Union Omaha took a first-half lead and preserved the lead until the final whistle to capture a very valuable three points on the road against Central Valley Fuego. Noe Meza scored in the 32nd minute after crashing Central Valley’s goal area and tapping in a low driven cross from the corner. The goal was his eighth of the season and elevated him into a tie for the Golden Boot race. Not only did it distinguish him within the league ranks, but it was also an important goal within Union Omaha’s club history. Noe Meza is now tied with Evan Conway for all-time goals while playing for Union Omaha.
Before the match even took place, the Owls had to battle the extreme heat of Fresno, California. The midday conditions were such that it was the hottest day in Fresno since last summer. At the time of kickoff, the area had cooled down to a meager 102’F, humidity was at 15%, and wind gusts were up to 10 mph. If that wasn’t bad enough, USL League One had an announcement right before kickoff that incited plenty of anger across the fanbase.
With minutes to spare before the match started, USL League One announced on Twitter that there would be no broadcast, due to “unforeseen technical difficulties.” Luckily for fans, a solution was found and a local Fresno station’s feed was streamed on ESPN+ so the second half could still be seen.
The win kept Union Omaha in eighth place, but kept the Owls on pace to take advantage of their match in hand and sneak above the playoff threshold. The win was also the first time that Union Omaha had won back-to-back matches this season. It was also the first time Union Omaha has won a match this season while only scoring one goal. The clean sheet was Rashid Nuhu’s fifth of the season, only two back from the Golden Glove leaders. In three visits all time to Fresno, Union Omaha has never lost, nor conceded a goal. Week 17 has the Owls hosting third-placed Richmond Kickers on Saturday, July 8th at Werner Park. Kickoff is slated for 7PM and the promotional night is Cancer Awareness Night, presented by XCancer.
Random OMA 2023 Records (W-D-L)
On the Road: 2-4-1
In Matches Decided by One Goal: 2-0-2
Scoring First: 4-5-0
Leading at Half: 4-3-0
Scoring One Goal: 1-3-2
Match Report
Attendance: Not reported
Injury Report:
CV: GK #1 – Ofek Antman (Out – injury)
CV: MF #7 – Mouhamed Dabo (Out – injury)
CV: FW #20 – Villyan Bijev (Out – injury)
CV: FW #24 – Cherif Dieye (Out – injury)
OMA: FW #10 – Steevan Dos Santos (Suspension)
OMA: DF #12 – Eddie Gordon (Out – injury)
OMA: DF #3 – Stefan Mueller (Out – injury)
Goal Summary:
32’: OMA – #7 Noe Meza
Substitution Summary:
58’: OMA – #28 Shaft Brewer Jr. replaces #11 Joe Gallardo
58’: OMA – #44 Alex Steinwascher replaces #20 Luis Gil
58’: OMA – #18 Junior Palacios replaces #26 Dion Acoff
76’: CV – #59 Maximus Ekk replaces #77 Billy Forbes
76’: CV – #15 Sergio Chavez replaces #17 Omar Lemus
77’: CV – #14 Zahir Vasquez replaces #5 Andrew Forth
83’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis replaces #7 Noe Meza
85’: CV – #34 Angel Ruelas replaces #8 Victor Falck
85’: CV – #19 Adrián Vera replaces #3 Jesus Partida
90’+2: OMA – #13 Anderson Holt replaces #8 Joe Brito
Discipline Summary:
24’: CV – #8 Victor Falck
42’: CV – #3 Jesus Partida
56’: CV – #4 Razak Cromwell
56’: OMA – #11 Joe Gallardo
69’: CV – #13 Francois Dulysse
87’: CV – #11 Alexis Cerritos
90’+4: OMA – #5 Marco Milanese
Who Gives A Hoot? 