Data Dump: North Texas (Away)

What a game! Los Buhos got sucked into the MoneyGram Soccer Park chaos in a big way last night. I called the game a must win yesterday afternoon, but by the final whistle I was thrilled we grabbed a point. Red cards, getting late goals, giving up late goals, golazos, the drama! I can’t be the only one very relieved we are done playing the youthful agents of chaos from Dallas. While we were undoubtably quite bad in the first 50′ of the game, I’d argue we won the second half despite giving up what might go down as the sloppiest goal we give up all season. Let’s dig in starting with the centerbacks who were exposed on that play.

1) Jay seems to have two centerback archetypes.

Having a left footed left centerback is obviously important to Jay, look no further than the conversion of Jake Crull to centerback (for the sake of this argument please ignore every other reason that move made tons of sense). It’s been clear that Jake and Daltyn have been rotating through the LCB spot and Nathan Aune has been backing up Illal at RCB.

Nathan and Daltyn started at CB last night. I’ll let other pundits in the WGaH media empire debate that choice, but I felt that left or right footedness aside, Nathan played Jake’s role and Daltyn played Illal’s role. Let me explain…with data.

North Texas v Union Omaha: CB pairing General Stats

Daltyn made shorter passes and more accurate passes than Nathan did. Compare that to Illal and Jake from our game against Forward midweek.

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: CB pairing General Stats

I made the argument after the Tucson game that Jake is making more attacking passes than Illal hence the lower accuracy. Certainly that passed the eye test in this game with Nathan starting the attack from the back and Daltyn getting into the attack much less frequently.

2) Nathan Aune digs the long ball.

It was Nathan’s season debut yesterday and he brought something different to the game, the long ball out of the back. In the first chart in point #1 you can see that 8 of his 38 passes were long passes (defined by Opta as a pass 35 yards or longer aimed at a teammate). This is over 21% of his passes, the second highest such percentage by a centerback all year.

North Texas v Union Omaha: Nathan Aune successful passes

Compare Nathan’s chart above to the highest long pass rate of the season: Jake at home to North Texas.

Union Omaha v North Texas: Jake Crull successful passes.

Nathan’s passes look longer and more direct when you compare the charts and it seemed that way last night.

3) One chart that shows why you were unhappy.

Opta shows Clearances and Interceptions and Defensive Blocks (blocked passes) on their Chalkboard. We lost each category individually, and combine we lost the “turnover battle” 23 to 41.

North Texas (blue) v Union Omaha (black): All players, clearances, interceptions, and defensive blocks.

At the end of the day, we escaped with a point, we remain in third, and we have a nice four game stretch ahead of us.

4) Elo rankings!

To prove my point, let’s take a look at this week’s Elo rankings. You can refresh yourself on Jon’s methodology here.

Greenville Triumph1592
North Texas SC1537
Union Omaha1536
Forward Madison1536
Richmond Kickers1513
Chattanooga Red Wolves1491
FC Tucson1489
Fort Lauderdale CDF1483
South Georgia Tormenta1467
New England Revs II1451
Orlando City B1387
Week 7 Elo Rankings

Five our next six games are against teams in the bottom 5 of this weeks Elo rankings. Accordingly, I’m going to spend the week optimistic about our chances for Saturday and the next month of play. I’d encourage you to do the same.

3 Questions: North Texas (Away)

Not much of a preamble today, this is a big game for us.

1) Are we a good team?

First, let me apologize to all Kickers fans reading this today. I called your team “okay” in this column on Wednesday and honestly, that isn’t fair. While Greenville is in a class of its own, there is no getting around the fact that Richmond has the same or better results as Union Omaha against our common opponents (they won at home to Madison, they won at Revs 2, they beat Tucson 2-1 albeit at home instead of on the road). That draw against Tormenta looks better after the Storm beat the Red Wolves on Saturday and they put two goals past Greenville in a loss.

A quarter of the way through the season it seems, to my uneducated eye, there are two groups of teams and then Greenville. Group one is made of most of the teams in the league that can win against each other on any given night. In the second group of teams are a few teams that will rise above that and should expect results against every team in the first group, and then there is Greenville. I feel obligated to say Richmond is in that second group at this point. If we want to remain in that second group and compete for a title this year, we need to win at Texas tomorrow night.

We have a fairly easy schedule for the shortened season. We only play Richmond and Greenville once each and they are the only two teams above us on the table. Second place is ours for the taking, but we need make these games in hand count. Three points in Arlington would help a lot.

2) Will their leaky defense spark our offense?

If you eliminate about 10-12 minutes at the end of the Tucson game and the start of the Madison game, we’ve allowed zero goals. BUT, we’ve scored four goals total. (Obligatory plug for my EVD4MVP campaign: Ethan Vanacore-Decker has been involved in all four goals.) Four goals scored in four games puts our offense in joint last with the bottom two teams in the table.

The good news is North Texas is the worst defense in the league. Time for the boys to eat. The players clearly had a bad taste in their mouths after the Madison game. Hopefully, they will show up hungry and put a few in the back of the net.

3) Can our rotated lineup produce a result on the road?

We covered this a bit before the Chattanooga game that wasn’t. The only ray of light from that dark afternoon is that we have a good sense of what the rotated lineup will look like. On Wednesday night, after our draw with Madison, I sat in the post match press conference covering for the Quarantine College Kid, Liam Keating. When questioned about his substitutions Jay mentioned that Elvir had scored more goals than anyone else in practice in the previous seven days. He also mentioned that Ferrety was on a hot streak in practice as well. Both of them looked good on Wednesday and I think Jay rides those hot hands and gives them their first starts for Union Omaha. My predicted lineup is:

Forwards: Elvir, Juan Mare
Midfielders: Sebas, Devin Boyce, JP Scearce, Ferrety Sousa
Defense: Dami, Daltyn (if healthy, if not Jake), Illal, Luke Hauswirth
GK: Nuhu

Given the importance of this game (see point #1) Jay should have the Triple E offense ready to come in as early as the start of the second half if needed. I’d like to see him a bit more aggressive with his substitutions than he has been in previous games.

Preview: Union Omaha @ North Texas SC

The Owls are back in action as they face North Texas SC in their return leg that features the USL One defending champions. Kickoff is slated for 8PM CST at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Union Omaha

Their last match, was a tough, physical game against Forward Madison. It led to each team scoring one goal which finished in a draw. Sebastian Contreras earned his first goal for the club with a paneka style penalty kick as Ethan Vanacore Decker earned the penalty inside the Madison box. 

Union Omaha dominated possession against the Flamingos. The Owls had over 60% possession as they controlled the flow and style of the entire game. 

Do not expect the Owls to earn a high portion of the possession against North Texas. North Texas thrives on playing out of the back while creating their chances utilizing build up play. This starts with the goalkeeper moving all the way to the forwards; ala Pep Guardiola. 

The middle of the park will be key for the Owls success against North Texas. Midfielders Contreras and Tyler David dictated the game against the Texan club last time out even without the ball. Their ability to communicate and the keep the team in shape helped the Owls counter when they earned the ball. This is a key to success for the Owls and something to watch out for in this away leg. 

North Texas

A strange season so far for the returning champions as they have yet to hit form with their only win coming in week 1. North Texas faced two of the bottom feeders in USL One in their last couple of matches. Their game against last place New England Revolution ended in a 3-3 draw at home. 

Last game, North Texas lost to newly minted club, Fort Lauderdale CF 3-2. Former Creighton University alum, Ricky Lopez-Espin scored a brace for the Inter Miami affiliated club which gave them all three points. 

The issue for North Texas has been turnovers especially turnovers at the wrong time. North Texas is leading the league in passing percentage at 84%, but the majority of their conceded goals are coming from lackadaisical passes from the center backs and goalkeeper. 

The first goal that North Texas conceded against Fort Lauderdale was an ugly, Ill timed sequence from North Texas. Goalkeeper Carlos Avilez stood on top of the ball for far too long which invited pressure from Fort Lauderdale. He hurried a pass to his teammate, Derek Waldeck, who scuffed a pass straight to the opposing player. Fort Lauderdale was inside the box in a hurry and Lopez-Espin was able to bury the opening goal. 

North Texas needs to clean these mistakes up if they want to beat Union Omaha and get back into the playoff picture, but right now their clumsy passing is hurting their chances at a repeat title. 

Lastly, North Texas winger, Benjamin Redzic came off of the pitch against Fort Lauderdale with a knock in the 15’. It is unclear if he will play against Union Omaha. His attacking style of play along with his creativity makes him one of the most dangerous players for North Texas. If he misses the game due to injury, North Texas may struggle for goals against a stout Union Omaha defense. 

My Prediction

Union Omaha 2-1 North Texas SC

It is hard to see North Texas cleaning up their backline issues after such a short layoff since the Fort Lauderdale game (4 days). But, playing at home will help the Texas club. The Owls will have added motivation to earn three points and solidify their spot as the second place team in the league. Two Union Omaha goals in the first half will help them see the game out to victory over North Texas SC while the Texas club is left scratching their heads in eighth place. 

Data Dump: Union Omaha v. Forward Madison

What a game last night. Statistically, we dominated in almost every category, but it didn’t feel like we dominated. I went home relieved we salvaged a point, but frustrated that we left two points on the field. Others I talked to also were frustrated with how the game played out. I will dig into the data and share some insights that might explain that frustration

1) Passing and Possession aren’t everything

We had 64.3% of the possession in this game and we made 490 passes. This is about 8% more possession and 10% more passes than our previous high for each stat. Let’s look at where our successful passes were:

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: Union Omaha successful passes

Notice the lack of successful passes in the box and the final third? Here is all passes attempted in the final third.

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: Union Omaha successful and unsuccessful passes in the final third

I see a lot of successful passes away from the opposing goal and a lot of unsuccessful passes toward the goal. But wait, let’s add crosses into the mix…

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: Union Omaha unsuccessful passes and crosses

To me, this begins to explain the feeling of dissatisfaction. Lots and lots of balls into the box and in attacking positions that were unsuccessful. Check out the same chart from the FC Tucson match

FC Tucson v Union Omaha: Union Omaha unsuccessful passes and crosses

Overall, the direction and volume of unsuccessful passes is what I’d identify as a statistical explanation for the frustration fans are feeling.

2) Ferrety Sousa had a great shift

Last night, Ferrety played a bit of the Elma role from our first two games. All energy, all action super sub off the bench. Here is a chart of all the actions Ferrety took last night.

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: Ferrety Sousa all actions

Compare that to Elma’s super sub appearance against North Texas that won him a starting spot.

Union Omaha v North Texas: Elma Nfor all actions

Obviously, this is not an apples to apples comparison, but it was a successful appearance for sure for Ferrety.

3) Madison didn’t bother to attack very much.

Every single ‘mingo’s average position is either touching the midline or in their defensive half. This is the first team we’ve played who have not had multiple players in the attacking half.

Union Omaha v Forward Madison: Average positions.

I’d give credit to our league leading defense (based on shots allowed), but anyone who watched the game could see Madison wasting every second they could from the 8th minute onward.

Union Omaha and Forward Madison split points

“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done”, the famous Walt Whitman poem begins. Union Omaha’s 1-1 draw against Forward Madison was poetic or film-like as club captain, Sebastian Contreras would say.

“It was like a movie,” Contreras said. 

Union Omaha leveled the score with a stunning, paneka style penalty kick from Contreras. Forward Madison struggled to clear the ball after a long pass was put into the box. Flamingos defender Connor Tobin lunged at the ball clipping Ethan Vanacore-Decker in the box for the obvious penalty. 

“I saw the ball and I went for it,” Contreras said through translation. “It was going to be me who was going to kick it.” 

Contreras’ goal knotted up the score at one goal a piece. Forward Madison took the lead in the 8’ from a free kick by midfielder Michael Vang. The cross found the head of Eric Leonard who glancing shot looped over Owls’ goalkeeper, Rashid Nuhu for the opening goal. 

Union Omaha Head Coach, Jay Mims was not worried about the team’s set piece defending. 

“That’s professional soccer,” Mims said. “Most goals come off of set pieces.” 

Union Omaha dominated possession the entire game with 64% of the ball which resulted in many opportunities to find the winner especially in the second half. 

Damia Viader looked great in the match against Madison utilizing his skillset that he has shown throughout the season. His speed and crossing ability has made the Owls dangerous in the attacking third. 

Substitutes Ferrety Sousa and Elvir Ibisevic came onto the pitch in the 60’ and provided an instant spark. 

“Those few guys [Sousa and Ibisevic] that came in brought us something and changed the game,” Mims said. 

Shot after shot came in the second half to no avail as Forward Madison defender Josiah Trimmingham earned his second yellow in the 83’. Madison was down to 10 men for the closing minutes as the Union Omaha attack could not earn the winning goal. 

“We were hoping for that second goal, Sousa missed that open one that hit off of the post and Elvir had one cleared off the line,” Mims said. “Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do,” 

This was the most possession that Union Omaha has earned all season as the Owls dominated and dictated the style of play all game. 

“We had 65% possession so that was good for the fans for the fans to see a different style and different look,” Mims said. 

Union Omaha’s next game pits the Owls against North Texas SC in Dallas on Sunday, August 23rd at 8 PM CT. 

3 Questions: Forward Madison (Home)

Here are the three questions on my mind (plus a bonus question!) before our game against the Flamingos.

1) Is Forward Madison a good soccer team?

Regardless of how you feel about their supporters, this season has been a mixed bag for Forward on the field. They’ve lost twice on the road: once to an okay Richmond team and once a possibly good, possibly bad North Texas team. But they have a very convincing home record with their 4-0 win against Tormenta (albeit against the worst defense in the League) and their draw against Greenville, which is the only game all year in which the Triumph has dropped points. Our very own Elo rankings have Madison as the fourth best team in the league right now (we’re third). Without the lines of four different sports on the field to confuse their opponents is Madison able to put it together for a competitive match in Omaha?

2) Which lineup will we see for Los Buhos?

Will Jay recall the team that beat Tuscon or put forth the rotated squad that was going to play Chattanooga, or a mixture of the two? My guess is the mixture of the two, but we’ll learn a lot about Jay’s rotation policy when the lineups come out. Don’t forget we have to go to North Texas for a Sunday night game, but it has been 10 days since we last played so everyone should be rested and healthy. Which game does Jay think needs our A lineup?

3) Will the game on the field look and feel like a rivalry game?

The chirping back and forth between supporters on Twitter has been nearly constant since the end of last season. Union Omaha fans’ desire for a rivalry with the best supported team in League One was egged on by the provocative actions of the front office (myself way guiltier than all others combined) over the winter. But after months of being told we aren’t rivals by Forward fans, I think UO supporters have given up on the idea of a rivalry between the clubs. After all rivalries do require two competitive teams on the field and two willing fanbases off the field and Madison seems to be putting forward neither right now. 

Ok, cheap shots aside, I’ve always believed that the first game between the two teams will determine if there is a rivalry or not. If the game has some controversial calls that go Omaha’s way, if the Owls crush the ‘Mingos, if Evan Conway has an outrageous anti-Madison celebration (suggestion for any goal scorers reading this: stand on one leg, flap your arms, and then fall over), Madison fans may realize they absolutely detest our team and our fanbase. If it happens, that is what will spark a rivalry. If it doesn’t happen, so be it, we will have rivals soon enough.

Bonus question: will Philipp Marceta acknowledge my heckles about his recent attempt to follow my wife on instagram?

Seriously, this happened on Monday. I can’t emphasize enough that my wife is her own person and whomever she allows to follow her is entirely her decision and it has no bearing on me or our relationship. BUT, man is it a strange coincidence. Was he looking for her pithy insta stories about politics and social work memes, maybe seeking princess photos of our girls that I’ve somehow neglected to post, or just trying to build his brand one opposing female fan at a time? [Editor’s note: Ben isn’t that special, Philipp followed me as well. Based on his photos he is an average fisherman and an above average person, even if he unfollowed me.] I intend to satisfy my curiosity!

Preview: Union Omaha vs Forward Madison

Union Omaha faces Forward Madison in Week 6 of USL One competition on Wednesday, August 19th at 7pm CST in Omaha. The Owls come into this weekday clash after strange circumstances in Chattanooga while the Flamingos come off of their first win in 2020. 

Union Omaha

The Owls return to action after 10 days to face Forward Madison in Werner Park. Last week, the Owls were supposed to face Chattanooga Red Wolves in a matchup that pitted second and third place, yet mother nature had other ideas. The two teams were delayed due to lightning and rain. The delay took too long and play could not begin because CHI Memorial Stadium in Chattanooga has not been fitted for professional lighting suitable to play at night. This made the game impossible to play so the Owls were sent home without playing the game. 

Exciting things were bound to happen against Chattanooga. Forward Elvir Ibisevic was primed to make his first start of the season with centerback Daltyn Knutson getting back with his first start since suffering an injury after the game against New England 2 . It is unclear if Head Coach Jay Mims will return to the usual starting lineup of Forwards Evan Conway, Ethan Vanacore-Decker and Juan Mare or if he will turn to Ibisevic or Elma N’for.

Union Omaha will rely on the attacking prowess of Damia Viader who has created 8 chances which ranks him seventh in chances created in the USL One. Also, Vanacore-Decker has created 7 chances which has bolstered Union Omaha’s attack. 

