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Union Omaha (4-6-2, 8^th Place) vs FC Tucson (3-4-7, 11^th Place)

All competitions: OMA (8-6-3) vs TUC (4-4-8)

Werner Park – Papillion, Nebraska

7:00 PM (CST)            ESPN+

            It’s Week 16 of the USL League One regular season and Union Omaha’s most familiar foe returns to Werner Park: FC Tucson.  If you felt let down by the lack of fireworks at the last home match, you’ll definitely want to be there tonight for the abundance of metaphorical fireworks.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM (CDT), so make sure you’re at Werner Park in time to catch the action.

            If home is where you’re most comfortable, then FC Tucson has made themselves mighty comfortable at home in last place this season.  Of the 15 weeks of action this season, FC Tucson has resided in 11^th place in 12 different weeks.  Last week, the club hosted Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.  They may have earned a point, but they’re still four points from the nearest club in the standings.  Don’t let the last-place standing fool you, though: this team is poised to play the spoiler.

            While FC Tucson may not be the best overall team, they are a deceptively better team on the road.  Every single win they have managed to collected came on the road.  Their highest-scoring game also came on the road.  Of their 13 overall goals scored this season, 8 of them were scored as the visitor.  In the seven matches where FC Tucson was able to earn a result, six of those matches were against a team that is a current playoff contender.  Yes, the last-place ranking jumps off the page, but don’t let it tell the whole story.

            Union Omaha looks to rebound off another draw, this time from a trip to North Carolina FC, where the match ended 1-1.  Union Omaha has had six draws so far this season, nearing the 2021 season and club record of nine draws in a season.  The Owls still have three games in hand on the league leader, so points earned now not only keep pace with the results above them in the table, but also positions them in a more favorable place to take advantage of their opportunity.  The team currently ranks in third place when you look at the average points earned per game, so don’t let the eighth-place position in the standings deceive you, either.

            Historically speaking, when these two clubs meet, they tend to see more cards than a Hallmark shop.  Only once has Union Omaha finished a match against FC Tucson with less than two yellow cards, only because the yellow turned into a soft red card.  Every other match has seen the Owls earn at least two yellow cards.  FC Tucson has only one game in the history of this matchup where they did not earn a single color of either color, but they counteracted that effort with a match that featured five yellow cards, so their average is over two yellow cards a match, as well.  Both teams play physical and it’s no surprise that things heat up before the final whistle.

            These two teams faced each other earlier in the season, resulting in a 2-1 road victory for the Owls, but not before a soft red card entered the equation and adjustments had to be made.  Throughout the night, FC Tucson was showing good efforts in trying to sneak players up the field and expose the space between Union Omaha’s backline and midfielders.  There were moments where they were creating good offensive chances because of that ability, but they couldn’t seem to generate anything once the ball was fed to those players.  Speaking of a lack of offensive production, the last time FC Tucson scored a goal on Union Omaha in the regular season was September 25^th, 2021 – almost ten months ago.

            Tonight is sure to bring some excitement and drama, so get to Werner Park early, enjoy the tailgates, and get inside to catch all of the action.  The theme tonight is “402 Night,” where the club celebrates the local area, so don’t miss out on those celebrations, either.  It’s going to be another warm afternoon and evening, accompanied by a slight chance of rain and/or storms, so make sure you’re fully prepared when you get to Werner Park.  Get excited, bring that energy with you to the stadium, and let’s cheer the Owls on to another victory!  As always…¡Viva Búhos!