Largest Crowd this season is treated to a stunning match

Another Union Omaha match has come and gone, but there was something different about this one. Union Omaha has traditionally had great attendance. In 2021 they averaged 3177, and in 2022 their average grew to 3407. That is a year over year growth of .07 % and ranked in the top half of the league. However this season their attendance has taken a bit of a back turn, only averaging 2311. Big issues with weather and a venue change for the first two matches really put a damper on the attendance totals this season. On Saturday it was a return to the status quo for UO. With 3524 fans showing up and cheering Omaha onto a man short 4-1 victory.

                Tailgating was once again in full swing for the supporters groups and other pockets of fans. With a strong tailgating culture present again inside the parking lot at Werner Park. Hanging out in the lot pre-match across from the Parliament tailgate really tested the willpower I had to not go over and have some fantastic food as I had already eaten and didn’t want to overeat. But the reviews that people gave told me that once again Parliament knocked it out of the park. It was good to see the Switchbacks Unified team fans and coaches walking the grounds and taking in the sights before the match. The crowd grew steadily in the parking lot until it was time to head into the stadium.

                The pre-match atmosphere was as good as expected for as big of a match as this was. With the standing filling up a few minutes before the National Anthem. The starting lineup callouts showed what we were in for as the noise steadily built up until kickoff.

                JP Scearce gave Union Omaha the lead early in the first half and the crowd was intense. With the possibility of defeating a very solid Richmond side the whole crowd was buzzing. Watching the broadcast back on TV further cemented this point as the noise was peaking the microphones around the park to the point I thought they were going to be blown out. The only thing that builds comradery better than victory is adversity, which came shortly after with lets call it what it was, a complete and utter dive in the box giving Richmond a penalty. From there on the entire crowd was into this match more than I’ve seen in quite some time. With the entre crowd now voicing their displeasure in each and every bad call of the night. The amount of bad calls giving each and every person inside the stadium the opportunity to speak up and join the voices already present. I would even venture to say that the sending off of two Omaha players on some pretty bad calls brought everyone’s loudest voices out and with a crowd like us behind them there was no way Omaha was losing this match.

                With the Unified match coming up right after the first team match there was more supporters sticking around to support our Unified team to another victory and we were treated to some absolute quality soccer. I am happy to report that the numbers seemed higher than the last match which is a trend that I hope to have continue from here on out.

                This was a solid outing to build on for the supporters of Union Omaha. With a return to attendance figures we saw from the past couple seasons it has set Omaha back on the right track to get back into the top 3 for attendance and to recreate “Fortress Werner”. The team performs better with this crowd at their best and that was indicated by the absolute manhandling the team put on a very good Richmond side. Lets keep this momentum going and bring that big energy on July 29th when Tormenta comes back to town. Absolutely great work by all of the fans and supporters and I hope to see this continue. 

10-Man Owls Down Richmond 4-1

Union Omaha, down a man for the entire second half, flipped the script on Richmond and scored three unanswered goals to secure a 4-1 victory at home on Saturday night.  En route to the historic victory, Noe Meza became the club’s all-time leading scorer and Steevan Dos Santos earned his first brace with the club.

As fans filtered into Werner Park in season-high attendance on Saturday night, most of the excitement seemed to be drawn towards the Star Wars costumes, music, and other attractions throughout the stadium.  Once the match kicked off, it didn’t take long for the action on the field to steal the attention.

In the 5th minute of play, Richmond forward Emiliano Terzaghi took a shot from midfield, trying to catch Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu off his line, but there was little cause for concern in the end.  That lone shot would be Richmond’s only shot for nearly ten minutes.  In that same time frame, Union Omaha pepper Richmond’s goal with six shots, four of which were inside the box.  As the Owls continued to knock on the door, fans would soon be pulled to their feet for the first of many goals on the evening.

In the 24th minute, Union Omaha midfielder Conor Doyle delivered a corner kick that was lofted just high enough to clear the heads of most of the players, yet dipped just in time for club captain JP Scearce to head the ball into the back of the net for the early lead.  The goal was the second straight home match featuring a connection between Doyle and Scearce on a corner kick.  This was Scearce’s third goal of the season and Doyle’s third assist of the season.

In the 39th minute, Richmond’s Terzaghi was able to draw a foul in Union Omaha’s penalty area and converted the following penalty, as well.  The League MVP and Golden Boot Winner scored his second all-time goal against the Owls, the fewest of any League One clubs present from 2020 to 2023.

Soon after the penalty kick, Terzaghi was involved in another crucial moment of the match: drawing the ire from Union Omaha’s Joe Gallardo and baiting him into a straight red card.  After a play along the goal line, words were exchanged between the two and then the players went face to face, touching foreheads.  With a thrust of Gallardo’s head against Terzaghi, his fate was sealed and the marching orders were given.  For the same interaction, Terzaghi was given a yellow card, one of five awarded to the Kickers by the end of the night.

With the scoreline even, Union Omaha had to make some adjustments in the locker room.  When the team appeared on the field, the mentality didn’t seem to be one of preservation, but one of perseverance.  Richmond started the second half with the kickoff and Union Omaha, surprisingly enough, pressed more often than they had in the first half.  The adjustments made put Richmond on their heels, interrupted the flow of their offense, and allowed Union Omaha to gain more possession, despite the disadvantage.

All night long, Richmond left Union Omaha defender Dion Acoff wide open along the flank.  Time and time again, the Owls would spot him wide open, pick him out with long crosses, and utilize him masterfully into developing quality offensive opportunities.  One of those came in the 49th minute, when a ball was served to Acoff and he was able to beat his defender with a couple of moves, opening up a window to serve a cross into the box.  On the other end of that service was none other than Noe Meza, who finished the cross with a header past the keeper.  The goal was Meza’s ninth of the season, keeping him in second place of the Golden Boot race.  More importantly, the goal earned him sole possession as the club’s all-time leading scorer.

