Orange County Soccer Club is building a unique community, culture
The United Soccer League (USL) Championship team is hoping to further grow its fanbase, while the front office is building a talented roster and connections to the area. Pictured: Jared Timmer (left) and Cameron Dunbar. Photo courtesy of Orange County Soccer Club
The game clock had ticked into the last seconds of the five minutes of stoppage time given by the referee. Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) had a corner and one more chance to snatch a tie away against Sacramento Republic on March 9, but they needed a special moment.
Up stepped their goalkeeper Colin Shutler. He ran up from the back to be an extra body in the box for the ensuing set piece. Right-back Owen Lambe lofted the ball into the air, and as it started to come down, Shutler rose above players from both teams to head the ball into the net. Orange County’s goalkeeper had stepped up in the first game of the season to deliver an improbable goal on the road and set the tone of the season for the club.
This goal represented what OCSC is looking to build – a team with talented players, producing memorable highlights for a growing fanbase of passionate supporters.
OCSC was founded in 1998 under the name Los Angeles Blues and joined the United Soccer League (USL) in 2010 before rebranding to its current name in 2016. The club plays at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine and won the USL Championship trophy in 2021.
Their attendance has grown by almost 800 fans per game since 2021, according to Transfermarkt. Club president Daniel Rutstein is hoping to continue to foster the fan culture around the team. He explained how the club’s philosophy is centered around its motto: “community heart, global vision.”
”We want it to be a local club for local people,” said Rutstein. “But then we have this broader global vision, which is partly around our player transfers. We’ve got fans from all over the country and all over the world as well. We’re building it (the club culture) sort of locally, but also, we’re trying to build a name for ourselves nationally.”
The club is creating a sense of community by making each home game a fun and family friendly experience. Rutstein highlighted how around their stadium, the club has food trucks, bouncy houses and other fun activities for people of all ages.
“There’s a real community feel. Our players know our fans. After the game when the players are signing autographs, you can hear the players calling out kids by name. Some of our players follow some of our fans on Instagram.”
Fans also have closer access to the club, according to Rutstein, than they would to the professional sports teams in the Orange County and greater Los Angeles area.
“We did an event (to launch the new 2024 jersey) and our season ticket holders were invited, and they were sitting around chatting to the players,” said Rutstein. “Everyone was wearing the kit, and it was all lovely. You don’t get that at Major League Soccer, or with the Lakers or with the Dodgers. We lean into the fact that because we’re lower-profile in a way, we can do more of that sort of thing.”
OCSC had a rematch against rival Sacramento on April 20 at home, but the club could not replicate their last-minute magic as they lost 2-0. However, the fan support was unwavering as the mostly-packed stadium kept making noise even after conceding a goal 15 seconds into the game. The supporters were singing songs and shouting chants, trying to urge their club on in what was Orange County’s first loss of the season.
While the match didn’t go their way, goalkeeper Duran Ferree, who started instead of Shutler for this game, was appreciative of the fan support.
“The fans are a huge factor for us. They push us to keep moving forward even though we were down two (goals) from the start,” Ferree told The Panther. “We’re grateful for them, and hopefully, they’ll keep supporting us.”
The 17-year-old will leave the club to play for MLS’s newest team San Diego FC, starting in the 2025 season, and he represents a big part of the club’s philosophy around building a roster.
According to Rutstein, the club recruits one-third of their players from MLS teams, another third are experienced players from Europe and the last third are youth products from OCSC’s academy and MLS academies. They pride themselves on being able to develop talent who help the team play well, and then sell them to professional teams to generate a profit.
While youth players are a big focus for OCSC, their recruitment of experienced professionals from a bevy of different leagues is important to be competitive in the USL Championship. 28-year-old midfielder Brian Iloski, who has the record for the most number of matches played for OCSC, mentioned after the most recent Sacramento game about the mentality it takes to play in a physical league.
“You just gotta stay composed, stay smart,” Iloski told The Panther. “Yeah, it was chippy (aggressive and rough) both ways. It's the way I feel like most games in the league are.”
OCSC has overarching goals that apply to every season to make it a success, according to Rutstein.
“At the end of the ideal season, we’ve had hopefully two or three playoff games (and) hopefully won the trophy. We’ve sold a couple of players, and we’ve had record attendance. That, for us, is success.” Rutstein said.