Today (3/16/2021) was an exciting day! The Union Omaha Culture Kit was dropped! Just kidding, that was not even remotely the most exciting thing we had happen today. As most of you know, our home, and technically season, opener was announced by USL League One today. Our opener is against South Georgia Tormenta, which is exciting for many reasons.
Before we look at this season’s match-up, let’s look back at how last season went against the Bolt and his crew. We played Tormenta twice last season, September 11th and October 3rd. Let’s take a brief look at both matches from last season.
The September 11th match took place in Georgia and was likely one of the most baffling matches you watched last season. We had just come off a 3 game stretch where we drew with North Texas (the infamous Nuhu red card match) and had beaten Tucson and OCB in consecutive matches. This match also preceded a 3 game losing streak that included Dami having his ribs broken at Chattanooga, a frustrating home match against the Baby Revs, and a 1-0 loss to Richmond. The match ended 2-2 but I remember thinking how much fight the team showed throughout this match. Tormenta scored their first goal early (11th minute) and we looked a little shocked. 11 minutes later they scored again via a Nuhu own goal. If you were like me, you were getting a little worried but luckily our boys fought back. We scored twice in 11 minutes ourselves through an Elma Nfor goal in the 70′ and a Ferrety Sousa ROCKET in the 81′. While it was frustrating to watch, and not knowing what the next three matches would bring, I remember feeling great about how the team fought back and didn’t give up.
The October 3rd match at home was memorable for many reasons. I brought up Dami being injured at Chattanooga because this was his first match back, and it completely caught the fans in attendance by surprise. This was also the biggest margin of victory in the club’s short history. It also signaled a growth in confidence after a few frustrating weeks and struggles in front of the net. Evan Conway got the party started in the 38′, Dami came on in the 72′ and 6 minutes later made it 2-0, and finally JP Scearce finished things off in the 83′ to make it 3-0. The most lasting memory I have from this match was watching the coaches panic when everyone went to celebrate with Dami, not wanting his ribs to be reinjured.
Now to our season opener at home against Tormenta this season. Tormenta has had a coaching staff change, several players have moved out, and they’ve even brought a Union Omaha alum (Kobe Perez) into the team. With the team we have coming back, plus our additions, I see this match ending closer to the 3-0 and not the 2-2 draw we saw in September. Our boys will be ready to roll, ready to compete, and ready to prove that last season was not a fluke. Be prepared for an entertaining match-up and I can’t wait to see you at Werner Park on April 24th!
Who Gives A Hoot? 