Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) goalie Patrick Rakovsky saved an early penalty kick and Ronaldo Damus scored two of three goals—a record-setting defense of the Tampa Bay Rowdies—to win their first United Soccer League (USL) Championship title 3–1. The final took place in St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Stadium in front of 7,521 fans.
In its first final in eleven seasons, a most improbable championship season came to fruition, as no one would have imagined that OCSC would even qualify for the playoffs; as they went through an eight-game mid-season slump with one win, five losses, and two draws.
