Match Day 8: Union Omaha v. Greenville Triumph

Union Omaha hosts Greenville Triumph after disappointing draw in Chattanooga

Union Omaha aren’t left with much time to lick its wounds after a draw to Chattanooga Red Wolves which, after giving up the lead on three separate occasions, must have felt like a devastating road point. Nevertheless, Omaha must now deal with a Greenville Triumph team that is spinning its wheels as it tries to find a new identity. Both teams are in unfamiliar territory in the league table as we’ve gotten past the quarter-pole of the 2023 season. Even though the number of games played is still rather lopsided from team to team, both are unfamiliar with being part of the bottom half of the table, and being below the playoff line as we approach Memorial Day.

Since the start of the 2021 season, both teams have circled these games on their respective calendars, and for good reason. For Omaha, it was following the final that never happened in 2020. It peaked with the 2021 USL League One Final victory, and continued into 2022 as the two teams had a near season-long battle trying to catch Richmond Kickers at the top of the table. As for Greenville, their Union Omaha games tend to be a measuring stick for their form in the moment. In 2021, a win at Werner Park was the peak of a 10-game unbeaten run that ultimately ended with the beforementioned final, while in 2022 another victory at Werner Park in June was the front-end of an 8-game unbeaten run, a run that was bookended with a 0-0 draw to Omaha at home later in the summer. Greenville would very much welcome another similar start to this summer, given how their spring has gone thus far.

Setting aside the actual results from this past weekend, there is possibly a lot to learn from whatever lineup manager Dominic Casciato submits on Wednesday. Expect Steevan Dos Santos to be in the starting XI, as the forward was an unused substitute this past weekend (a first for him in 2023). A Dos Santos start might come at the expense of Pedro Dolabella. While Dolabella has looked very good since he’s been featured more prominently, he also played the longest of any players expected to play a forward position. Noe Meza and Luis Gil both subbed out shortly after 60 minutes, so don’t be surprised if both are featured in the starting XI. Joe Brito played the full 90 minutes, and since he’s essentially been splitting minutes with Joe Gallardo, a swap of the two of them is expected. Gallardo had one of his better performances of the season this past weekend in his limited time, a welcome sign within this stretch of three games in eight days.

The wild card in all of this is Alex Steinwascher. A player that seems to be turning in slightly better performances week after week from the bench, it reached a crescendo (at least at the moment) by scoring his first goal as a full-time professional. Casciato’s only halftime substitute so far this season was made on the defensive side of the pitch, in the second game of the season at Central Valley Fuego. This could be the time for a planned halftime substitute on the offensive side, if there is ever going to be one. Giving one of Meza or Gil the chance to save some energy in reserve to be used against the league’s best defense this upcoming weekend in Forward Madison is definitely something to consider, and maybe Steinwascher’s recent form will see that it happens. Seeing both him and Dos Santos start on Wednesday isn’t entirely out of the question either, but that would definitely be a bold lineup in a game that feels very, very must-win.

Greenville haven’t played consistent lineups this season, but one thing that has been consistent is that if Lucas Coutinho is on the field, he’s going to be the player furthest up the pitch for them regardless of his starting position, and regardless of the players that are starting in front of him. One player likely starting alongside of him will be former UO midfielder Devin Boyce. It’s been a slow start to his first season back in the league. He’s started every league game this season, but has yet to feature in a goal. Though he does lead the team in both yellow cards and fouls conceded, which should come as no surprise to those that followed him his two seasons here. He’s been favoring the right side this season, so midfielders and fullbacks playing on the left side for UO are likely to be in for a busy night.

	Union Omaha	Greenville Triumph
Overall Record	2-4-1	3-1-5
Table Position	9th	7th
Recent Form	D-L-W-D-D	W-L-W-D-L
Last Match	D (3-3 @ CHA)	L (2-1 v. KNOX)
Next Match	MAD (Home, May 27)	TRM (Home, June 3)
Leading Scorer	Noe Meza (3 goals)	Lucas Coutinho (4 goals)