Two matches, two victories, two clean sheets. Not a bad start to the 2021 season. On Friday, May 7th, Union Omaha defeated Fort Lauderdale CF 2-0, thanks to goals from Evan Conway and Dámi Viader. With the three points, Union Omaha sits tied for second place in the current USL League One standings.
In 2020, these two clubs faced each other twice, both victories went to Union Omaha, and the difference was a single goal both times. Looking to remain undefeated against Fort Lauderdale, the starting lineup for Union Omaha remained the same as their first match of the season, with the exception of Emir Alihodžić replacing Nicolas Firmino in the midfield. This was the first time Búhos fans saw Alihodžić start a competitive match with the club since his recent signing.
Fort Lauderdale hosted Union Omaha at DRV PNK Stadium, home to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF. The expanded field dimensions, in comparison to Union Omaha’s Werner Park, presented possible challenges for the Owls. Not to be excluded from any Florida equations, afternoon storms rolled through the area prior to kickoff and created slick conditions for both sides to battle, as well.
From the opening kickoff, Fort Lauderdale controlled much of the possession, swinging passes across the backline. Union Omaha front men Evan Conway and Greg Hurst took turns applying pressure high, while the midfield and backline only pressed as high as the half-way line. Fort Lauderdale started conservatively, making easy passes and looking for windows. Union Omaha, on the other hand, looked for the fast break on the counterattack. The battle of polar strategies made for an interesting match.
Fort Lauderdale did a good job of establishing control, maintaining possession, and moving up the field, but the attacks seemed to sputter once they reached the penalty area. Players seemed reluctant to make runs off the ball and into the box. Their game plan seemed to include heavy play on the flanks and crosses into the box, but they often found themselves at a numbers disadvantage in the box, resulting in a lot of turnovers. One benefit of emphasizing flank play is the greater chances for corner kicks. Fort Lauderdale midfielder George Acosta ended up taking eight corner kicks for Fort Lauderdale in the first half alone. They did scare Union Omaha a couple of times, but the attempts ultimately went wide. Wearing an electric blue kit, Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu remained confident between the posts, wasn’t afraid to rush an incoming cross, and reacted quickly enough to attempts that weren’t far from being on frame.
Union Omaha showed fearlessness by dribbling at the Fort Lauderdale defense. The Owls even turned the field dimensions into their strength by stretching the defense, loading personnel on one side of the field, and including the two outside backs in attacks. Union Omaha right back, Ferrety Sousa, showed his eagerness to take on an offensive role, but the evening really belonged to Dámi Viader, Union Omaha left back. Time after time, Dámi showed strength with the ball, made strong decisions in the build-up play, and wasn’t afraid to get into the final third. In the 31st minute, Dámi Viader and Union Omaha midfielder Conor Doyle had a beautiful give-and-go set of passes that broke through a cluster of opposition, opened up the flank for Dámi, and allowed him to find Evan Conway at the far post to break the deadlock.
Suddenly finding themselves down 1-0 at home, Fort Lauderdale immediately increased their pace of play off the ensuing kickoff. Fort Lauderdale forward Shaan Hundal presented repeated threats and worked hard to close out the first half on a high point. In the 43rd minute, Fort Lauderdale defender Noah Allen picked up a loose ball during a corner kick and nearly tied the match, but Rashid Nuhu was able to get a palm on the ball and send it over the crossbar. The halftime whistle blew shortly after and the teams made their way to the locker rooms.
Just like the start of the first half, Union Omaha pressed high and early in the second. Greg Hurst was able to disrupt play, gain possession, and make chances for himself on multiple occasions. Evan Conway made good runs off the ball, enabled teammates to take advantage of the space he created, and posed a threat with each potential long pass. The Owls continued focusing on counterattacks and fast breaks, resulting in 39.1% of total possession at the end of the day. When the Owls were able to gain possession, they did well at flooding the Fort Lauderdale half and varying their attacks in the final third. Omaha was awarded several corner kicks in the second half and made sure to capitalize on one in particular.
In the 71st minute, a corner kick was played into the box and ended up bouncing around until the ball fell at the feet of JP Scearce, who calmly collected the ball, found Dámi Viader open in the penalty area, and fed him the ball. With a box congested with players from both sides, Dámi was able to slot the ball low and hard to the back post, tucking it just inside for the Union Omaha insurance policy.
The remaining 19 minutes, plus four minutes of injury time, were filled with quality chances on both ends of the field. On offense, JP Scearce had a great attempt from almost 30 yards out that had to be batted wide by the Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper. Back on defense, Ferrety Sousa found himself as the last defender and was able to execute a perfect slide tackle inside the box to save an attempt on goal. At the final whistle, it was Union Omaha players and fans celebrating a 2-0 victory.
Union Omaha now has six points and is tied for second place with Richmond Kickers and Fort Lauderdale CF. Union Omaha continues their stretch of six road matches with a Wednesday, May 12th matchup against New England Revolution II. Kickoff is set for 4 PM and will air on ESPN+. Keep an eye out for announcements from Who Gives A Hoot Media on social media for information about watch parties.
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