Rise and shine, Búhos Nation! It’s matchday for Union Omaha. This is Day 1 of a long, arduous journey for the club as they take the field to defend their 2021 USL League One title. The first test of the season comes from Forward Madison. Good ol’ Forward Madison.
The Flamingos ended their 2021 season in 9th place, with 8 wins, 12 draws, and 8 losses. Just like any other club in the offseason, Forward Madison experienced their fair share of turnover in the locker room. Probably the biggest name to be excluded from roster sheets is former manager [editor’s note: and human-airplane role play enthusiast] Carl Craig. Replacing him as Forward Madison manager is Matt Glaeser, a man with plenty of experience within the American soccer landscape.
After finishing his career as a goalkeeper, he turned his focus toward coaching. In his time as a coach, he’s filled positions at Real Salt Lake, Real Monarchs, and Sacramento Republic FC. He experienced a taste of what it takes to be a champion, winning the regular season title and USL championship while with the Real Monarchs as an assistant in 2019. Glaeser has had a busy offseason, signing multiple players and overseeing the introduction of a new managerial era for the club.
Forward Madison has a lot of new faces in their locker room this season, but was able to retain some veteran leadership in the midst of all the turnover. Most notably, goalkeeper Phil Breno will be minding the net for the Flamingos. In front of him will be likely-captain Justin Sukow in the midfield. Joining the club will be 16 new faces, all ready to take the field and dethrone the champions.
The team has fared well in their competitive matches, so far. In Week 1 of the USL League One regular season, the club earned a 1-1 draw against the Chattanooga Red Wolves. In the second round of the US Open Cup, the Flamingos reigned victorious over Cleveland SC 3-0. During the US Open Cup draw for Round 3, Forward Madison found out that they will be hosting MLS-side Minnesota United on April 20th. With two competitive matches under their belt, the Flamingos look to carry that established chemistry and experience onto Bresse Steven Field against Union Omaha.
The Owls have one competitive match under their belt: a 2-1 victory over USL League Two champion Des Moines Menace in the second round of the US Open Cup. In that match, plenty of Union Omaha players showed great effort and potential. Joseph Brito and JP Scearce connected on a corner kick to even out the score line. Aside from the scoreline, Dion Acoff, Alex Touche, and Hugo Kawetani all impressed in their first outing for the club.
These two clubs have played each other six times over the last two seasons. On three occasions, the match resulted in a draw. Of the other three matches, where a victor was decided, Forward Madison won two of them. In all of the matchups between these two sides, no club has managed to score more than two goals in a single match and no club has won by more than one goal. Every fixture between these two clubs has been a low-scoring affair. Despite the improved rosters on both sides, don’t expect anything different from tonight’s match. Fans are in for a real treat.
Speaking of fans, there is a good number of Union Omaha fans traveling up to Madison, Wisconsin for the match tonight. The broadcast is sure to feature plenty of volt and black, which will clash (color-wise, of course) with Forward Madison’s blue and pink off the field, just as much as the players will on the field. While you’ll surely hear The Flock, Forward Madison’s supporter group, don’t be surprised if you also hear some familiar chants from Parliament and co.
Tonight is sure to be a great matchup between two familiar sides. It’s going to be an exciting night, so gather your friends and family in front of the television and prepare yourself for a highly-competitive affair. If you happen to be one of the lucky fans in Madison for the match tonight, wear your colors proudly and cheer even louder.
Stay tuned to Who Gives A Hoot for immediate post-match recap, in-depth article later in the week, and a data dump to fill you in with all of the information you never thought you wanted. There is bound to be a new podcast episode as well, so subscribe to Who Gives A Hoot for the latest and greatest content surrounding Union Omaha. ¡Viva Búhos!
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