Union Omaha (11-8-3, 1st place) vs. Ft. Lauderdale (7-6-11, 11th place)
Werner Park, Papillion, Nebraska
7 PM (CDT), ESPN+
After an emphatic 4-0 victory over South Georgia Tormenta last week, Union Omaha welcomes Fort Lauderdale CF to Omaha for a midweek match up in Week 27. On the other side, Fort Lauderdale looks to rebound after a 0-1 loss to Greenville in South Carolina last Friday. With only three matches remaining to their season after today, Fort Lauderdale needs a win today to stay in the hunt for the elusive playoffs.
Darren Powell, the coach for Fort Lauderdale, is going to be looking for goal production from his squad this week – something that has been out of grasp over the past few matches. Since September 4th, the club has only managed to score two goals across four matches. Forward Shaan Hundal, leading the team with seven goals so far this season, hasn’t lit up the scoreboard since a 4-2 victory over South Georgia Tormenta on August 28th. Left midfielder George Acosta has worked toward filling that gap, scoring three of the last six goals for his club, as well as leading the team in assists. Acosta has also notched 37 chances created on this season, which is good enough to be tied for fifth in the league. As a club, they’ve only managed a single victory in their last seven road matches. They’ll need something special if that change is going to happen tonight.
It seems worth noting that earlier this summer, Fort Lauderdale signed a duo of players with highly-recognizable last names in the world of soccer: Neville and Beckham. Right back Harvey Neville, son of Manchester United’s Phil Neville, signed with the club back in May. Not long afterward, forward Romeo Beckham, son of world-famous soccer player and movie inspirer David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, made his debut with the club on September 20th.
Meanwhile, Union Omaha continues pushing toward cementing themselves as the top club in the regular season and earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Assuming Chattanooga wins the rest of their regular season matches, the Owls will need to win four of their last six matches to earn the top seed in the playoffs. While not taking their eye off of that prize, Union Omaha coach Jay Mims will have to be smart about load management down the stretch. The Owls will be playing five matches over the next two-and-a-half weeks. Luckily, all five of those matches will be at home, so no travel fatigue will be involved.
Tonight will be the first home match for Union Omaha since they played at Morrison Stadium, so make sure to purchase a ticket and bring the same level of enthusiasm for your club. Playoffs are only a few weeks away and the team could use all of your support from here on out. On your way to the stadium, make sure to listen to the latest episode of the “Who Gives A Hoot?” podcast. As usual, there will be a tailgate outside of Werner Park before the match, so feel free to stop by for food and beverages. Parliament has some merchandise available for purchase before the match, so check out the latest designs. With all of that said, have a wonderful match day and see you at the stadium. ¡Viva Búhos!
Who Gives A Hoot? 