre

Academy

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
25 MF  USA Efren Solis
No. Pos. Nation Player
39 GK  USA Adoniayah Aemiro

Out on Loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
24 FW  USA Benjamin Barjolo (on loan to Union Omaha)

Technical staff

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Role[3] Name
President of Soccer Operations & General Manager Peter Nugent
Head Coach Danny Stone
Assistant Coach Didier Crettenand
Goalkeeping Coach Victor Nogueira
Performance Data Analyst Amanda Preciado
Performance Consultant Dan Guzman
Head Academy Scout Shawn Beyer
Team Operations Coordinator Mario Lemus

Competitions

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Exhibitions

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In preparation for the 2026 USL Championship season, Orange County played in pre-season friendlies, mainly against MLS and USL teams.[4]

USL Championship

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Standings

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Pos Team
 Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Orange County SC 14 7 2 5 22 15 +7 26 Playoffs
2 San Antonio FC 14 6 2 6 20 17 +3 24
3 Oakland Roots SC 14 5 3 6 23 20 +3 21
4 FC Tulsa 13 5 4 4 17 16 +1 19
5 New Mexico United 12 5 4 3 13 13 0 18
Updated to match(es) played on June 24, 2026. Source: USL Championship Standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins against conference opponents; 2) goal differential against conference opponents; 3) goals scored against conference opponents; 4) head-to-head points against conference opponents; 5) points per game against conference opponents; 6) points per game against non-conference opponents; 7) fewest disciplinary points; 8) coin toss or drawing of lots

Match results

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On December 16, 2025, the USL Championship released the schedule for all 25 teams for both the regular season and the USL Cup.[5][6]

All times are in Pacific Time.

March
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March 7 1 Orange County SC 1–1 Las Vegas Lights FC Irvine, CA
7:00 PM MacKinnon 22' Report Pickering 84' Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 3,475
Referee: Abdou Ndiaye
March 14 2 Phoenix Rising FC 1–1 Orange County SC Phoenix, AZ
7:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 6,026
Referee: Cristian Campo Hernández
March 28 4 Oakland Roots SC 0–1 Orange County SC Oakland, California
7:00 PM Spiegel Red card 90+4' Report Bunbury 47' Stadium: Oakland Coliseum
Attendance: 6,724
Referee: Corbyn May
April
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April 4 5 Orange County SC 0–1 New Mexico United Irvine, CA
7:00 PM Report Reid-Stephen 32' (pen.) Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 3,726
Referee: Thomas Snyder
April 8 6 Orange County SC 2–0 San Antonio FC Irvine, CA
7:00 PM
Report Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 2,979
Referee: Natalie Simon
April 11 7 FC Tulsa 0–1 Orange County SC Tulsa, OK
5:00 PM Report MacKinnon 55' Stadium: ONEOK Field
Attendance: 4,004
Referee: Alyssa Pennington
April 18 8 Orange County SC 0–0 Lexington SC Irvine, CA
7:00 PM Report Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 4,077
Referee: Muhammad Hassan
May
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May 2 9 Sacramento Republic FC 3–2 Orange County SC Sacramento, CA
7:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Heart Health Park
Attendance: 10,248
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
May 23 11 Orange County SC 3–2 Oakland Roots SC Santa Ana, CA
7:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium
Attendance: 7,651
Referee: Igor Bych
Note: Match moved from Irvine to Santa Ana to accommodate the USMNT using Championship Soccer Stadium & Great Park as their World Cup base camp.
June
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June 13 12 New Mexico United 1–1 Orange County SC Albuquerque, NM
6:30 PM Keller 2' Report Benalcazar 18' Stadium: Isotopes Park
Attendance: 8,843
Referee: Elton García
June 20 13 Las Vegas Lights FC 2–3 Orange County SC Las Vegas, NV
7:30 PM
Report
Stadium: Cashman Field
Attendance: 2,791
Referee: Gerald Flores
June 24 14 Miami FC 2–4 Orange County SC Miami, FL
6:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Pitbull Stadium
Attendance: 665
Referee: Alex Billeter
July
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August
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September
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October
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USL Cup

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Orange County is participating in the third edition of the USL Cup, and the second edition to feature teams from both the USL Championship and League One.[7]

Standings

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Pos Lg Team
 Pld W PKW PKL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
2 USLC New Mexico United 3 2 0 0 1 6 5 +1 6 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
3 USLC El Paso Locomotive FC 3 2 0 0 1 5 3 +2 6
4 USL1 AV Alta FC 3 1 0 0 2 3 5 −2 3
5 USLC Phoenix Rising FC 3 1 0 0 2 2 6 −4 3
6 USLC Orange County SC 3 0 0 0 3 3 6 −3 0
Updated to match(es) played on June 6, 2026. Source:

Group stage

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April 25 Orange County SC1–2 El Paso Locomotive FC Irvine, California
7:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 4,408
Referee: Jaclyn Metz
May 16 Phoenix Rising FC 2–1Orange County SCPhoenix, Arizona
7:00 PM
Report
Stadium: Phoenix Rising Stadium at 38th St/Washington
Attendance: 5,527
Referee: Matthew Thompson
June 6 AV Alta FC 2–1Orange County SCLancaster, California
8:00 p.m.
Report
Stadium: Lancaster Municipal Stadium
Attendance: 3,206
Referee: Brandon Stevis

US Open Cup

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Orange County entered the 2026 US Open Cup at home against fellow Orange County-based club Laguna United FC, an amateur club that plays in the United Premier Soccer League.[8] Following an easy route of Laguna United,[9] Orange County was matched up at home against Phoenix Rising FC, who also plays in the USL Championship.[10] Despite a late goal to send the match to extra time, Orange County ultimately lost in added extra time in the second round, continuing a trend of early exits from the U.S. Open Cup.[11]

March 18 First Round California Orange County SC (USLC) 3–0California Laguna United FC (UPSL)Irvine, California
10:30 PM ET
Report Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 1,521
Referee: Juma Abdu-Razzaq
April 1 Second RoundOrange County SC (USLC) California1–2 (a.e.t.) Arizona Phoenix Rising FC (USLC) Irvine, California
10:00 p.m. ET
Report
Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Referee: Mark Verso

References

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  1. ↑ Le, Victoria (February 5, 2026). "Orange County Soccer Club to amp up capacity at Great Park home stadium". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Roster". Orange County Soccer Club. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Technical Staff". Orange County SC. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ Wander, Nathan (March 4, 2026). "2026 Orange County SC Preseason Recap". Orange & Black SoccerCast. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ USLSoccer.com Staff (December 16, 2025). "USL Championship Announces 2026 Schedule". USL Championship. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ "2026 Schedule". USL Championship. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  7. ↑ Lewis, Michael (December 16, 2025). "THIRD EDITION: Prinx Tires USL Cup kicks off on April 25". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ USLChampionship Staff (January 27, 2026). "U.S. Soccer announces draw for First Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup". USL League Two. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  9. ↑ Padilla, Kathryne (March 19, 2026). "2026 US Open Cup Round 1: Orange County SC takes care of business, 3-0 vs. Laguna United". Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Soccer Reveals 16-Match Schedule for Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup". ussoccer.com. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  11. ↑ Juniper, Glen (April 3, 2026). "2026 US Open Cup Round 2: Vukovic's OT header sends Phoenix Rising FC past Orange County SC". Retrieved April 12, 2026.
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