Orange County Blues FC needed a late miracle to earn the first back-to-back postseason berths in the club’s history, but a season of ups and downs ended on a high note with a second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Semifinals as a penalty shootout win gave the Blues their first USL Cup Playoffs victory in their history.

As well as the side played at times during the season, though, the bigger news for the club was its acquisition by local real estate developer James Keston late in the season, who took over ownership of the club from Ali Mansouri. One of the USL’s original clubs is now poised for major growth off the field starting this offseason, which bodes well for a chance at greater consistency on the field in terms of personnel in 2017 and beyond.