Momentum is a funny thing, one second you have it, and poof, the next it is gone. It is the difference in winning and losing. Hitting the shot, and missing it wide left. When I think of momentum building moments in sports, I am struck by visions of Divok Origi scoring 6 minutes into the second leg of the Champions League vs Barcelona, igniting Anfield and starting the 4-goal thriller to win 4-3 on aggregate. Watching the Nebraska football team go up 3 points on Wisconsin only to watch them give it all away on the very next play. What did those two games have in common? Fan engagement. What the fans felt the players felt. Momentum is built with the fans of the game; we can be the difference.
You see examples of it everywhere you look in sports. The chanting, the union, the passion. The players can hear it, and they feed off it. It is that extra spark of energy when down to find that next gear. To finish the game out with the same intensity they started with.
Nebraska; and specifically, Omaha is a city of passion. We work hard, we put 100 percent of ourselves into whatever we are doing. That same passion carries over to our sports. You see it in the supporter’s sections on both ends of the pitch. You see it in the random guys in section 105 yelling at the guys in long sleeves. The players see it too. They acknowledge us when they hear us, they give a nod or a grin on the throw in, and end the match saluting all sides of the pitch. And you better believe that passion seeps into their muscles and fuels the extra effort they put in. Conversely the fans not being engaged and being down and pessimistic in the stands has the exact opposite effect. Which you see when a tough goal is given up and some fans deflate.
Union Omaha recently put out a question-and-answer session with Coach Mims, and I asked about how the fans feed into the energy of the team. His response was genuine and complementary of our fans. He starts by acknowledging the challenges we all face playing in a dual-purpose stadium. “We all know it can be challenging; but for how challenging it is we’ve done an amazing job here. And that’s a credit to you fans and the supporters groups” said Mims. We all know that the acoustics are not on our side with how open the stadium layout is, being that it is a baseball stadium. But with that being said he also said that it has been “really, really good”. The noise is constant and is heard by the team and coaching staff. “Its amazing, it doesn’t stop, it just keeps on going and going” They hear everything from the drums to the chants and the constant noise, and Coachs and the players appreciate it. “Weve taken a challenging environment and made it amazing”.
Coach Mims then talked about how well we as fans have done to come to the game every week. “We won the attendance title again” He said while pumping his fist into the air, “It has to do with a lot of you supporters so thank you for that”. It is a huge accomplishment for this club and this culture we are cultivating in Omaha. With Werner Park being a baseball stadium and well established in the minor league baseball system the stated capacity is 9,000 fans. Union Omaha in only its second season has averaged more than 1/3 the capacity with 3,177. This figure is also better than 14 of the USL-C sides, according to Soccer Stadium Digest.
With the product that is being put onto the field and the strength and passion that our supporters continue to show week in and week out this club can truly grow into something even greater than it already is. The team now needs out continued support to go into these playoffs strong and bring that title home where it belongs; To reward this team that’s worked so hard and these fans that have given their lungs and vocal cords week in and week out.
Who Gives A Hoot? 