Central Valley Fuego FC (6-5-7, 8th place) vs Union Omaha (5-9-2, 7th place)
All competitions: CV (7-5-8) vs OMA (9-9-3)
Fresno State Soccer Stadium – Fresno, California
9:30 PM (CST) ESPN+
Another Saturday means another Union Omaha gameday. It’s Week 19 of League One action and this week the Owls make their first trip to California to battle Fuego FC. A win could propel Union Omaha as high as fourth place and close the gap on the clubs above them in the standings, so make sure you are settled into the best spot in the house before the broadcast starts.
If you feel like Central Valley is a club that is hard to predict, you aren’t alone. With points taken in two out of three games against top-seeded Greenville, a recent win against second-place Richmond, and a split result with Tormenta FC, you would think Fuego FC would be higher in the standings. To offset those impressive results, the same club has dropped points to Chattanooga twice this season and suffered wide margins to Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC and Charlotte Independence.
Currently, Fuego FC sits in eighth place – a point behind Union Omaha. Having played 2 more games than the Owls, Central Valley has 12 more games to get themselves back above the playoff threshold. Speaking of that playoff threshold, Fuego FC has finished of 12 weeks of league play above the line, which is pretty impressive for a first-year club in the league. Of those 12 remaining games, 7 are at home, including today’s game against Union Omaha. Fuego FC will be looking to establish any advantage they can as the host and reintroduce themselves to the top six.
Leading the way for Central Valley is their goalkeeper, Ofek Antman. And just like the Marvel superhero, he has the ability to make himself very big while minding the net. He currently sits behind Richmond’s Akira Fitzgerald in total saves, but only by three. The man also has five clean sheets on the season. Central Valley may be sitting lower than expected in the standings, but it isn’t because of their goalkeeper.
On the offensive side of the ball, forwards Christian Chaney and Villyan Bijev both have five goals so far this season. With those two carrying the offense, it hasn’t been enough for the team to see reliable consistency. A major issue with their offense is the lack of productivity. Midfielder Victor Falck leads the club with assists (3) and chances created (23), but the next-closest chance creator is forward Villyan Bijev with 18. A closer look also shows Bijev is also the team leader for crosses. With a scorer like Bijev on the field, the supporting cast should be taking on more initiative to generate offense. Whether that is a feature of the system or the demands placed upon a single player is for head coach Martín Vásquez to decide, but the offense doesn’t seem to be a strong point for the club.
Central Valley recently announced the signing of a new midfielder, Adrian Vera. The 25-year-old brings 6 years of experience from USL Championship-side Los Angeles Galaxy II, as well as 1 from Rio Grande Valley FC. The club released news of the signing on Tuesday, but Vera did not play any minutes during the Friday night 0-4 loss to Charlotte Independence. With league and federation approval, we could see Vera take the field tonight against the Owls.
Union Omaha lines up against Central Valley having extended their unbeaten streak to seven games. Last week, the Owls were able to save their home match against Chattanooga Red Wolves, thanks to the late-game heroics from midfielder Chavany Willis and his stellar goal in the dying moments of the game. The goal tied up the game, earned the club a point, and helped boost Union Omaha into the playoff picture for the first time in two weeks. The Owls have only lost 1 league game on the road, taking 14 points from the other 8 games. Of Union Omaha’s 17 goals scored this season, 11 have come from road games. The Owls have shown far more reliability in away games and they look to carry that standard to Fresno tonight.
These two clubs have only ever played each other one time. In Week 4, Union Omaha hosted Central Valley, won the game 3-0, and secured the victory in the first home game of the season for the Owls. With mere seconds remaining until the final whistle, Jordan “Sergio” Chavez received his second yellow card of the game, which turned into a red card. The Owls were already up 2-0, but before the referee could blow his whistle, JP Scearce received a pass from Noe Meza while on a fast break and slotted the ball home for the extra-secure insurance policy.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 9:30 PM (CST). Yes, you read that correctly. That means you get extra time to hang out with your favorite people ahead of the broadcast, as well as extra servings of your favorite food and beverages wherever you’re watching the game. Be noisy and bring the support for your Owls as they look to remain undefeated. Don’t forget to check back with Who Gives A Hoot for more Union Omaha content to feed your appetite between game days. As always…¡Viva Búhos!
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