Fifty miles southeast of Hollywood, Orange County Blues FC decided to write its own script. The Blues’ dramatic 4-0 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC made for some intense viewing across the country in the battle for the eighth and final Western Conference spot in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs. Trevin Caesar better not have paid for any postgame meals and drinks after recording the brace that put Orange County into the postseason. The 2016 season has certainly been a grind, and it has coincided with a change in ownership with James Keston and front office realignment with Oliver Wyss moving into the general manager role and Barry Venison taking Wyss’ former position as Blues Head Coach. Some exciting long-term plans are on the horizon, but now that Orange County is in the postseason, everyone is fixated on the short-term.

2016 USL Playoffs: Quarterfinal matchup:
No. 8 Orange County Blues FC (0), No. 1 Sacramento Republic FC (0); OC wins 5-4 in shootout: After a scoreless 120 minutes of play, the conference quarterfinal came down to a penalty kick shootout as eighth-seeded Orange County triumphed 5-4 over top-seeded Sacramento on Saturday, Oct. 1, at sold-out Bonney Field. The Blues converted all five PK attempts, with Didier Crettenand’s serving as the winner, while Orange County goalkeeper Josh Cohen saved Sacramento’s third attempt from J.J. Koval. - RECAP

2016 USL regular season:
Records:
Overall: 12-14-4 (40 points) | Home: 7-6-2 (23 points) | Road: 5-8-2 (17 points)

Goals For: 39 | Goals Against: 41

Leaders:
Goals: 1. Trevin Caesar 10; 2. Didier Crettenand 9; 3. Roy Meeus 4; 4. Brenton Griffiths 3
Assists: 1. (tie) Mats Bjurman, Roy Meeus 4; 3. (tie) 3 tied with 2 
Saves: 1. Josh Cohen 46; 2. Brandon Miller 40

Clinched its postseason … Sept. 24; clinched with a 4-0 win against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC combined with San Antonio FC’s 3-0 loss to Rio Grande Valley FC and the Portland Timbers 2’s 3-2 win against Arizona United SC – the latter result meant that Orange County moved ahead of Portland in the season goal differential tiebreaker

Defining moment: The Blues’ Sept. 24 win and postseason clincher far and away represented the peak of Orange County’s regular season, creating sheer drama that Saturday night. San Antonio FC’s loss to Rio Grande Valley FC occurred while the game was in progress, so with that hurdle out of the way, it was between Orange County and the Portland Timbers 2 who were enjoying leads against their foes. The problem for the Blues was that they were still behind on goal differential despite Didier Crettenand’s impressive free kick to take a 1-0 lead. Trevin Caesar was the man of the hour for Orange County, netting goals in the 88th minute and then in stoppage time to ultimately overtake T2 in the differential tiebreaker. Blues newcomer Orr Barouch added one more for good measure as celebrations transpired at Anteater Stadium.

Three keys to a championship run:
1. Set piece specialty: Two of the Blues’ final three opponents – Sacramento Republic FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – experienced a taste of midfielder Didier Crettenand’s free kick precision. Crettenand’s eighth and ninth tallies of the regular season were things of beauty. Combine that with his experience and what he’s also capable of in the run of play, and that makes him the most important key to generating some success in the playoffs. The Swiss footballer is wrapping up his second campaign with Orange County, and suffice to say he has already been one of the organization’s top signings in his short tenure.
2. Hail, Caesar: Forward Trevin Caesar jumped ahead of Crettenand for the team goal-scoring lead thanks to his brace against Colorado Springs, and he was more than deserving of getting to the top of the leaderboard. The Trinidad & Tobago striker broke away briefly for international duty, but when he has been with the Blues, he has delivered. Caesar’s best stretch was from July to early August, when he tallied six goals in a six-game span. You can’t ask for much more from your striker, other than to score in those types of bunches at this time of the year.
3. Late-edition stability: Orange County made it a point to solidify its roster toward the end of the season, bringing in players with MLS experience under their belt. Defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe was instantly placed on the back line for the close of the regular season and forward Orr Barouch saw some steady minutes off the bench in his first appearances. Watson-Siriboe ultimately will serve as the more valuable commodity, and so far the Blues have posted three clean sheets in his eight appearances.

QUOTABLE:
“Fantastic performance from our team. I’m very proud of our lads for the way they handled an extremely tough situation against a top USL team. But we have won nothing yet, other than an opportunity to do something really special together.” – Orange County Blues FC Head Coach Barry Venison following the playoff-clinching win against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC