Chattanooga Preview

Union Omaha (9-10-3, 3rd Place) vs Chattanooga Red Wolves (9-6-8, 4th Place)

All competitions: OMA (13-10-4) vs CHA (9-6-9)

Werner Park – Papillion, Nebraska

7:00 PM (CST)            ESPN+

            Union Omaha welcomes the Chattanooga Red Wolves to Werner Park for the second time in five weeks.  Both clubs look to stay in the hunt for a first-round playoff bye, but a loss for either side tonight could spell danger.  Kick off at Werner Park is scheduled for 7 PM (CST) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

            The Red Wolves are back in the pack and looking like a potential contender for a first-round playoff bye, especially after extending their undefeated streak to eight weeks.  Before that streak, the team was in eighth place and facing a lot of doubts about their season.  Since then, the team has rallied and created a narrative in which they have looked like a contender.  In the midst of their current steak, they have tied an unpredictable Northern Colorado Hailstorm team at home, tied Union Omaha on the road, defeated Central Valley Fuego on the road, defeated Greenville at home, tied Forward Madison on the road, and defeated Tormenta at home.  That’s quite an impressive run to keep intact.  They will look to extend that streak tonight with the help of some high performers on their roster.

            Chattanooga is a team that scores a lot of goals while not letting in many.  The club may only have three clean sheets this season, but they separate themselves from their opponent pretty easily.  In their nine wins this season, they averaged a goal differential of just over two goals.  Their goal-scoring leader, Juan Galindrez, has collected 10 goals and is only 4 behind the current leader for the Golden Boot award.  It’s hard to discuss the Red Wolves without mentioning the flashy Brazilian Rafa Mentzingen, who is an overall offensive powerhouse for the team.  If the Red Wolves were a cell, Mentzingen would be the mitochondria.  Apologies for the cheesy science joke.  Moving on.

            The Owls are finishing off another week of action which included a midweek match.  On Wednesday, Union Omaha faced off against regional rival Forward Madison and, despite going down a man early in the second half, found a way to collect three points.  Union Omaha’s Corey Hertzog jumped on a loose ball during a corner kick and buried the game winner in the 77th minute.  The three points lifted the Owls to within one point of Richmond and Greenville, who occupy the top two spots in the league at the moment.  With a game in hand, Union Omaha can still take sole possession of the leaderboard, but will have to keep pace with the clubs at the top and win their game in hand.  Tonight is another opportunity for the Owls to put pressure on the clubs above them.

            The last time these two met, back in Week 18, Chattanooga scored in the first half, something they hadn’t been able to do since the first time these two clubs met almost two years ago.  Union Omaha’s defense was able to hold off forwards Juan Galindrez and Alex Tejera, but the central midfield pairing of Jimmie Villalobos and José Carrera-Garcia were constantly threatening the Owls with their passing.  The Red Wolves held a lead entering the late stages of the game, but then midfielder Pedro Hernandez received his second yellow card and Union Omaha took advantage of the opportunity.  It wasn’t until the third minute of second-half stoppage time when Chavany Willis donned his cape and saved the Owls from dropping points.  His strike from well outside the box was not only sublime, but gained enough votes to earn Willis the Goal of the Week.

            This is another crucial matchup, so you don’t want to miss any of the action.  If you’re looking to have some fun before gates open, head over to Werner Park early and enjoy the tailgate sights, scenes, and smells.  Tonight is Cancer Awareness Night, presented by XCancer, where “those in our community affected by cancer, including survivors, current patients, or healthcare workers” will be recognized and honored.

            After the match, keep up to date with the club by visiting the Who Gives A Hoot website for more Union Omaha content, episodes of the podcast, and articles.  Follow us on social media for all of the content you never knew you needed related to the Owls.  As always…¡Viva Búhos!

Data Dive: A Positive Reaction

The team responded so, so well to the loss at Richmond from this past weekend. Despite the circumstances that understandably shook the team that game, we reacted well to come out with the win on Wednesday. And thankfully there is good news for Alex Touche as well, with it not being as bad as it very much seemed that night. So let’s dive in!

Post-Reduction Power

We did receive our third red card of the season this game, with Emir being sent off just inside the second half. That sets a new record for us with most red cards in a season, as we earned just two in each prior season. It really does seem that there are more reds this year in general, but that may just be anecdotal or skewed by playing more games.

The other interesting note is that with so few red cards, we had only played down a man 73 minutes this season (141 minutes ever) prior to this game. We adapted very well though, not holding holding a clean sheet but also scoring too! In fact, this is the first time in the regular season that we have scored while down a player when the other team also isn’t down a player as well. We have scored one other time down a player, in the last moments of the League One Final last year. But that also reveals another trend, in that we tend to hold on to games when we do go down to ten. Only Chattanooga at home last year did we drop points we otherwise wouldn’t have while being at ten. With that said though, this was then also the first time ever we’ve gained points we otherwise wouldn’t have while playing with one less. So while I hope we don’t have to do it again (my nerves could barely take this one), it does give some hope that we can come together when it happens and still do well in spite of the situation.

Balancing the Equation

That win also did something else outside the immediate spectrum as well: it brought us even in the all-time series with Madison at 2 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses.

That means we have winning records against 4 teams (Fuego, NCFC, Tormenta, and Tucson), tied against 4 teams (Charlotte, Madison, Greenville, and Hailstorm*), and losing against 2 teams (Chatt and Richmond). Richmond had been even before last weekend and there is still a chance to even it back up this season. And Chatt… is our next opponent. So there is a possibility we could even up both Chatt and Madison in the same week. It would require a win against a surging side at the end of another tough 3-game stretch, but it’s possible.

(*Of course, depends if you count the win in the cup against Hailstorm. I really would like to not have to keep footnoting this, so hopefully we beat Hailstorm the last time this season so I don’t have to keep doing so.)

A Unified Bond

The last piece I wanted to shout out here was just how awesome it was to see the Unified game later Wednesday night. Ideally the timing is better so that more people would be able to stay, but I understand the league didn’t help things by making 2 of our 3 games on Wednesday nights. I really hope we can continue to make it happen, with Madison and hopefully with other teams in the league as well. I don’t have a stat sheet to reference, but I will say that 6-2 against Madison over two legs is incredible. The first team’s goal breakdown is 8-8 over 9 games, which that smashes comfortably. It was a great showing on both sides, the skill was truly so, so good. (I have to give props to Madison’s second goal, it was really great. Our third was close though.) Definitely a great time and I know a lot of people there were also asking for it to become a regular thing, so let’s make that happen!

Forward Madison Preview

Union Omaha (8-10-3, 3rd Place) vs Forward Madison (7-10-5, 5th Place)

All competitions: OMA (12-10-4) vs MAD (8-10-6)

Werner Park – Papillion, Nebraska

7:00 PM (CST)            ESPN+

            It’s another crucial matchup that has major playoff implications as Union Omaha hosts Forward Madison tonight at Werner Park.  This one could be an emotional rollercoaster, so plan on being on the edge of your seat tonight as it kicks off at 7 PM (CST).

            Forward Madison are a team on the rebound and are looking to claw their way into a position to host a first-round playoff game.  Not too long ago, this team was in 8th place and still trying to find their identity.  Since losing on the road to Charlotte 2-6, the ‘Mingos have only lost once, collected four clean sheets, and outscored opponents 10-6 across 9 games.  That singular loss was the catalyst for their current trajectory.  Only one team has been able to score two or more goals against them and those pesky men from Madison have reinserted themselves into the playoff discussion, thanks in part to several high performers.

            Instead of starting at the top of the lineup, let’s look at the biggest catalyst for change in Madison: goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena.  On June 12th, the Cuban keeper was announced to be joining Forward Madison by means of a goalkeeper swap between the ‘Mingos and USL Championship club Tampa Bay Rowdies.  Arozarena’s first start came mere days later, resulting in a 2-0 home victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC.  Since joining Forward Madison, Arozarena has only allowed five goals in eight matches and earned four of the club’s five total clean sheets, all while boasting a lower goals-against average than current league-leader and Golden-Glove-race leader Rashid Nuhu of Union Omaha.

            Moving up the field, Forward Madison boast field players like club goal-scoring leader forward Jeremiah Streng, all around producer Matheus Cassini, and defender Mikey Maldonado, who leads the club in chances created.  While none of these guys will be found leading the league in any of their respective categories, this is a team that has chosen to excel as a committee, instead of as individuals.

            Stylistically, this is a team that has the pieces in place to work together, to get down the field, and do so while keeping the ball on the ground.  The ‘Mingos pass a lot and that’s no exaggeration – they lead the league in passing and passing accuracy.  Of their 28 goals scored this season, 21 goals were accompanied by an assist.  Again, they act as a committee.  They are also a patient team on offense, looking for the exact moment to take a chance on goal.  While they don’t shoot as much as other clubs around the league, they convert at a higher rate.

            These two clubs have already met twice this season, both ending in draws.  Tonight’s match will be the last regular season meeting between the two sides until next season, but don’t count out a meeting between the two in the playoffs.  Looking back at the eight matchups between the clubs, only three have ended with a winner.  In all eight meetings, Union Omaha has only won one game, a 2-1 victory at Breese Stevens Field last season.  In three tries, Union Omaha has never defeated Forward Madison in Werner Park.

            The Owls look to change the course of history between these two sides and exorcise the demons of last week’s 0-3 loss to the Richmond Kickers.  The loss kept the Owls in third place and left the team minus a defender after Alex Touche suffered a game-stopping injury in the second half.  Though the Owls tried, they couldn’t seem to find the magic in the late stages of the match against Richmond.

            Tonight’s game will test the technical skill and teamwork of the Owls, but also their emotional stability.  Games between Forward Madison and Union Omaha are not friendly affairs and true grit is needed in order to gain three points.  Without attempting to exaggerate, gaining three points against Forward Madison has been the toughest task for the Owls and to do so requires emotional intelligence and superiority in handling tough situations.  Union Omaha fans have seen the players tested time and time again, both in the US Open Cup and League One play, so it isn’t unfamiliar territory.  That familiarity could benefit them tonight.

            Make sure to stay after the game to watch the second, and final, game between the Forward Madison and Union Omaha Special Olympic teams.  The players have worked hard to be featured and to play in front of fans, so give them their proper praise and adoration.  It’s going to be a great night of soccer at Werner Park, so get there early and don’t miss any of the action to come.  As always…¡Viva Búhos!

Halftime Adjustments Gives Owls Win

            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.

Richmond Kickers Preview

Richmond (10-5-7, 2nd Place) vs Union Omaha (8-10-2, 3rd Place)

All competitions: RIC (12-5-8) vs OMA (12-10-3)

City Stadium – Richmond, Virginia

5:30 PM (CST)            ESPN+

            Union Omaha returns to City Stadium to battle 2nd – placed Richmond in a crucial battle for prominence in USL League One.  The biggest match of the week kicks off at 5:30 and this is one you won’t want to miss!

            The Richmond Kickers are returning home after a pair of lackluster road results.  The first road match was a 0-1 loss to the top-seeded Greenville Triumph, which came down to a 90th-minute goal from Greenville’s Nico Brown.  The Kickers then had to quickly regroup while heading to the opposite coast to face off against the unpredictable Central Valley Fuego FC.  Down 2-0 with barely more than 20 minutes remaining, the Kickers dug deep and found a way to earn a draw, thanks to goals from Emiliano Terzaghi and Matthew Bentley.  Having gained a mere point from the pair of games, the Kickers saw themselves go from one point behind the number-1 seed to three points.  It’s undeniable that the Kickers are looking to reverse their recent debits and regain the seat at the head of the table, where they’ve spent a third of the season.

            It’s difficult to describe Richmond without mentioning their star forward, Emiliano Terzaghi.  The two are virtually synonymous now, especially after the forward has amassed two-straight USL League One MVP awards in each of his seasons with the club, as well as a pair of Golden Boot awards and a slew of other USL League One individual awards.  The forward currently finds himself in a familiar vantage point – at the front of the pack in the race for the 2022 USL League One Golden Boot.  Union Omaha will have their hands full with Terzaghi, but he isn’t the only threat on the roster for the Kickers.

            The Richmond Kickers have scored the most goals in USL League One: 39.  The closest club to that mark is six goals behind them.  Believe it or not, Terzaghi didn’t score those goals all by himself.  The hungry top line of the Richmond Kickers consists of a rotating cast of mercenaries, including the likes of Matthew Bentley, Jonathon Bolanos, and Owayne Omar Gordon.  Feeding that pack is a supporting list of midfielders and defenders with familiar names: Nil Vinyals, Stephen Payne, Stuart Richie, and Ethan Bryant.  This is a club with well-established chemistry and a proven formula for success.

            There’s a chink in their armor and Union Omaha is going to find it.  With a season filled with doubts and frustrations, the Owls stayed the course and believed in themselves every step of the way.  They went toe-to-toe with MLS clubs on three separate occasions and only lost once.  And since that loss, Union Omaha regrouped and refocused their efforts on the remaining league campaign for one sole reason: winning.  The Owls accepted the loss to Sporting Kansas City and returned to USL League One action with fire in their belly and a full belief that they are capable of something greater than anyone knew was possible.  The club is now undefeated in their last 11 games.  Yes, you read that correctly.  In those 11 games, Union Omaha has almost doubled their opponents, outscoring them 15-8.  In that same stretch of games, only one club was able to score more than one goal on the Owls.  Before this win streak started, Union Omaha was in 9th place and 5 points behind the league leader, who else but the Richmond Kickers.  Now, ten weeks later, the Owls find themselves in third place, four points behind the league leader, and still have two games in hand.  If this isn’t a reason to believe in the Owls, I don’t know what else you need to have faith in this club.

            In the first, and only, matchup between these two sides, Union Omaha put the Kickers on notice early with a 26th minute goal from Noe Meza.  The Kickers returned the favor before halftime, with Owayne Omar Gordon scoring in the 41st minute.  The match ended in an even 1-1 scoreline, much like many of the other stats from that day.  Even looking at the all-time record between these two clubs, each has a win, two draws, and a loss.  This is about as even as it gets, so tonight’s game will certainly be an intense battle to watch.

            A win tonight would prove incredibly valuable for either side, so let’s examine that angle, as well.  Three points for Richmond means keeping pace with Greenville, padding their goal differential, and distancing themselves from any potential third-place club looking to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.  With a Richmond win tonight and a Greenville loss to Northern Colorado, the Kickers would find themselves at the top of the standings, by virtue of the second tiebreaker – goal differential.  On the flip side, a win for Union Omaha means overtaking Richmond in the standings, creeping closer to Greenville in the standings, extending their current win streak to 12 games, and continuing to set themselves up to take advantage of those two games in hand for a potential run at the top of the standings.

            With each passing week, results become more meaningful and so does your support for the Owls.  There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, so keep checking back with Who Gives A Hoot for more content about your favorite club.  Wear the colors, show your support, and as always…¡Viva Búhos!

Data Dive: An Historic Night

What a night! So much has been already said about this game: from the earliest goal in UO history that is also the first GK goal in USL League One history, to the highest number of goals we’ve scored this season, to the reasons for the two red cards, to the incredible after-game scenes. That is all going to be covered in detail throughout other places this week, so I’d like to focus on a few of the other things about Saturday night’s game that stood out.

A Slightly Different Style of Play

As you might have noticed, we played a little differently against NCFC. Part of that was from the early goals, hitting those long balls over the top that their defense made a mess of. The red cards also changed things. So it could be for a number of reasons, but we had a few facets that you normally don’t see in a game that we win happen.

Firstly, we had the highest passing accuracy that we have had all year in a game, 81.5%. Our average for the year is 73%, so it was a good deal higher. It was only our second time connecting above 80% of our passes this league season, the other being the 0-0 home draw with Charlotte. We also had our second highest number of passes and second highest possession in a game, just after the Greenville home loss.

And that tells you what is normally the case with us, that we don’t want a lot of passes or a lot of possession. This was our sixth game this season with over 50% possession, also the first win when we reach that stat. Our pass total of 481 that game is much larger than the our average of 341.75 passes a game. We also out-passed NCFC by 135 passes. This was the 4th time we’ve hit over 400 passes and the 6th time we’ve had more passes than an opponent this season… it’s also the 1st time we’ve won when doing so. The early goals and the red cards played a part, but it definitely was interesting seeing the team succeed in a style that we normally don’t do well playing.

Up by a Player, but What About a Goal?

So… we have a lot of red cards against us this year. Those two from Saturday put us at 8 total reds against us this season. That’s double the next teams’ amount! As shown in the table below:

Now, what do we do with the time that we are playing with more players? Well… a little, but not as much as we might hope. This line of questioning was spurred with Luke asking during the game if Noe’s second goal from Saturday was our first goal up a man this season. It’s not, but it is the first in normal time.

We’ve scored 3 goals in the 106 minutes we have been up a person this season after a red card. The first was the penalty against Fuego at home in extra time , the second Chavany’s Goal of the Month winner against Chattanooga (also in extra time), and the third was Noe’s this past game. We’ve also let in a goal while up a man, an own goal against Tormenta in our second meeting in Statesboro this year. (Not to mention that the only blemish from this last game was letting in a goal in the 26 minutes we were up two players).

I also looked into the opposite. We’ve had 2 reds this year, what happened in that time? Well, in those 73 minutes we were down a man, we only allowed one (own) goal (the first game against Tucson). And then in the second game against Tucson we went down to 10 v 10, where both teams scored once in those 37 minutes. So we haven’t let in much when down a player, but also haven’t scored much when up a player, which to be fair has been the tale of most of our season when 11 v 11 as well.

Memorable Other Milestones

Kevin’s goal was indeed incredible, in only his 8th game for the club as well. I wanted to highlight a few other milestones below, but here is the full appearance/goal/assist table if you are curious:

Congrats to Noe on his 10th total goal for the team, only the 3rd player to hit that mark for us! JP is close to hitting that number as well, with 9 total goals. Conor on the other hand, is close to hitting double digit assists. That would make him the second player to that mark after Devin Boyce, who currently holds our record with 11.

Doyle has however now hit 50 league appearances for us, 55 in total, and all of those appearances being in a row. A 55 game streak where he has at least played a little in every single game since he signed for us, an incredible accomplishment for the captain. Emir also just hit 50 total appearances for us, while JP and Shido have now tied for most total appearances at 63 each. Hoping that some more of these milestones continue to be reached this year as we now look to the last third of the regular season.

Data Dive: The Middle of a Busy Homestand

WHEW, this has been a busy week. Two games already and another yet to come. All the while, school is getting ready to start back up again which is keeping me very busy. But we will definitely get some notes down about the week so far before the last game of this week at home.

Another notch on the belt

Wednesday was a historic win for us. Not just in that we really needed those three points. Or that the comeback really showed the first we can bring when necessary. But also in that it was our first win against Charlotte. That means that (depending on how you count), we’ve now defeated every team in League One at least once.

What do I mean by “how you count”? Well, that actually harkens back to the first game of this week, the draw with Northern Colorado Hailstorm. We’ve beat them in the US Open Cup, but have now drawn twice with them in the league. So it depends on if you are counting league wins or not as to whether we have truly met that mark.

Another thing about that draw with Hailstorm: it was our 10th of the season. That’s a lot of tie games. In fact, it is now the most we’ve ever had in a season, with 9 draws being the previous mark from last season. Hopefully this past game has shown that we can buck that trend and score some goals, turning those draws into wins instead.

Oh look, yet another 2020 comparison!

I know, I know. I do this a lot. But it’s one that I’ve been interested in looking at for a while now and this week’s games have made it more interesting to do so. It’s been mentioned prior that this team’s struggle to score, great defense, number of first time pros, etc. are comparable to the 2020 season. I wanted to look at a couple of players in particular to see how they might compare. And this past week, with his two goals, really made Noe the one I wanted to look at. We had a similar type of player the first season, who scored a good amount of goals but whose position wasn’t really settled that season: Evan Conway. So, here’s a look at some of the numbers between them:

2022 Noe2020 Evan
Games1916
Minutes Played1,4151,294
Goals66
Types of Goals3 right, 1 left, 2 headed1 right, 3 left, 2 headed
Were scored from5 inside the box, 1 outside5 inside the box, 1 outside
Shots2231
Shots on Target814
Conversion Rate27.3%19.4%
Assists42
Key Passes2216
Passes421278
Passing accuracy72%62.2%
Crosses1329
Crossing accuracy7.7%17.2%
Fouls won3122
Fouls committed3214
Yellow cards11

Some very close comparisons, especially in how the goals were scored. You can definitely see the different styles between the two: Evan shooting more, Noe playing more passes at a higher percentage and assisting more, Evan crossing more, etc. You could even drill these numbers down deeper and continue with the parallels and differences. But I think it’s a good case study, as we see what Evan did with these numbers in 2020, and what he then went on to do (with a similar amount of minutes) in 2021. Noe is more of a creator than the finisher Evan is, but looking at the growth we saw with Evan, if see similar with Noe next year, things are looking bright indeed.

Picking up points in hand

We are finally playing those games in hand and thankfully taking advantage of them! We are up to 3rd in the table, just 3 points behind Richmond with 2 games in hand on them. We actually have been in the top 3 in points per game (ppg) for much of the season, but now that we are finally playing them we finally can see if that projection will pan out. We are going to keep getting closer with our schedule this next month. We have another 3 game week starting next Saturday, which will leave us only 1 game in hand behind. Then we have our brutal 4-games in 11 days September stretch, which will catch us up to the rest of the league. If you haven’t looked at that stretch yet on the calendar by the way: Sunday night in Tucson, Wednesday vs Richmond, Saturday vs Greenville, Wednesday at Hailstorm. But by the end of it, we’ll be essentially level for the October home stretch.

