Union Omaha’s first trip to Antelope Valley ends in defeat by a score of 2-1 at the hands of a former Owl. Luca Mastrantonio’s 50th-minute goal proved the decider in a match that saw a couple of defensive errors prove the difference. Ryan Becher scored his first for Union Omaha early, but a great strike from Walmer Martinez cancelled that out for AV just before halftime. The Owls still had a few decent chances to walk away with a point, but all of them were left wanting to give the hosts the victory.
Coach Casciato made three changes to the lineup that lost to Richmond in their last league outing. Ryan Becher made his first start in place of Sergio Ors Navarro up front while Sam Owusu replaced Brent Kallman on the back line. A bit of a shuffle in formation gave Joe Gallardo the start with Anderson Holt giving way to make room.
Meanwhile, Coach Brian Kleiban also made three changes to the group that won in Portland only three days prior. Another former Owl, Adam Aoumaich, got his first start of the season in place of Javier Mariona. Emmanuel Alaribe took Eduardo Blancas’ place at the top of the formation, and Walmer Martinez replaced goal-scoring talisman Jerry Desdunes to round out the side.
As the match opened, any thoughts that AV Alta would have jet lag from their cross country return were quickly put to rest. The hosts looked quick, crisp, and were able to make some early chances, earning two corners in the first 7 minutes on some aggressive play up front and forcing an early save from Rashid Nuhu. The Omaha defense did well to collapse each time and help keep the shots out of net, but the early danger seemed like it could quickly overwhelm the visitors.
After the onslaught of the first 10 minutes, the Owls finally found some of their footing in the match and had a good chance at an early goal of their own. Max Schneider got two good looks with his head at Carlos Avilez’s goal from a free kick opportunity. A good delivery into the box bypassed a couple of defenders and found Max’s head. The German midfielder headed the ball across the box, but found a defender’s head instead of net. A great bounce gave Max a second chance, but the Avilez was well positioned to cut off the shot. Though the ball didn’t end up in the net, it showed that Omaha could provide enough threat to keep AV on their toes.
The hosts would continue to dominate possession and produced some good chances of their own. Their passing was quick and incisive, opening up opportunities from outside the box that Shido was able to deal with, but did not look comfortable in doing so. It seemed fortunate that AV Alta had yet to open the scoring when Omaha struck with one of their own.
A good series of pressing led to a series of two quick turnovers in the AV defensive half—one of them a great headed interception by Joe to set up a quick counter that was blocked out for a corner. Chelo Martinez put the ball in to the far post where Max got his head to the ball and forced an acrobatic save from Avilez. The save didn’t clear the lines, however, and Ryan out jumped everyone, including Marco Milanese, to head home for his first as a Búho and a first-half lead.
Though the goal meant that Omaha were still capable of producing an attack, the remainder of the half went AV’s way in terms of possession and threat. Sebastian Cruz had several chances to show his speed from the back, making darting dribbles and opening space against a midfield that looked almost standing still at times in comparison. When not opening the field up with their pace, AV Alta’s passing found ways around the press and put the defense on their heels. More often than not, the hosts shots were just barely blocked by a shifting line, or just off target.
That ended in first half stoppage time as AV’s Martinez finally found his accuracy to beat Shido. Taking the ball from the right wing, Martinez dribbled around three Owl defenders at the top of the box. Having skipped away from Max, and with no one stepping up in time, Martinez placed a low shot from just outside the left side of the arc into the far right corner. Shido was unable to react in time to get a hand on it, and even though Omaha had weathered most of the AV attack, the match went to the half all square.
The halftime scoreline was disappointing, but not completely undeserved. AV Alta had managed 70% possession in the first half, let off 11 shots, and had a 91% passing accuracy while amassing 313 accurate passes. When looking at those numbers, the visitors might have considered themselves lucky to still be level. But once again getting scored on late in a half would change the mood going into the locker room considerably.
That mood soured even further shortly after the break, when AV Alta would take the lead for good.
