In a night that started off with doubts about whether Union Omaha would maintain their unbeaten streak, the Owls made the proper adjustments and secured a 2-1 home victory against Charlotte Independence.
The Jacks came out with a drastically different style compared to the two previous meetings. On this occasion, Charlotte started off the game with patient ball movement and careful progress up the field. The ball spent a lot of time along the backline as the team constantly scanned the field for their opportunity to break through the Union Omaha press. In an almost sequential manner, the team found forward progress, moved up the field, and then would stop in the middle third of the field to swing the ball from side to side and scan for the next stage of progress, which would ultimately initiate their chances on goal. Once entering the middle third of the field, Charlotte often looked to the left side of the field in an attempt to have defender Tomas Maya, midfielder Tresor Mbuyu, and defender Gabriel Obertan create numbers near the sideline. It wasn’t just their offensive strategy that was different, their defense brought a new approach to the game, as well.
In the two previous matchups, Charlotte opted to have numbers back on defense, condense the personnel, and look for the quick counterattack. Last night, the team seemed to have more confidence in spreading out, placing more individual responsibility on the players, and forcing turnovers, rather than forcing the opponent to attempt desperate shots on goal. The strategy leant more favor to their offensive production because of the early turnovers and re-established possessions.
Most of the action in the first half took place in Omaha’s defensive third, as Charlotte was able to take nine shots, two of which were on frame. The Jacks also made Union Omaha’s fans nervous because they were able to take six shots from inside the 18-yard box. In the 6th minute of play, the Jacks had a fast-developing attack led by Tomas Maya. As he sprinted into the attacking third, he was able to pick out Gabriel Obertan standing outside the 18-yard box and passed the ball to him. Obertan showed great confidence to take the ball into the box, show some fancy footwork to lose Union Omaha defender Gabriel Claudio, and take a shot from the left side of the box. Goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu wasn’t able to absorb the shot enough to catch the ball and it bounced back in the direction of Obertan, who took two touches before teeing up a shot at the top of the 6-yard box for midfielder Miguel Ibarra. His shot had plenty of power, as evidenced by the sound the ball made after careening off the crossbar. It wasn’t just Nuhu who was charged with making big saves. Charlotte goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas had some crucial moments between the posts in the first half, as well. Case in point: Union Omaha’s free kick in the 31st minute of play.
With the ball placed along the left side of the field, maybe 24 yards away from goal, Union Omaha players Daltyn Knutson and Emir Alihodžić lined up for the indirect kick. Charlotte set up a four-man wall just inside the 18-yard box. After the center referee blew the whistle, Alihodžić initiated the sequence by running over the ball and Knutson took a shot on goal. He was able to guide the ball through the wall and Zendejas has to scramble to his right to save the dipping ball. The save was made, but not before he went to the ground and laid his body over the ball for extra security.
The first half ended in a scoreless draw, but Charlotte seemed to have the upper hand at that point. The Jacks had nearly double the possession, double the passes, and double the shots taken in the first half. That 15-minute break in the action proved to be incredibly valuable for Union Omaha, as the second half shifted into a different light.
The second half showed a different energy and strategy from the Owls, but they suffered a setback in the opening moments. In the 48th minute, Union Omaha midfielder Chavany Willis rushed to jump on a loose ball and toe-poked the ball away from Charlotte’s midfielder Miguel Ibarra, directing the ball towards the backline. Instead, the ball found itself in the path of the speedy Charlotte midfielder Tresor Mbuyu. Union Omaha defender Gabriel Claudio issued a physical challenge against Mbuyu, sending him into the body of Rashid Nuhu. The call was deemed reckless and a penalty kick was awarded to Charlotte. Khori Bennett took the penalty and sent it the opposite direction of Nuhu. The goal was his eighth of the season and ties him with Mbuyu for team goal leader. It didn’t take long for Union Omaha to respond with a goal of their own.
After a 57th-minute Union Omaha throw-in that was deep in Charlotte territory, Emir Alihodžić was able to carry the ball close to the goal line and send in a cross to the top of the goal area. Alex Bruce was the first to touch the ball, but his shot was blocked by Charlotte midfielder Omar Ciss. The blocked shot remained in threatening territory and Union Omaha’s Noe Meza was the first to arrive. As Charlotte players moved to their right, Meza sent the ball to their left and evened the scoreline. The goal was Meza’s sixth league goal, eighth goal across all competitions.
Union Omaha doubled their score ten minutes later when defender Daltyn Knutson split the Charlotte top line and found captain Conor Doyle. The pass led Doyle perfectly into the attacking third. As you can see in the video, Chavany Willis floated away from his Charlotte’s Diego Rocha and found space in the middle of the field. After taking a couple of touches to face the goal, he immediately rattled off a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area and left goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas with no chance to save the winning goal. The goal was Willis’s second goal with Union Omaha and was eerily similar to his extra-time equalizer against Chattanooga in Week 18.
The loss for Charlotte puts them at risk of dropping below the playoff threshold. With more League One action to come this weekend, it’s safe to assume the Jacks will be watching intently to see where they line up after the final whistle of the week. The next match for the Jacks is next Saturday with a home match against Chattanooga.
The win for Union Omaha gives them a valuable three points that will surely help them rise in the standings. The Owls won’t have too much time to celebrate because the last of the three-game home stretch concludes on Saturday with a game against North Carolina FC. With four points in two games, another three points would be a vital gift of life and stability to the team.
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