On May 11, Union Omaha will have nearly all advantages possible in their favor as they look to perhaps become the first USL League One team to ever reach the round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup:
- A third division team drawing another third division team this late is remarkable, perhaps even a first in the modern era
- The match will be played in Omaha (albeit, not at the familiar grounds of Werner Park)
- Union Omaha had this past weekend available to rest and recover (Northern Colorado used it to get trucked in Chattanooga)
Regardless, this match guarantees a USL League One team will advance to the round of 16. And, looking at the rest of the bracket, there is a decent chance this match will produce the only remaining team from the third division, in which case the not insignificant sum of $25,000 might be on the line for the winner.
Union Omaha’s start to the 2022 season has been akin to a ship sailing semi-choppy waters. An inconsistent league schedule saw them start the season a week later than most of the league and have already had an additional weekend without a league game. This leaves them as one of two teams in the league to have only played four games so far, Northern Colorado happens to be the other team. Some great results have been mixed with some frustrating ones, the most recent one being a 2-1 defeat at Charlotte Independence, one that felt like it maybe wasn’t quite deserved. Northern Colorado, meanwhile, have had an admirable start to their first season. Having already opened with six straight games on the road, they’ve managed to win three of them with two Open Cup upsets sprinkled in the mix. As mentioned above, the scheduling has not broken in their favor, as they are coming off of a trip to Chattanooga from this past weekend.
Northern Colorado still seems to be figuring out what their default look should be. After starting the season with a standard 4-4-2, they’ve instead opted to go with a 4-1-4-1 in their last two games. Irvin Parra has been the mainstay up top, forward Lachlan McLean has been coming off the bench as a result of the formation change. They’ve also yet to play the same back four in any of their league games thus far. Scoring from open play hasn’t been the easiest for them, as well. In four league games, only two of their five goals have come from open play with one goal coming from the spot and another two coming as the result of free kicks. So this looks like a team that is still trying to find the path they want to go down from this point on, so don’t be surprised if head coach Éamon Zayed goes with an unfamiliar look on Wednesday night.
Union Omaha shook things up a tiny bit in their last match; Yoskar Galván-Mercado got his first career start, Kevin Piedrahita spelled Rashid Nuhu in goal, and Isaac Bawa made a very brief appearance as a substitute for his Union Omaha debut. Otherwise, it was a very familiar lineup that was anchored by a back line of Ryen Jiba, Daltyn Knutson, Alex Touche and Emir Alihodžić for the fourth time in six competitive games. Bawa’s appearance, and the news that his absence had to do with federation approval opens up the possibility we see him perhaps start a game this week, either here against Northern Colorado or this weekend in Richmond. Kemal Malcolm has been consistently finding the field since his addition as well, subbing on the last three league games and starting the Open Cup game at Chicago in between. To summarize, I would not be totally shocked to see at least one of Bawa or Malcolm get the start on Wednesday, especially after having a week and a half to prepare, and a road trip to Richmond around the corner this weekend.
As for the match itself, don’t be surprised if Union Omaha come out the gates strong. Not just with having the extra rest, but also the familiarity of the field. Most of these players have played on the field at least once during the preseason, and those that haven’t I’m sure are going to be given tips and tricks from Jay Mims, the coach that was around when they built it. If there is in fact any advantage to be had for knowing what to expect from how the ball reacts to the turf, Union Omaha will have it. And, hopefully, all of these advantages lead to smooth sailing into the round of 16.
Who Gives A Hoot? 