A good physical run by Harrison Robledo resulted in a well-blocked shot put out for a corner. Goal-scorer Martinez’s corner kick went clearly to the back post against a shifting defensive mass of bodies. Mastrantonio managed to slip away from the crowd while Miguel Pajaro’s movement managed to shield Ryan from being able to close down the unmarked man. A well-directed header to the far post from the former Owl easily beat the scrambling defenders and Shido to put the home side ahead.
As the early portion of the half continued, it very well looked like AV Alta would add another goal to the tally. Less than a minute after Mastrantonio’s goal, Marco lost his footing while playing out of the defensive half and put Jimmie Villalobos in with a 2-on-1 chance against Sam and Shido. With Alaribe open for an easy tap in in the center, Villalobos instead decided to take his own shot from a tight angle, pushing the ball wide to the relief of Marco and the rest of the Owl defense.
The pressure from AV’s attack continued and forced a lot of scrambling in the back, which Omaha was able to just about manage without conceding another goal. That changed around the 60th minute, when AV started to let off possession and allow Omaha to come to them and trusting their discipline and defense to maintain the lead.
As Omaha started growing more into the half, the press started to become an issue again for the hosts. Winning the ball back in the attacking half led to Omaha’s next good chance after a turnover and hard foul on Marco gave Max an opportunity at a free kick from about 30-yards out. His driven shot looked to be heading straight at the top right corner, but Avilez sacrificed his body to make an acrobatic save to keep out a moment of magic that would’ve changed the story on this match.
But with all of the pressure and possession ceded to the visitors in the second half, any chances that might have been created fell off to either the lack of a final pass or wildly taken shots that seemed to be trying to force magic more than create it. A couple of half-volleys found their way off target, while some shots were passed up looking for something more sure that never manifested. It seemed that the hosts would be able to sit back and walk away with all three points.
The most heartbreaking was the final big opportunity for an Owl equalizer. A pressing turnover in the defensive half led to a good dribble by Sergio that drew the AV Alta defense to swarm him and force a drop off pass to Prosper Kasim. With Brandon Knapp free on the right, Prosper found the streaking midfielder with a great leading ball and tons of space to work with. Pushing forward, Brandon looked capable of threatening Avilez’s goal, but instead found Sergio in the center. A perfect low cross found Sergio’s feet with nothing but an open net in front of him, but the Spaniard’s accuracy let him down from 6 yards out as he pushed the best chance of the night wide left.
That play would end any chances Union Omaha had of getting a result out of this match, while also summarizing the night perfectly. The Owls had their chances, but fortune was not on their side as the hosts took advantage of some missteps and responded with quality of their own. It wasn’t a bad outing, but frustrating, as the team again didn’t live up to their potential.
The Good:
Ryan Becher continues to impress in his loan stint with the club. He’s already become a key piece to the attack and his height has given the club a target in the center on crosses and free kicks. He seems to be integrating well into the system, and is already developing chemistry with his fellow attackers. I can only imagine what might have been if he’d had a full preseason and early season to get into even more of a flow with his new teammates.
Brandon Knapp didn’t have a terrible game—and yes, that counts as good. The midfielder-turned-defender has been called into action to help a depleted and underperforming back line, and hasn’t had the easiest time of it. And while he didn’t stand out greatly (apart from his 89th-minute cross that SHOULD have been an assist), he also didn’t stand out poorly. While Brandon can not be a long-term solution at defender, he’s the best we’ve got with the injuries and poor form that’s plagued our defense. Last night, he did what he had to do—and that’s going to have to be good enough.
I don’t see the team giving up, and that’s huge. They aren’t getting results, but they also aren’t just rolling over either. The comeback against Richmond, keeping San Antonio close (and maybe even deserving a draw given the first half performance), and continuing to press a talented AV Alta FC shows that they aren’t saying die. I will always support a team that is fighting, even if the results aren’t going their way. If this team starts to lose that fight, we’re going to have bigger issues than not making the playoffs.
The Bad:
There’s a lot of bad this year, but we’ve focused on that several times this year, both in and out of the writing. The defensive lapses are costing us, and the offense is inconsistent—even when Dion Acoff has been available. Time is running out for it to “click” for us, and the prospect of the playoffs, much less hosting a game, gets farther away with each dropped point.
