SD Loyal SC held scoreless again, draw 0-0 against Orange County SC
Credit: SD Loyal
The San Diego Loyal and Orange County SC finish in a 0-0 tie as both team’s defense controlled the match. Miguel Berry started in his professional debut, but it wasn’t enough as the Loyal were held scoreless for the fourth time in their last five matches.
San Diego earns one point in the standings but remains in fourth place of Group B. They have a record of (3-4-3), good for 12 points.
The Loyal has also not come out with a win in their last five matches. The main reason for lack of success was the goalless streak that San Diego has struggled with.
Because of the lack of goals, San Diego went out and signed forward Miguel Berry (off loan) from Columbus Crew SC earlier this week.
Miguel Berry returns home to sign with SD Loyal SC @ChrisSpiering @SanDiegoLoyal @USDToreros https://t.co/Wv7EJcz0vV pic.twitter.com/NVl0MtxBmO
— East Village Times (@EVT_News) August 29, 2020
Berry is a hometown kid. He attended Poway High School and finished his collegiate career at the University of San Diego.
The USD Alum is known for his speed and goal-scoring ability. His long strides allow him to create enough space to set up a chance for a goal.
Manager Landon Donovan recognized Berry’s value and chose him as one of the starting 11. Former Crew SC teammate of Berry’s, goalkeeper Jon Kempin joined him in goal. The Loyal seemed to have come out with a 3-3-3-1 formation to start, with defender Sal Zizzo representing the team as the captain.
⚡️Tonight’s Starting XI ⚡️#OCvSD | #ForSanDiego pic.twitter.com/eGz5IFGT4e
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) August 30, 2020
The first 30 minutes did not provide much action. The Loyal managed to shoot twice, but neither opportunities were on goal.
A scary moment happened in the 36th minute as Berry was flipped over by an OC player and landed on his back and neck. He got up and continued to play, but that was a warm USL Championship welcome, to say the least.
Midfielder Charlie Adams received a yellow card in the 45+ minute as tensions started to heat up right before halftime. That was the third yellow card by San Diego, while OC had zero.
Orange County controlled the possession towards the end of the half. They continued their pace and managed to get a few shots but none on target.
The first half ended 0-0 with OC’s defense controlling the match. San Diego paced a little more than half of the total possession, but no goals came about.
HT OCSC 0-0 San Diego Loyal
Plenty of that usual patient possession for Loyal so far tonight. No rush just yet away from home, but I think they should be providing more service to Berry. Seems isolated up top. No shots on target in the first 45.
— Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol) August 30, 2020
Orange County started the second half right where they left off and continued to create chances in the Loyal penalty box. Although none of the shots have been on target, OC was threatening to score.
The latest attempt in the 52nd minute banged off the crossbar, inches from a goal.
The first shot on target came in minute 64 as Kempin saved Brian Iloksi’s liner from the right side.
After a tremendous clearance, the Loyal had a fast break in the 66th minute as Berry was on the run on the left side. As he approached the goal box, he lost touch of possession, and OC took over. That was the only chance the Loyal had to this point. The touch just hasn’t been in the Loyal’s favor recently as they were on the verge of being shut out once again.
Kempin saved the game for San Diego in the 74th minute as he dove for the save off the header from Iloksi. The former MLS goalkeeper has kept the Loyal in matches all season long.
Kempin picking up right where he left off🔥🔥#OCvSD | #ForSanDiego pic.twitter.com/DTe3nMFOzJ
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) August 30, 2020
Despite the lack of offense, the Loyal defense stepped up tonight. Through 84 minutes, San Diego had 16 clearances and 11 tackles to keep OC from scoring.
The intensity continued from both teams as just about every pass was contested. Tensions were still visible as you could hear the players’ frustration.
A corner kick was given to San Diego in the 90+ minute as Zizzo created the chance. The cross seemed to have hit an OC defender in the penalty box, but no call was made. Seconds later, the head official blew the final whistle, and the match ended in a draw 0-0.
FT OCSC 0-0 San Diego Loyal
Optimism: Another game where you can see what Loyal are trying to create with their build-up & possession. Promising signs.
Pessimism: Another game where you can see that Loyal are struggling in the final third. No shots on target & only 4 total.
— Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol) August 30, 2020
You could see the frustration from the Loyal players as they were certain they should have been awarded a penalty kick and a chance to win the match. The official seemed to be letting calls slide on both sides throughout the match and once again did not blow the whistle.
San Diego controlled the possession, but it was not enough to put one into the net, as they once again were held scoreless. OC finished with 12 shot attempts with only two on target. The Loyal only had the four attempts, with none of them being on goal.
The USL Championship provided some of the highlights from tonight’s match.
FULL TIME:@orangecountysc 0@SanDiegoLoyal 0#OCvSD | https://t.co/8uQauklUzw pic.twitter.com/e36Ghbr9Kl
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 30, 2020
SD Loyal will play their next match on the road as they visit Las Vegas Lights FC Wednesday, Sept. 2. This is a rescheduled match that was postponed due to someone from Las Vegas Lights FC testing positive for COVID-19.
The match starts at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ and The CW San Diego.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.