Forward Madison

This game against the Owls will show if the Flamingos are contenders or pretenders. Madison is currently in 7th place with 4 points making them ahead of Orlando City B and Fort Lauderdale CF on goal differential. 

The first win of the season came last Friday when they defeated South Georgia Tormenta FC. The Flamingos dismantled a Tormenta team that was short on staff and players due to COVID-19 restrictions. Madison won 4-0 earning the clean sheet as four different Flamingos’ players scored. 

Last Week’s USL One Player of the Week came from Madison as forward Don Smart earned the honors. Smart recorded a goal and two assists against Tormenta which added to his total of most chances created for the Flamingos with 7. Smart and fellow striker Wojciech Wojcik are the two players to keep an eye on for the Madison club. Wojcik leads the club with two goals and has been a constant threat in front of net. 

Young midfielder, Michael Vang earned his first goal in Madison against Tormenta. The 20-year-old graduated from the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s Highschool which has produced the most Division One soccer players in the country. Vang decided to forgo his college playing and enter straight into the professional ranks. HIs strong play against Tormenta may see him in the starting XI against Union Omaha. 

My Prediction

Union Omaha 3-1 Forward Madison

Union Omaha earns the victory in easy fashion as the Owls lead 2-0 at the half thanks to goals from Vanacore-Decker and midfielder Devin Boyce. This would be Boyce’s first career professional goal. Forward Madison’s goal should come in the second half from solid build up play and an effective cross from Smart. The Owls will finish the Flamingos off due to a late goal from a substitute, either N’for or Ibisevic will slot it past the keeper for the home side. 

Editorial: Lights

Normally after a game-day I would be re-watching, dissecting, and basking in the glory that is Union Omaha’s brand of lower division soccer. However, August 12th 2020 did not afford me such an opportunity. On a hot summer afternoon in Chattanooga TN, much like many other hot summer afternoons, rain and lightning graced CHI Memorial Park with a prolonged presence, resulting in a rain delay.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “a rain delay, that’s no problem, why not wait it out and play late like Union Omaha did at their first home match”? Simple answer, lights.

The work teams across the USL have done in creating new, vibrant, and expensive soccer specific stadiums, has been down right impressive and frankly, needed. Soccer has never looked more ready to become a stakeholder in the lives of your average American sports viewer than it is now. Third division soccer teams playing in USL League One like the Chattanooga Red Wolves and South Georgia Tormenta are creating great spaces for professional soccer to thrive! This impressive rush to build stadiums across America leads me to the point of this rant… rushing.

As everyone reading this will know, 2020 is a year unique for many reasons, not least of which is the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. When the decision to play was made a season by the League One board of governors, it was not in a bubble, it was not without fans, it was going to happen throughout the nationwide footprint of the third division league. Our lads were going to be taking buses, planes, travelling to areas where the impact of the pandemic might be higher, all for the sake of playing the sport we love to watch them play.

Why, if players and staff are risking more than their pride, would you create a place that not guarantee travel was wasted? Chattanooga did just that by failing to look at lighting options.

A 5 minute internet search finds a plethora of light rental options for modular, generator based lighting options for affordable prices in the Chattanooga area. If I can manage that in 5 minutes, given a month of lead time from schedule release to your first and second home games, wouldn’t you think a front office would look into that option?

My issue is not that the stadium is unfinished, delays happen. It is that our players spent 3 days in Chattanooga, during a global pandemic, for a game that did not happen due to a fully avoidable circumstance. How is that acceptable? How were Union Omaha not awarded the 3 points for a forfeit? At the end of the day, it was human error, not weather, that caused the cancellation. I’m pretty sure that’s grounds for a forfeit.

It seems as though the Red Wolves and league took near immediate action following the postponement of the game, by rescheduling the remainder of Chattanooga’s home games for 1pm ET. The questions now moves to, was it hubris that games were not initially scheduled for that time? Is the schedule change fair for your sponsors who are expecting evening games? Is it fair to your fans who were expecting evening games out of the hot sun? Is it fair to the players, who are now playing in that same hot sun? The questions are out there and I’m curious to find the answers.

Unless something changes, our lads will be travelling again to Chattanooga during this pandemic to play a game that should already have happened. Something that renting some lights would have solved.

