Thursday is the new Tuesday for Union Omaha fans, as the club announced the signing of Lagos Kunga, who brings a wealth of experience, production, and hype with him to the locker room.
Born in Luanda, Angola, Kunga eventually moved to Clarkston, Georgia during his formative years and joined the Decatur-DeKalb Youth Soccer Club (DDYSC). At the age of 18, Kunga signed with Atlanta United on a Homegrown Player deal. Within the span of three years, he was featured in lineups with clubs like Atlanta United 2, Memphis 901 FC, and Phoenix Rising. During that same time frame, he collected 62 appearances and 7 goals. While making appearances in the MLS and USL, Kunga also represented the US Youth National Team at the U-14 level all of the way up to the U-20 level. This culminated in his inclusion to the US Youth National Team ahead of the U-20 World Cup in 2017, where he even scored a goal on the biggest stage for youth players..
The 5’8” 24-year-old left-footed winger is highly touted for his speed, change of pace, passion on the field, attacking instincts, willingness to help on defense, confidence in 1v1 situations, and finishing. This was all on full display earlier this year as he scored six goals for the Des Moines Menace in USL League Two and helped them reach the Central Conference Final.
Union Omaha’s press release included quotes from Head Coach Dominic Casciato, General Manager Peter Marlette, and from Lagos Kunga, as well.
“Lagos is a talented and hard-working player that will give us some extra quality in the final third going into the closing stages of the season,” Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato said. “He’s got a team-first attitude and is an exciting player to watch, so I’m sure our fans will take to him quickly as we welcome him to the squad.”
“Lagos showed a ton of attacking ability in his USL2 matches this season with Des Moines,” Union Omaha General Manager Peter Marlette said. “He comes in as an excellent reinforcement to help us push for a title this season and sets us up well for 2024.”
“Many thanks to the club for providing me this opportunity,” Kunga said. “I’m very excited to join such a wonderful club with a very good history in this league. Excited to meet everyone and the supporters, and I look forward to joining my teammates very soon and starting my campaign.”
Union Omaha fans will get their first chance to see Kunga play as the Owls welcome league-leading North Carolina FC to Werner Park on Wednesday, September 6th at 7PM CT. The promotional theme is $2 Night and Cancer Awareness Night, presented by XCancer. The club only has four home matches left in the regular season, so the final push for the playoffs is on. Make sure you don’t miss out on these last few chances to support the club, so head over to the club website to purchase those remaining tickets.
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