But I want to talk a little bit about our Captain and great guy Rashid Nuhu. I won’t say his performances are so much bad in the grand scheme of this league, but they aren’t the standard that he’s kept the last few years. The defense isn’t putting him in great situations, true, but there have been some troubling things I’ve noticed the last few matches that concern me.
I put a note in around the 21st minute of this match that Shido didn’t look comfortable on some of his saves. Two specific instances that come to mind are a shot he saved in the 3rd minute and again in the 21st.
The 3rd minute chance looked fairly simple. Adam Aoumaich put in a solid shot on target but from a tight angle, which normally doesn’t bother Shido. Something caused him to make the save, but pop the ball straight up in the air, causing him to scramble and punch the ball out of danger.
The 21st minute chance saw Sebastian Cruz take his own shot from outside the box. He didn’t get as much power on it and the bouncing ball still seemed to give Shido trouble. He managed to save it and push it out for a corner, but looked crossed up on a ball that he’d normally be able to just claim.
This isn’t the only match he’s done that. Jake LaCava’s goal for San Antonio came from a good shot outside the box that looked as if he would normally handle, but the spill allowed LaCava to pounce on the rebound and put away what would be the winning goal.
You can also point to the miscommunication with Kallman on the third Richmond goal or his inability to react well to some shots from outside the box as signs that he’s not having a great year. I’m not sure what’s off, but it’s something.
He’s still the first choice keeper, a club legend, and our Captain. He’s still a bona fide starter for most teams in this league and I’m glad he’s stayed with us as long as he has. But something’s not going right for Shido this year, and it goes beyond having a defense that puts him under more pressure than he’s used to.
I really want him to get back to his golden glove form, but I also don’t know what it’s going to take to get there. Either way, I’ll still support him and know he’s capable. But I won’t lie and say it doesn’t concern me.
What’s Next:
Union Omaha now travels to Charlotte Independence as the road-heavy schedule continues. Kickoff for that match is at 6 pm CT on Saturday, July 12. Omaha Parliament’s watch party at Rathskeller will continue that evening after team representatives and supporters march in the Heartland Pride Parade earlier that day. In addition to a much-needed three points against a playoff-position team, it would also be a boon to beat Charlotte following a Pride march where team and supporter solidarity should be on full display.
Following that, the Owls return home on Friday, July 18 to face South Georgia Tormenta at Werner Park. Not only is this a team that traditionally helps Union Omaha right whatever ship is listing at the time, it’s Youth Soccer Night at the match and starts a run of three consecutive home matches for all competitions. Kickoff for that match is 7 pm CT
Key Events:
Union Omaha Yellow Card: 14’ – Joe Gallardo (Grabbing Player) (1st)
AV Alta FC Yellow Card: 16’ – Maboumou Alassane (Bad Tackle) (7th)
Union Omaha Yellow Card: 20’ – Ryan Becher (Bad Tackle) (1st)
Union Omaha Goal: 27’ – Ryan Becher (Unassisted) (1st) 0-1
AV Alta FC Goal: 45’+2’ – Walmer Martinez (2nd) (A: Jimmie Villalobos, 2nd) 1-1
Union Omaha Subs: 46’ – Laurence Wootton ON; Ryen Jiba OFF
Sergio Ors Navarro ON: Pato Faz OFF
AV Alta FC Goal: 50’ – Luca Mastrantonio (1st) (A: Walmer Martinez, 2nd) 2-1
Union Omaha Sub: 61’ – Prosper Kasim ON; Joe Gallardo OFF
AV Alta FC Subs: 61’ – Jerry Desdunes ON; Walmer Martinez OFF
Eduardo Blancas ON; Emmanuel Alaribe OFF
AV Alta FC Subs: 67’ – Javier Mariona ON; Adam Aoumaich OFF
Aaron Huerta ON; Jimmie Villalobos OFF
AV Alta FC Sub: 76’ – Osvaldo Lay ON; Harrison Robledo OFF
Union Omaha Yellow Card: 76’ – Max Schneider (Bad Foul) (4th)
Union Omaha Sub: 81’ – Mark Bronnik ON; Ryan Becher OFF
Who Gives A Hoot? 