So how we fare with this last game this week is going to be incredibly important, as it will be a bit of a bell-weather for how those next two runs of games could go. Rotation is going to continue being massive as well, so seeing how Jay has handled it this week will be a good look back to discuss next week so that we can see what we might expect during those next two stretches of games. Hopefully, we can keep pace and be solidly in the top three, fighting it out for a first round bye in the playoffs.

Boris Pardo Hired as New GK Coach

            On Friday, Union Omaha announced the hiring of their new goalkeeper coach: Boris Pardo.  With him comes a wealth of experience from his collegiate career at Seton Hall, his professional days in Major League Soccer, Major Arena Soccer League, and even some futsal.

            The New Jersey native spent his college years at Seton Hall and by the time he left, he had established himself as the all-time Pirates career shutout leader, earning 16 throughout his time wearing blue and white.  He also separated himself from previous Seton Hall goalkeepers by collecting a program-best 1.07 goals against average.  In 2006, he was named Big East goalkeeper of the year.  He was also named Second team All-Region by Adidas shortly before he decided to ply his trade among the professionals.

            In 2007, Pardo signed on with the MLS as a league goalkeeper – a professional player who joined any given club after they had two or more goalkeepers suffering from short-term injuries.  During the 2007 season, he spent time with Toronto FC, FC Dallas, and Kansas City.  His availability and flexibility gave him an advantage moving into 2008, where he was signed as the backup goalkeeper for the then-Wizard’s reserve team.  After spending the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Kansas City, Pardo’s career took an unexpected turn: professional indoor soccer.

            Before the 2010-2011 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), the Missouri Comets joined the league as an expansion side.  Pardo joined and began to expand his knowledge set.  During his years with the Comets, he also spent his time as a goalkeeper coach for Sporting KC Juniors.  He was also called up to play with the United States Futsal National Team ahead of the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship in Guatemala.

Years later, he joined the San Diego Sockers, also of the MASL.  He was recently the 2021-2022 MASL Goalkeeper of the Year.  His passion for the sport is evident when reading and listening to his previous interviews.

            In an interview with the San Diego Sockers, he said, “I love to study and watch and rewatch all the games…I’ve always been a soccer rat.”  Later in the same interview, he talked about his love for playing goalkeeper.  “I love diving around the dirt, the feel of getting dirty, and the hand-eye coordination stuff.  Being able to use my hands was fun.  It was a big goal, the challenge of trying to stop a goal from going in.”

            In Union Omaha’s press release, head coach Jay Mims said, “Boris has plenty of experience playing at all levels and will be a great resource for the guys.”  He went on to say, “I am happy to reconnect with Boris as we have known each other for a long time and will be fun to together.”

            Union Omaha continues their title defense as they host the Charlotte Independence on Wednesday evening.  The game will be held at Werner Park in Papillion, Nebraska.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7PM (CST) and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

Owls and Hailstorm Battle to a Draw

            It looked as though Union Omaha was well on their way to a second consecutive victory, but a second-half equalizer from Northern Colorado was enough to dash the hopes of another three points for the Owls.

            On a beautiful Saturday evening, Werner Park was filled with another impressive attendance – 4,312 people.  There was an air of optimism, especially since it was Single’s Night and Women in Sports Night.  The stadium even played host to a group of FC Köln fans, so there was plenty of energy and cause for celebration.

            From the opening kickoff, Union Omaha had their foot on the gas pedal.  The first quality chance came in the fourth minute of play, when defender Alex Touche connected with midfielder Dion Acoff on a deep ball.  Acoff had to fend off Hailstorm defender Brecc Evans, but once he had space, he tried to head the ball into the net.  The attempt ultimately went just wide of the near post, but it was enough to put Hailstorm goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda on high alert and get him to go horizontal.

