Welcome to Week 23, Búhos fans. Today is a busy day for the USL League One, as every club will be in action. If that seems at all unfamiliar, you’re right to feel that way. This is the first time this season that the entire league will be in action on the same day. With that being said, we all know which match takes precedence – Union Omaha versus Toronto FC II. This raises another “first” worthy of mentioning: this evening, Toronto FC II will be taking in the sights and sounds of Werner Park for the first time ever. ESPN+ will broadcast the live match at 7 PM (CST).
Looking at head-to-head statistics between the two clubs is a bit difficult because they’ve only faced off once in history. Due to logistical complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the club was forced into withdrawing from the 2020 USL League One season. When the two did compete earlier this season, Toronto FC II was taking up temporary residence in their home (Grande Sports World complex in Casa Grande, Arizona) away from home (Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida) away from home (BMO training grounds in Toronto, Ontario). The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Arizona heat took a toll on both sides, but the match still provided plenty of entertainment. For the most part, the clubs were fairly equal in their statistics. On paper, the biggest difference was the number of corner kicks. While Toronto FC II had three corner kicks, Union Omaha had nine. While watching the two teams play, another area of play that jumped out to me was the fight for possession. Toronto FC II ended up with more possession by the final whistle, but Union Omaha disrupted and pressured before the Young Reds were able to settle into any sense of comfort with the ball.
Looking at the current standings, Toronto FC II sits in 10th place with 25 points, only a single point away from playoff contention. The Young Reds have only won twice on the road this season, conceding 18 goals in 11 away matches. The club is currently experiencing a goal-producing issue. In the month of July, Toronto only had one match in which they were able to find the back of the net. While they were able to score in August, the Young Reds haven’t tallied a goal since August 18th, almost a month ago.
Whereas Toronto FC II finds themselves in a rut, Union Omaha exorcised their goalless demons last week by defeating North Carolina FC 3-0 in Cary, North Carolina. Left back Damiá Viader stole the night with a pair of high-quality goals. Forward Ricardo Rivera, playing in his third match with Union Omaha, scored his first goal. The team’s performance was confidence-boosting, especially since there’s less than two months left in the regular season and Union Omaha is looking to lock up a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Stylistically, this is a very good matchup. Toronto FC II will punish any opponent if given the freedom of possession. Don’t fret too much about that, though. Everybody knows Union Omaha will press high, press early, and will be relentless in their pursuit to gain possession. If they can’t gain possession, they’ll take comfort in knowing that they’ve disrupted Toronto’s game plan. As we’ve seen, both this season and last, most of the clubs in League One do not handle chaos well. Union Omaha bathes in it.
Another facet of Toronto’s style that will make tonight’s match interesting is how they move up the field. In all honesty, it’s similar to Forward Madison. They like to create triangles on the flanks, play the one-touch passes inside and out, and overwhelm defenses with overlaps from the outside backs. The incorporation of the central midfielders to these triangles keeps defenses guessing whether or not they’ll simply turn inside and look to switch the play, or force the ball back outside and move up the sidelines. While this can be threatening, their central midfielders all too often opt to play the ball back outside. More to the point, they are less likely to look forward for through-passes and utilizing their forwards. If Union Omaha can overwhelm the midfield and disrupt the ball movement, they’ll be successful in making Toronto a one-trick pony with their long-ball switches.
There’s less than two months left in the regular season, which means your chances to get out to Werner Park are dropping with each passing week. Union Omaha matches are a great experience, only enhanced by the tremendous tailgates put on by the Parliament. When you make it out to Werner Park again, make sure to get there early for free food, drinks, games, and music. There’s a merchandise booth set up for anyone looking for Parliament clothing, stickers, and scarves. You can make a donation to the supporters group, too. Any amount will be happily accepted.
Once the match is over, make sure to check Who Gives A Hoot Media for the latest episode of the podcast, data dumps, prediction threads, and other articles. If you still aren’t satisfied with your Union Omaha coverage, you can follow Who Gives A Hoot and Parliament on social media for even more content. Have a wonderful time watching the match tonight, wherever you may be. Until next time…¡Viva Búhos!
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