Offensive explosion sees Keith Larson take over the Great Lakes Division

Composed by Ben Epstein

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Oakland County Football Club striker Keith Larson and the rest of his teammates always kept a positive attitude despite a tough start to the 2022 campaign. The team hadn’t scored a single goal going into its fourth game of the season, but Larson and company knew they were due for an uptick in production on all fronts.

“We knew we could score, we knew we had all the talent on the team to do it,” Larson said. “There’s so much talent on this team from the attackers to the midfielder and the corners, we knew if we just kept with it something would change.”

Since County’s 5-0 loss to AFC Ann Arbor in late May, the team has made some comprehensive changes that have the squad looking reinvigorated. The club has scored 12 goals in the four games following that loss to accumulate a record of 2-1-1. Along with this, OCFC has firmly placed themselves back into the playoff hunt in the USL2’s Great Lakes Division, collecting a respectable seven points and moving up to fourth place.

“We’ve got people that are able to play multiple positions,” Larson said. “I think that benefits us because it puts us in comfortable spots and each player is playing at their maximum capacity.”

During this revitalization, Larson has become a focal point in both phases of offense and defense. He’s staunchly held down the middle of the pitch when opposing clubs attacked all season, but has most recently pieced together his attacking strategy. With his increased playing time, Larson has seen five of his shots hit the back of the net in the last four matches and become the club’s leading scorer on the season. 

Larson has seen five of his shots hit the back of the net in the last four matches and become the club’s leading scorer on the season.

The Warren, MI native isn’t a novice when it comes to being a force on offense. During the school year, Larson is on the collegiate pitch representing the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. He is also an alumni of Vardar youth academy. In 2021, Larson logged 15 appearances and nine starts, racking up team-highs in goals (3) and shots (32) for the Mastadons. 

The Beaumont born Larson credits the team’s increased practice regimen, preparation, and an overall shift in mentality as the reason his scoring prowess has finally translated to OCFC.

“We kinda had to get sorted, get a few practices under us,” Larson said. “Once we were able to do that, I was able to benefit from that, with increased aggressiveness and some great passes from my teammates.”

Larson believes this latest hot streak isn’t just a flash in the pan and that the Purple Gang has everything it needs to continue the success.

“I’m really confident in this team,” Larson said. “With the games coming up, we definitely have a chance to move past some of the other teams and make the playoffs.”