Down but not out. That’s the motto going forward for Energy FC (10th, 10-13-5, 35 points). The Greens suffered a bit of a setback last weekend in Kansas City but are still just five points out of a playoff spot , with six games to play, heading into the trip to take on Orange County SC (3rd, 15-7-6, 51 pts).

The two sides met way back on March 28 at Taft Stadium, with OC grinding out a 1-0 win via a 13th-minute Thomas Enevoldsen goal. Needless to say, the OKC team that day looked incredibly different to the current one in terms of personnel and form. In fact, it’s possible we’ll only see four of the same players this Saturday that saw action in the first matchup this season.

Orange County SC have really kicked on since we last saw them. 53 goals for puts them at third in the USL, and only 29 against has them tied for second in the league. Enevoldsen has gone on to rack up the goals and leads the team with 16 – good enough for best in the west and second in the race for the USL's Golden Boot. Aodhan Quinn leads them in assists with 10, which is also best in the conference and tied for second in the league. In goal, Andrew Rawls has been exceptional, keeping seven clean sheets and making 71 saves this season. In their most recent outing, a 1-1 draw away to Seattle Sounders FC 2, Alex Crognale salvaged a point for OC, despite the visitors having plenty of chances to win.

For the Greens, not only do they face a tough test against one of the league’s best teams, but they’ll have to do it without three key players. Atiba Harris, Cody Laurendi and Jaime Siaj will all miss the match while they represent their respective national teams, leaving only one fit goalkeeper in Bryan Byars and potentially a makeshift back line.

Speaking to Energy FC TV, Head Coach Steve Cooke sees the trio’s absence as a positive thing.

“I think it gives us a boost because it means all of our players can be at that level if they keep pushing hard. We’ll go on without them, but that gives a great opportunity for anybody else to come in and put in a good performance.”

Despite the international absentees, there’s plenty of quality and depth in the OKC squad. The front four of Jose Barril, Alex Dixon, Christian Volesky and Adam Jahn remains intact, and with those four leading the attack, anything is possible. With the likes of Marco Bustos, Miguel Gonzalez and Jon Brown, there’s plenty of options off the bench should they be needed. Justin Chavez has proven more than capable of filling in at center back, and with Callum Ross and Philip Rasmussen anchoring the midfield, there’s no reason why this team can’t go and get a result.

Since we’re entering the home stretch of the regular season, every fixture is crucial and there are several to keep an eye on this weekend.

Saint Louis FC (9th, 39 pts) v Reno 1868 FC (7th, 42 pts)

San Antonio FC (8th, 40 pts) v Phoenix Rising FC (2nd, 51 pts)

Swope Park Rangers (6th, 43 pts) v Fresno FC (11th, 35 pts)

Saturday’s match at Orange County kicks off at 9:00 p.m. CST at Champions Soccer Staidum, and you can watch live on espn+, or stop by the official watch party.