            Union Omaha broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, when midfielder JP Scearce intercepted a Hailstorm pass and immediately fed the ball up to the newest Owl on the roster, forward Corey Hertzog.  As he carried the ball up the field, forward Noe Meza took over the possession and allowed Hertzog to float out wide to the left.  Once Hertzog had the ball again, Meza was able to make a run against the flow of Hailstorm’s backline and find some space.  Hertzog took advantage of the opportunity and sent a chip into the box.  Hailstorm defender Wolfgang Prentice lost a step as he switched the direction that his body was facing, which was more than enough time for Noe Meza to bring the ball down and bury the shot low and inside the far post.  The goal was Meza’s fifth goal of the season, tying him with JP Scearce for most goals scored so far this season.  To go one step further, the goal was also the quickest goal scored at home, across all competitions, by Union Omaha. It narrowly bested Hugo Kametani’s 14th-minute goal against FC Tucson in Week 16.

            In a quote released by the club after the game, Union Omaha head coach Jay Mims said, “It was great to have Noe finish that and Corey [had a] great pass, a great debut.”

            Northern Colorado had a chance to tie the score in the 25th minute, when midfielder Jerry Desdunes had the ball deep at the corner of the penalty area on the left side of the field.  He thread the needle with a pass to Danny Robles, who was able to tee up Nortei Nortey for a great shot on goal.  Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu was forced into another reflex save as the ball took a deflection off defender Daltyn Knutson while en route to the goal.  After the ball hit Nuhu’s hands, it deflected off the underside of the crossbar and away from danger.

            There was a common theme for both teams, as their offense schemes seemed to flow along the same side of the field.  Union Omaha fancied a perceived mismatch along their right side of the field and continuously forced the issue along that flank.  Meanwhile, Northern Colorado opted to run their offense down their left side of the field.  When the Hailstorm dropped the ball back, swung the possession to the right side, there was often very little offense generated along that sideline.  There were a few times when Hailstorm midfielder Arthur Rogers was able to create one-two passing opportunities to open up the corner, but crosses were rarely successful, which forced Northern Colorado into favoring the left side of the field on the next possession.

            By halftime, Union Omaha was up a goal and looking like the team with the better chances on goal.  Despite carrying 40.9% of the possession at the break, Union Omaha was stretching the Hailstorm formation, as seen by the 45 long passes noted on the stat sheet.  The Owls looked far more dangerous with the ball on the ground and players were finding space to infiltrate.  A glaring issue for the Owls was connecting passes and crosses in the attacking third.  All five of their crosses were unable to connect with a teammate, netting a 0% success rate on the crossing accuracy at halftime.

            The second half went very similar to the first half, with both sides favoring the one side of the field.  Those first moments of the second half were an exercise is build-up play, as neither side was able to make a connection in the attacking third.  One element of the game started to present itself with more importance, though: set pieces.

            In the 66th minute, Corey Hertzog was fouled by Brecc Evans on Union Omaha’s right side of the field.  The direct kick was taken by none other than Joe Brito, who sent another masterful cross into the box.  Daltyn Knutson was wide open near the penalty spot, but his header went just over the crossbar.  The would-be goal would have provided the delicate insurance policy the Owls needed at the final whistle.

            Northern Colorado waited until the 79th minute to inject their own dose of drama to the evening.  Second-half substitute Stefan Lukic had the ball along the right side of the field and went to send a powerful pass between Union Omaha players Chavany Willis and Ryen Jiba, but the ball took a deflection off Willis’s leg and went straight to the right side of the penalty area where Hailstorm forward Trevor Amann was able to run to and immediately find Irvin Parra at the penalty spot for the easy finish.  The goal was Parra’s ninth of the season and Amann’s third assist, as well.

            In a series of quotes, released by the club, Union Omaha’s Noe Meza said, “We kind of took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit and let the team get back into the game, and they had a good gameplan building up.”

            Jay Mims echoed that sentiment saying, “The result was disappointing.  I thought we were in control of the game, in control of the match.”

            Meza still remained optimistic, as he was quoted saying, “If we can get that final piece right, we can start getting the wins definitely.”  He continued that thought with, “I thought we started the game off really strong.  We just need to find a way to keep that tempo going and we can be a very dangerous team attacking-wise.”

            Corey Hertzog expressed his views on the matter as well, saying, “They controlled the ball more in the second half.  I think we just need to get higher up the pitch a little bit, but I think we played well.  We got unlucky with the through ball.  It was off the deflection right to them again and we had three guys and the goalie trying to block it, and he mishits it and it bounces over.”

            The draw dropped Northern Colorado a spot in the standings and are now in ninth place.  The Hailstorm will have two matches in Week 21: a Wednesday night home game against FC Tucson, followed by a Saturday night home game against Forward Madison.  The team is still on the outside of the playoffs, but only by a single point.