Owl Props 08/18

All we do is win win win no matter what. That is on the minds of everybody who watched that FC Tucson match! Although Union Omaha is 0-1 against lightning storms this season, they are bringing the strike to the pitch and to our wallets! If you decided to ride with me during the FC Tucson game you got PAID with their performance, and you would be a fool not to ride with me when they go up against Forward Madison.

Just a friendly reminder to everyone, Who Gives a Hoot is an independent podcast, and we have no affiliation with Union Omaha. I know just as much information about players as you all do: Zero. Zip. Nada. So when you read this article please only read this article coming from somebody who has gambling experience. No bets are guaranteed.

Week 4 and 5 is in the books everyone, and despite Union Omaha missing out their match against Chattanooga Red Wolves, the owls are in 2nd place and are in contention to pass Greenville and get that first place spot. Since we didn’t have a game against Chattanooga, that means the next match will be against Forward Madison Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The weather seems like its going to be decent, with the real feel temperature being at 81 degrees F and the wind being at 9 MPH. The wind might be a little concerning but I don’t think its going to be anything that will cause concern.

Without further ado, lets get down to the nitty gritty and make some picks!

  • Evan Conway, 0.5 Goals+ Assists, Over 135
    • Evan Conway, coming off an incredible high from scoring the game winning goal and first goal in club history against North Texas, showed up again to nab an assist in the FC Tucson game. With a unintended break this week Evan Conway’s batteries are going to be recharged going up against Forward Madison and you can guess that he is going to be involved in scoring a goal. Take the over. GG Easy.
  • Rashid Nuhu, 3.5 Saves, Under 125
    • Now for people who follow along with Owl Props, you know that I have been a huge fan of Rashid and his goal keeping capabilities. You know that I have affectionately referred to Union Omaha’s defense as a Brick Wall. Now sometimes, a brick wall can get sometimes wear and tear and may inevitably have some cracks. Last game FC Tucson managed to find one of those cracks and managed to score a goal against Rashid. I don’t care if your name happens to be Manuel Neuer or Piotr Cech, you can’t stop a goal that you can’t see, and if that happens to be the one crack in this brick wall defense, I’ll take it, but I can guarantee you that a goal like that won’t happen for Forward Madison. 3.5 saves. Take the under folks.
  • Tyler David, 0.5 Goals + Assists, Under 65
    • Tyler David came out onto the pitch late against FC Tucson due to rest, but still provided an instant impact on the pitch. I suspect him to start against Forward Madison and provide a solid midfield presence as he does every single time he touches the ball. I don’t expect him to be on the offensive much this game so taking the under on his performance is a safe bet.
  • Elma Nfor, 0.5 Goals, Over 135
    • Elma Nfor is the most underrated player on Union Omaha’s roster. The former Lansing United man is an instant impact player whom played a huge role in Union Omaha’s goal against North Texas. This man is HUNGRY for goals. If Elma doesn’t get the start against Forward Madison he will come on as a sub and score.
  • Ethan Vanacore-Decker, 0.5 Assists, Over 130
    • My man EVD got all the praise in his performance against FC Tucson and deserved all of it. The Uncle Rico of USL League One is THE goal scorer for Union Omaha and if you don’t think he is going to be involved in all of Union Omaha’s goals against the Flamingos from Madison (which I don’t think people talk about enough. Why would Flamingos be in Wisconsin? So bizarre) you are crazier than I am.
  • ICE PICK: Luke Hauswirth, 0.5 Goals, Over 140
    • Luke Hauswirth came out of nowhere against FC Tucson and scored a goal against his former team. Forward Madison is having such an up and down season that I believe we may have the most goals scored against a team in USL League One in the history of the league, and Luke can very well score against Madison again to help.
  • ICE PICK: Illal Osumanu, 0.5 Goals + Assists, Under 65
    • Illal is having a dynamite season so far, and a huge reason why Union Omaha has only allowed 1 goal so far this season. Just as he has been in previous weeks, I believe that he will be staying back mostly this game and I don’t suspect him to be upfront, but rather keeping sure that Union Omaha keeps this brick wall defense rolling.

And there you have it folks, my picks for the upcoming Union Omaha match against Forward Madison. If you would like to follow along with these picks or make your own suggestions than head on over to thrivefantasy.com or download the ThriveFantasy app now and use promo code HOOT when you create your account. When you use promo code HOOT and you deposit a minimum of $10 or more you will receive $10. That’s free money folks so head to over to ThriveFantasy and #PropUp on the Union Omaha Match.