By orangecountysoccer.com Staff,

Irvine, Calif. (July 5th, 2017) Orange County SC welcomed world renowned soccer superstar, Keisuke Honda to train with the squad this past week. Following leaving Italian giants A.C. Milan, he took full part in Orange County SC’s training sessions as he starts his preseason fitness program, whilst exploring opportunities within the United States. Honda was also joined by Netherlands National team assistant coach, Frans Hoek who continues to assist in the development of Orange County Soccer Club.

The midfielder has a glittering career starting off with Eredivisie side VV Venlo, where he scored 24 goals in 68 appearances. Following a hugely successful spell with the Dutch side he transferred to Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow for around ten million dollars. He went on to spend four years with CSKA, competing regularly in the UEFA Champions League and helped lead CSKA to win the Russian Premier League. During his time with the club he became renowned across Europe as a Free-Kick specialist, scoring an abundance of goals. In 2013, he made the move to one of the biggest clubs in the world, A.C. Milan. Another successful spell followed and he amassed just under 100 games for the club, his final action for the club came on May 21st, 2017 where he scored the game winner to qualify Milan to the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League for the first time since 2013.

Not only has Honda been hugely successful on the domestic stage he has also been ever present on the International stage too, since making his debut for Japan in 2008. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was one of the stars of the tournament, scoring twice and helped lead Japan to the Round of 16. He became the only Japanese player to score in two World Cups when he scored against the Ivory Coast in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Orange County SC’s Head Coach Logan Pause was delighted to have Honda train with the group. “It is not every day you get the chance to work with a world class player, it was a fantastic opportunity for our players to see first-hand the quality of a player who has played at the highest level possible.” said Pause.

Orange County will be buoyed by the visit of Honda as they look for three points this Saturday against Phoenix Rising FC.

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:

The Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s Professional Soccer Team. The club was one of 12 founding members of the new United Soccer League (USL) in its inaugural 2011 season. The predecessor club Orange County Blues were the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Champions and have reached the Western Conference Semi-finals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The club’s brand-new owner, James Keston, is the Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, and will actively oversee all operations of the USL club in Orange County. Keston is dedicated to transforming the club into a world-class professional soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players, and youth clubs of Orange County.

For more information about Orange County Soccer Club or to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.orangecountysoccer.com.

Contact: Kelly Salmieri: VP, Marketing & Community Relations, [email protected], 805.844.0856