There were fears of this match being a trap game. To get to the Sunday marquee match against Greenville, they’d have to get through the Wednesday match against New England Revolution II. Thankfully, no one within the Union Omaha club was looking past Wednesday.
In a largely empty Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachussetts, Union Omaha defeated the New England Revolution II with a lone goal, which came in the 84th minute of the contest. Union Omaha goalkeeper, Rashid Nuhu, notched an assist by picking out forward Greg Hurst with a long-distance punt. Hurst settled the pass, lost his defender, and buried the opportunity right as he was crossing the 18-yard line into the penalty area.
It took until Week 6, but this was the first Wednesday match of the 2021 USL League One season. Despite the midweek scheduling and early kickoff timing, the match featured interesting storylines, quality play from both sides, and plenty of build up to the late goal.
Union Omaha head coach, Jay Mims, made a total of four changes to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s match, affecting the midfield and forwards. Ethan Vanacore-Decker, Austin Panchot, and Elma N’for started for the first time this season, while Nicolas Firmino started his second match. There was certainly an effort by Mims to rest some players in anticipation of the Greenville match on Sunday, May 16th. With the inclusion of those changes, it was interesting to see how the on-field chemistry would be influenced.
From the opening kickoff, Union Omaha was ready to send a message: this was no trap game. As usual, the Owls moved up the field quickly, confidently orchestrated attacks from the flanks, and flooded the box when a cross was imminent. Forward Elma N’for pressed high and moved laterally to maintain pressure. Fellow forward Austin Panchot was seen at times pressing high as well, but seemed more willing to sit back and let New England look for passes threading the Union Omaha defense.
New England looked very poised while in possession early in the first half. The ball spent most of its time along the backline, swinging from side to side. Jake Rozhansky, team captain and new signing from last month, worked hard to manage the center of the field and link up the backline with the offense. He faced a lot of congestion in the middle and found a solution in left midfielder Damian Rivera. Union Omaha was caught bunching in the middle on multiple occasions, so Rivera took advantage of the freedom along the sideline. He was fast, aggressive with the ball, and used creative measures to get by Ethan Vanacore-Decker and Ferrety Sousa. Even in the 12th minute, Rivera was able to take the goal line and work his way toward the goal. The effort was all for naught after his shot went straight into a well-guarded near post and body of Rashid Nuhu. New England was going to have to produce a special attack to break Rashid Nuhu’s streak of clean sheets. Rivera was a good playmaker on the left side, but he needed more help from his teammates in the box.
Union Omaha’s collective defensive efforts so far this season have resulted in zero goals conceded. On top of that, Rashid Nuhu has only had to save seven shots on goal. Last season, he started 15 matches and only had to save a total of 32 shots. The backline has wreaked havoc and whatever gets through, Nuhu rises to the occasion to prevent anything from becoming a goal. An added benefit to the soaring defense is their willingness to create turnovers and play out of the back. The players are confident on the ball, look to the outside for clearance, and have good vision of the field. Outside backs Dami Viader and Ferrety Sousa have proven themselves on both ends of the field. In 2020, Union Omaha relied more on deep clearances, but the development of this skill makes the Owls formidable against any opponent.
As the first half drew to a close, both teams evolved with every attack, every defense, and every challenge. Though the scoreboard remained the same as the beginning of the match, both sides were utilizing their growing confidence. The last ten minutes of the first half belonged to Union Omaha, but New England had displayed enough competencies with the ball to make the second half interesting.
In 2020, the two clubs met for the first match of the season in Gillette Stadium and the contest ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite Union Omaha’s persistence, it looked as though New England was going to repeat history and successfully defend their home turf. The second half was going to require changes in personnel, tactics, and a special play to break the deadlock.
Both clubs started the second half very similarly to the first: New England showing technical prowess and Union Omaha pressing high and fast. Both sides continued to create chances, but once the substitutions started, everything changed. New England opened the substitutions in the 57th minute when they brought Michel on for Michael Tsicoulias. Two minutes later, Union Omaha responded with two substitutions of their own: Evan Conway for Elma N’for and Greg Hurst for Austin Panchot. Even these three substitutions proved to be substantial for each team’s success.
With renewed energy and confidence on both sides, new tactics emerged. New England began to mirror Union Omaha by pressing higher and initiating challenges earlier up the field. Defenders dealt with challenges almost immediately after receiving the ball. It’s a good tactic, but it has its drawbacks. First off, if the opposition has strong ball skills and can play out of the back, they can generate attacks much quicker because the numbers condensed in a small area will be easier to evade. Secondly, lines between the forwards/midfield and defenders can become increasingly spaced, allowing for counterattacks. All it takes is a single defensive lapse to be punished. Case in point: the 84th minute.
New England was able to generate an attack and put a shot on frame. Thanks to the situational awareness and technical abilities of Rashid Nuhu, he was able to pick out Greg Hurst sprinting down the field. With a lower punt, and plenty of power generated behind it, Greg Hurst was able to settle the ball in stride. After getting past his defender, he was able to set his sights on the goal. As he made his was toward the middle, a second defender was approaching quickly, so he didn’t have much time to work with. A blink of an eye later and the ball was in the back of the net. That’s how a team gets punished for getting caught too high.
The remaining minutes were filled with Union Omaha clearances and eating the clock however they could. When the final whistle sounded, Union Omaha players could celebrate the added three points in the standings. The three points were much appreciated, lifting them into a tie with Greenville for first in the league ahead of Sunday’s clash on ESPN2. New England fell to 1-2 and 8th in the table. They remain at home and will face Chattanooga on Sunday at 7:30 on ESPN+.
Keep checking in with Who Gives A Hoot Media for more great content, podcasts, and announcements on social media.
Who Gives A Hoot? 