Good morning and happy match day, Búhos fans! It’s been a while since I was last able to submit something for your reading pleasure, but I am back and ready to get you excited for tonight’s match between Union Omaha and North Carolina FC. Believe it or not, these two clubs have never played against one another, so tonight’s match will have an extra dose of intrigue. The match will take place in Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. ESPN+ will broadcast the match, which kicks off at 6 PM (CST).
North Carolina FC hasn’t had a desirable season in its first season of USL League One action, especially after spending the previous three seasons in the USL Championship. Through the first eleven weeks of the USL League One season, NCFC had only earned a single point toward the standings. The club had to wait until Week 12 to earn its first victory, a 2-1 home victory against the Richmond Kickers. Since Week 12, the club has only lost four matches, while winning three matches, as well as drawing three matches.
Even after looking over the results since Week 12, it’s hard to pin a true identity to the club. On the surface, they have a Jekyll-and-Hyde quality to their results, but when you dig a bit deeper, you start to see what truly makes this club tick: youth development. When the club dropped from the USL Championship to USL League One, the club even cited focused development of youth in the region as their new, primary focus. Staying true to their new mission, of the 28 players on their current roster, 22 have earned starts with the club and every player has seen the field in at least one match. Yesterday, “Mr. NCFC” Nazmi Albadawi announced that his last match would be played on September 11th. The long-time club player and 2021 team captain decided to hang up his cleats to take a full-time job in Raleigh, North Carolina. In his retirement, Naz will also take on a coaching role within the Academy. The club has developed a culture of fostering player growth from within and key players in the success of the club have taken the mission to heart and elected to help with youth development, as well.
Currently, North Carolina FC has 16 points in the League One standings and sits in last place. In their last five outings, the clubs has managed a victory, a draw, and three losses. The club does seem to have some confidence at the moment, as they earned a draw on the road against the Richmond Kickers and beat Forward Madison at home the previous Wednesday. While the club may be riding on some confidence heading into tonight’s match, the month of August was not particularly friendly to them. On a month-to-month comparison, August saw the club concede the most goals this season (13). The next closest month was June, when the club conceded eight goals. Sure, the club played the six matches in August, but even after removing the outliers, the club still had the most goals scored against them in August. This bodes well for Union Omaha, who are working through their own woes at the moment.
The Owls enter Saturday’s match having drawn North Texas SC at home last week. The club has only lost once in the last two months, so what could possibly be casting doubt on the club? Scoring goals. Union Omaha didn’t score a single goal in August. The goal that ultimately led to a victory over FC Tucson was an own-goal. The goal against Forward Madison was completely erased when the storms rolled through town, the match was postponed, and USL stated the re-match would be played from the very beginning. The last time Union Omaha scored a goal was July 31st. With less than two months until the end of the regular season, Union Omaha has to start finding the net if it wants a first-round bye in the Playoffs. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. With Evan Conway back on the front line, along with his partnership with Greg Hurst, it’s only a matter of time before the goals return in their favor. Defenses will be stretched and offensive pressure on the flanks, provided by Dami Viader and Ferrety Sousa, will keep the NCFC defense on their heels. Also, Union Omaha is only two points behind Chattanooga Red Wolves and six points ahead of North Texas SC, all while having a game in hand. The Owls are still in great position to finish the regular season in prime position to make a strong push in the playoffs and toward the title.
Since Union Omaha is on the road, make sure to seek out one of the viewing parties in Omaha or Lincoln. It’s a great place to meet fellow fans of the Owls and enjoy the match day festivities. After the match, keep checking back to Who Gives A Hoot for episodes of the podcast, articles, and social media posts. We love the Owls and want to give you the best entertainment related to your favorite local club. Until next time… ¡Viva Búhos!
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