As you all have recently learned, we at Who Gives a Hoot have recently partnered with ThriveFantasy for the upcoming Union Omaha season in the USL League One. (If you’d like to learn more please click here.)
With the new announcement of this partnership, we are also announcing a new segment to the podcast and the blog, Owl props! Before each game I am going to announce my favorite prop bets of the week and share what I believe you all should want to look for if you were me.
Now that being said, I want to make it very clear, and remind everyone that Who Gives a Hoot is an independent podcast, and we have no affiliation with Union Omaha. I know just as much information about players as you all do: Zero. Zip. Nada. So when you read this article please only read this article coming from somebody who has gambling experience. No bets are guaranteed. That also being said, both Pierce and Luke, cohosts from the podcast, will not participate in any of this section, I am the only one who will give you tips on what to expect for each game.
Now lets get down to the nitty gritty. Union Omaha’s FIRST EVER GAME is going to be this Saturday on the road at Foxborough, Massachusetts as they go up against New England Revolution II (NER2). Now I don’t think its crazy to think that Union Omaha is going to be HUNGRY for goals given they are going to be playing their ever game.
There is not a lot I can say about NER2 considering they are joining USL League One along with us this year, but if they are anything like their MLS side who conceded 57 goals in the 2019 season, we can expect the League One side to be no different.
The weather in Foxborough, Massachusetts is expected to be fairly nice. 85 degrees with a little bit of wind and mostly sunny. So you can honestly say everything is looking good for Union Omaha’s start to their inaugural season.
Now that we’ve got the setting all figured out lets get down to the meat and potatoes of this article: The Prop Bets!
If you have never been to ThriveFantasy before, I will give you a quick run down of how it all works. Each contest you enter you are given a choice of several prop bets. You can choose up to 5 prop bets and 2 ice picks per contest. An ice pick an emergency pick in case a bet is not usable, like for example if Elma takes the wing over Evan Conway and Evan Conway has a bet, that bet is nullified and therefore an ice pick would take its place.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the FIRST EVER Union Omaha match against NER2:
- Juan Ignacio Mare – Total Goals 0.5 – OVER 130
- Like I said over and over again in this article, Union Omaha is HUNGRY for goals, and no better to lead this attack than my man Juan Ignacio Mare. Choosing the under on Juan not scoring a goal would be blasphemy.
- Evan Conway – Total Assists 0.5 – OVER 135
- Evan Conway, The Call of Duty loving Vine over TikTok stan winger for Union Omaha, is the fastest player on the squad. Think of the DC comic book hero The Flash, and thats what you get when you see Evan Conway. Not to mention he also has great technical skill with the ball. There is without a doubt in my mind Evan will dish up an assist in one way or the other this match.
- Sebastian Contreras – Total Assists + Goals 0.5 – OVER 120
- Sebastian is truly the veteran on the team and has built an amazing relationship with Juan Ignacio Mare in the attack. From what I have seen from this duo during the preseason and in Union Omaha’s scrimmage a couple weekends ago, there is without a single doubt in my mind he will grab either an assist or a goal in this game.
- Damia Viader – Total Goals 0.5 – OVER 150
- For those who may know me, I am a huge AC Milan fan, and whenever I can make a player comparison I get all giddy about it. Damia reminds me the most of Theo Hernandez, the LB for Milan. He has an amazing ability to not only defend, but to make smart interceptions and create devastating counter attack, not to mention he has a sensation free kick ability. If you think there is any doubt Damia wont want to be on that score sheet for Union Omaha’s first game you are about as crazy as I was when I challenged him to FIFA.
- Rashid Nuhu – Total Saves 6.5 – UNDER 100
- Now a lot of you are looking at this pick and thinking “Wow you think Rashid is not going to be able to save 7 shots?” Well before you start thinking that way, let me explain something first: have you ever tried to kick a soccer ball through a brick wall and it just bounces back to you? Well that’s what its going to be like for NER2 going up against this Union Omaha defensive line. Its not a matter of Rashid not blocking 7 shots, I just don’t think New England Revolution II is going to get 7 shots off, or at least on target, which is why taking the under is the smart bet here.
- ICE PICK – Ethan Vanacore Decker – Total Goals + Assists 0.5 – OVER 115
- Ethan Vanacore Decker. My man. My guy. He is without a doubt my favorite player on Union Omaha. He’s tall, coming in at 6 feet 1 inch. He has a rocket boot. Looks great in a Union Omaha jersey. Comes from the Swope Park Rangers. He could kick a soccer ball over the mountains, as Uncle Rico would put it. The ONLY reason I have him as my ice pick is because I think there is going to be only one striker upfront, and I think that its going to be Juan. But on the off chance that I am wrong and Ethan is on the pitch Saturday, you can guarantee that EVD will score a ZILLION goals.
- ICE PICK – Jacob Crull – Total Goals + Assists 0.5 – OVER 0.5
- As I mentioned in my Rashid Nuhu pick, the defense is going to be a brick wall, and its going to start with Jacob Crull leading the impenetrable wall. Not to mention Jacob is tall and can be a real aerial threat when it comes to headers from the corner. Be on the look out for either a long ball assist to Juan or EVD, or a header goal from a corner when he takes the pitch on Saturday.
And there you have it folks. This is my prop bet list heading into Union Omaha’s first ever USL League One match. If you want to ride with me to victory, then download ThriveFantasy on the App Store or Google Play today, or you can head out to ThriveFantasy and sign up. When you sign up today, use promo code HOOT and receive $10 on your first deposit of $10 or more.
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