When Union Omaha simply tweeted, “Tuesday,” fans had no idea what to expect. The anticipation for today paid off as the club announced two signings in the same day. One of the two signings, Dion Acoff, has joined the club ahead of the 2022 League One regular season, which kicks off for the Owls in 67 days.
The 30 year-old forward is familiar with the Omaha area, having played for Creighton University from 2009 to 2011. In his 58 appearances with the Blue Jays, Acoff scored 5 goals and collected 16 assists. After the 2011 season with Creighton, Acoff spent the 2012 season in his home state of California with the University of California at Santa Barbara. In his single season with the Gauchos, he was able to score 1 goal and earn 3 assists across 22 matches, in which 19 appearances were starts. In each of his three seasons playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, Acoff was the recipient of a slew of awards, such as MVC Freshman of the Year, MVC All-Freshman Team, MVC First Team, NSCAA All-Midwest Region Second Team, MVC Second Team, MVC Offensive Player of the Week, and College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
After performing well in the college ranks, Acoff continued to excel as a professional. His first professional career started in 2015, with a stop at Knattspyrnufélagið Þróttur in Iceland. Acoff played for the Köttarar, or “Meat Eaters,” in 40 appearances, scoring 9 goals along the way. During his time in Iceland, he also played for Valur, where he was able to showcase in skills in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. While playing for Valur, Acoff made 32 appearances and scored 6 goals, winning the top Icelandic league twice, the Icelandic Super Cup twice, and the League Cup once. In 2019, Acoff joined Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK) in Finland, before returning to Iceland in 2020 with Grindavik.
Returning stateside brings Acoff back to familiar territory, under the familiar coaching of Jay Mims, and allows him to reunite with a fellow former Blue Jay, Conor Doyle. In the press release from the club, Mims said, “I have known Dion since he was in high school and have always enjoyed watching him play.” Referencing his international experience, Mims noted that Acoff “…brings plenty of experience by playing in 1st divisions in Europe over the last several years and I am excited to reconnect with him over the next few years.”
In the same press release, Acoff said, “I am really looking forward to being back in the states and playing in Omaha again.” While complimenting Union Omaha, he said, “I am excited to be a part of this organization and the community. Omaha is where it started for me back in college so to come back and play here is something special.”
In the videos below, you’ll see that Acoff can punish the opposition if he’s given space. Almost all of his videos show him playing strictly up and down the sideline, but he doesn’t let that stop him from providing quality crosses and low-driven passes into the box. If he’s given time and space, he is a dangerous player, especially in build-up play into the attacking third. He should be a valuable member of the offense, collecting quite a few assists throughout the season. While he has the history of playing as a forward, he shows a lot of value along the sideline as a midfielder. Mims will do a great job of coaching Acoff to fit into his system perfectly.
With these two signings, Union Omaha now has eight players signed to the 2022 season. The club opens their title defense on April 9th in Madison, Wisconsin against Forward Madison FC. The Owls play their first home match on April 23rd in a first-time matchup with Central Valley Fuego FC. If you haven’t purchased your season tickets yet, make sure to head over to the club’s website or call the ticket office to be a part of the exciting action this upcoming season.
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