            Union Omaha remains in fifth place in the league standings after the draw.  The Owls have two matches in Week 21: a Wednesday night home game against Charlotte Independence and a Saturday night game against North Carolina FC.  The Wednesday night game will be “Pups at the Pitch” and the Saturday night game will be “Around the World Night.”  The Owls still have at least two games in hand on the teams above them in the league standings, so there are still opportunities for the team to climb.

            The next time these two clubs face each other will be on Wednesday, September 21st in Windsor, Colorado.

            There is still plenty of great content coming your way, especially with the playoffs approaching, so stay tuned to Who Gives A Hoot Media for more episodes of the podcast, data breakdowns, and other articles.  Follow us on social media for extra content, as well.

Northern Colorado Preview

Union Omaha (6-9-2, 5th Place) vs Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (6-7-7, 8th Place)

All competitions: OMA (10-9-3) vs NCO (8-7-8)

Werner Park – Papillion, Nebraska

7:00 PM (CST)            ESPN+

            Good morning, Búhos Nation!  Welcome to Week 20 of the USL League One regular season.  For the seventh time this season, Union Omaha gets to play a home game and this week is a tough matchup against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.  Tonight’s kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM (CST), so get to Werner Park early and find your seat, or spot on the berm, and enjoy the action.

Northern Colorado descends from the elevation after playing two home games last week.  On Tuesday, the Hailstorm lost to Richmond Kickers 0-1, only to return the favor to Tormenta FC last Saturday, winning 2-0.  The split results allowed them to climb a spot in the standings to eighth place, only a point behind the playoff threshold.  The Hailstorm are even on games played with most of the league, so they’ll be looking to take advantage of every remaining opportunity to extend their season.

With the likes of forward Irvin Parra, midfielder Arthur Rogers, and defender Rob Cornwall, the Hailstorm is certainly not a team to look beyond.  Irvin Parra leads the team with eight goals, only three behind the current leader for the Golden Boot.  Arthur Rogers currently leads the league in big chances created.  He’s also tied for most assists in League One and has been a recent mainstay on the Team of the Week selections, where defender Rob Cornwall has also seen his name included on multiple occasions.  Even their goalkeeper, Johan Peñaranda, has collected two clean sheets in the last four games.  When looking at Hailstorm’s roster, you can’t forget about quality players like midfielder Nortei Nortey, forward Lachlan McLean, midfielder Stefan Lukic, and defender Denso Ulysse.  This is a deceptively good team that will be extremely dangerous with things finally “click” for them.

Union Omaha is still riding the highs of last week’s road victory over Central Valley Fuego FC.  The win was the club’s first since July 16th.  JP Scearce saved the day, once again, with another marvelous header, assisted by Conor Doyle following a corner kick.  The three points was enough to lift the Owls to fifth place in the standings and back in playoff position – the seventh time this season.

New signings Luis Gil and Corey Hertzog have earned minutes since they were announced and they’ve shown promise on the offense side of the ball.  On the defensive side, Union Omaha announced the signing of goalkeeper coach Boris Pardo, who will be valuable to goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu and his attempt to lock up his second consecutive Golden Glove award.

These two clubs have only faced each other twice in the past, once in the US Open Cup and the other time being league play.  In the first matchup, held at University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Caniglia Field, Union Omaha defeated Northern Colorado 2-0 in Round 4 (Round of 32) of the US Open Cup.  The first time the Hailstorm visited Werner Park came mere weeks later, when the two sides played a scoreless draw.  After today’s game, the two clubs will have to wait over a month before Union Omaha heads west for the last matchup of the regular season.

With 64 days left in the USL League One regular season, the tension is starting to build.  For Union Omaha’s remaining 13 games, that means an average of less than 5 days between games.  In the next week alone, Union Omaha plays three home games.  The playoffs are getting closer and the standings are still as tight as they’ve been all season.  Third place through ninth place are separated by a mere five points.

There’s not much time left in the season, so cherish the time we have left with the Owls by getting to Werner Park for the remaining games.  They need all of our support as they look to finish the regular season on a high note.  Speaking of Werner Park, get to the stadium early for the tailgate and get treated to some delicious street tacos and sides.  There will also be plenty of beverages, music, and games to play.  If you plan on taking part in the Singles Night activities, the tailgate will be a great way to have some fun before you go on your speed dates.  Either way, there are plenty of memories to make this season, so be there for every second of it.  See you at the stadium and as always…¡Viva Búhos!