On Jan. 14, Union Omaha announced the first batch of signings that will be competing in the 2020 inaugural season. 13 players consisting of local talent, USL experience and international success will represent Union Omaha on the field.
Over the next couple weeks, a detailed description along with videos will be used to showcase the talent of the new players of Union Omaha.
This week, the backline of Damia Viader, Jacob Crull, Daltyn Knutson and Nathan Aune will be shown.
Damia Viader
Viader hails from Barcelona, Spain. He played his college soccer for Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. Viader was a standout who scored 9 goals and added 12 assists for the Reivers. He recorded the second most assists on the team while starting in 17 matches.
In the video, the 5-foot-8-inch defender is strong on the ball. He makes a poor pass, but uses his strength to gain it back and look up field. He makes a couple moves to get past the defender and finishes past the keeper. His relentlessness in pursuit makes him a viable choice for the Owls as he begins his first season of professional soccer.
Jacob Crull
Crull finished his last season for NAIA powerhouse Spring Arbor Cougars in Michigan. Crull is listed as a midfielder for the team, but Union Omaha has listed him as a defender. The Carmel, Indiana native made 79 starts in his career for the Cougars. He finished with 23 goals and 50 assists. His success on the field gained him the honors of NAIA All-American in 2019 and 2018 while being the Crossroads League Player of the Year in the same years.
Crull delivers a tasty ball from the back to his forward up. the field. The forward does well and has a great finish for the Cougars. The weight of the ball showcases Crull’s talents from deep in his own half while having great confidence to consider such a difficult pass. Crull’s distribution was key to the Cougars success the past four seasons. His 14 assists ranked him 9th in the whole NAIA for total assists.
Daltyn Knutson
Knutson is a versatile defender who last played for the Tormenta of South Georgia in USL 1. Knutson started 21 games and played across the line at left back, right back and center back during his one year stint with the Tormenta. He did not pick up a goal or an assist during this past season, but he helped South Georgia collect 9 clean sheets during the season.
Knutson intellectually stops the oncoming attacker by being strong and fearless. His first step towards forward halted the opposing team’s attack as they had to play the ball back towards the midfield. Knutson played left back during this game and showed poise while the opposing team ran at him.
Nathan Aune
Aune comes to Union Omaha from Reno 1868 which is the USL Championship affiliate of the San Jose Earthquakes. Aune was drafted by San Jose in the MLS SuperDraft in 2019. Aune made only 2 appearances for Reno last season, but he had very strong college career.
He played his college soccer at Seattle University not far from his hometown of Arlington, Washington. In 2018, Aune started 16 games for the Redhawks helping them to 6 clean sheets and two goals.
Aune’s flying header comes from his time for the Seattle Sounders U-23 club team two years ago. His ability to be at the right place at the right time rings true for this defender. The 6-foot-4-inch defender is strong in the air and should be a viable attacker on set pieces this season.
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