Up a goal and not letting off the gas, Union Omaha would double the goal difference in the 68th minute, when second-half substitute Steevan Dos Santos scored his first goal of the night.  After Noe Meza’s attempt was thwarted by the Richmond defense, the ball was served on a platter for Dos Santos to finish, but he had to react first in order to get there.  With his long leg outstretched, he was able to send the ball into the goal for his first goal since Week 4.  His celebration had all of the elements of a man exulted in his escape from the scoring dry spell.

The nail in the coffin came in the 79th minute, when Union Omaha’s Joe Brito sent a beautifully low driven ball from the goal line toward the top of the goal area.  As the ball was tightly threaded between two defenders and the goalkeeper, all Dos Santos had to do was lose his man, which he successfully did and positioned himself for the easy tap-in.  The goal was his third of the season and Brito’s fourth assist of the season, making him the club’s assist leader this season.

The victory and three points lifted Union Omaha into seventh place in the league table and placing them well inside the playoff hunt.  The victory over Richmond was the second all-time and first since the 2021 season.  This was the first time the Owls scored four goals in a single match since August 20, 2022, when they defeated NC 4-1 at home.  That same match was also the last time Union Omaha had a greater winning goal differential than two goals.  Saturday’s victory was the third straight victory and only the second time the club has ever tied together three consecutive victories in a row.  The only other time was the first three matches of the 2021 season.  The victory also strung together five straight matches without a single loss, the second time the club has accomplished this achievement this season.

The club made history in their own accomplishments, but also put themselves into Richmond’s history book.  The Owls are the only club to score four goals on Richmond this season, something no club has done since October 30, 2021, when FC Tucson defeated Richmond 4-2 at home.  Saturday’s goal differential was the greatest of Richmond’s season, as well.  The last time Richmond had a loss involving a greater goal differential was on July 21, 2021, when they lost 0-4 at North Carolina.  Another big stat came as a result of Terzaghi scoring his goal.  Leading up to Saturday night’s match, no other club has been able to defeat Richmond when Terzaghi had scored at least one goal.  Saturday was the first time this season when an opponent was able to defeat Richmond in a match involving a Terzaghi goal.  In fact, the last time an opponent defeated Richmond after a Terzaghi goal was May 28, 2022, when North Carolina FC defeated Richmond 2-1.

After the match, the Unified Series match between Union Omaha and the Colorado Switchbacks stepped into the spotlight.  The Owls remained undefeated this season and all-time, finishing with a 4-0 victory.  Next up, the Unified Series team takes to the road, as they travel to Colorado Springs next month to take on the Switchbacks.

The League One Union Omaha squad will also travel to Colorado, as they take on Northern Colorado Hailstorm this coming Saturday night at 8PM CT.

Keep an eye out for a soon-to-be-posted article from Bryan, as he details all of the festivities from Union Omaha’s victory and Star Wars celebrations.  Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to Who Gives A Hoot for all of the latest Union Omaha content, like new episodes of the podcast.

Postmatch Quotes

Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato

Thoughts on the evening:
“Yeah, obviously, things went a little bit askew in the first half.  We knew that Terzaghi was going to throw himself to the ground and we wanted to avoid unnecessary contact with him in the box.  Unfortunately, we didn’t do that. Then, obviously, Terzaghi feels the need to run 40 yards and get in our guy’s face, which, again, he gets away with.  I don’t know why the referee is letting him get away with that, but we’ve got to be smarter in those moments. This team’s got a lot of character and we’ve spoken about being together as a group and fighting through difficult moments, knowing that things are never going to be perfect, and I think the second half response was just outstanding from the guys and I’m super proud of the fight and the togetherness that they showed.”

On the second-half impact from substitute Steevan Dos Santos:

“Yeah, big Steevan. That’s why we signed him, right?  He’s a goalscorer. He’s a physical presence and he’s got a lot of quality as well for a man of his size.  His first touch and his hold-up plays.  He’s outstanding, so that’s why he’s here and hopefully he has plenty more goals to come from him.”

On Noe Meza becoming Union Omaha’s all-time leader in goals:

“Yeah, great for Noe.  He’s been putting them away this year and long made that continue.”

On Northern Colorado Hailstorm:

“Yeah, obviously we go to Colorado.  They’re doing well, but we’re five unbeaten now and won three on the spin, so we’re confident.  I think us as a staff, as a group, have really come together over the last few weeks and we go there with total confidence and going there to win the game.”

Team captain JP Scearce (1 goal):

Thoughts on the evening:

“Yeah, it was a great win for us.  A great performance, obviously.  We faced a little adversity in the first half with the penalty and then the sending off, but the guys responded pretty well to it coming into the second half we obviously could have felt sorry for ourselves and had our heads down, but we had a positive mentality going into the second half and we knew we had to get the win so it was a good, good response from the guys.”

On his goal:

“Yeah, it’s just like last time we played at home.  Conor and I have that connection and I was lucky to get on the end of it.”

On the big home crowd attendance:

“Yeah, obviously you could hear the atmosphere, feel the atmosphere and hear the crowd out there.  Obviously they had a big part to play as well in the second half, just pushing us on and thankful to have good support out there on the field.”

On Northern Colorado Hailstorm:

“They’ve been doing well in the season, but we’ve been doing well the past few games and we’re going in with confidence.  We already got a result against them and hopefully we’ll get another one this next weekend.”

Forward Steevan Dos Santos (2 goals):

Thoughts on the evening:

“It was a very difficult game, but after the first half, we spoke about it and we said that we are the home team.  Even though we were a man down, we had to fight to try to get the three points here.”

On his brace:

“It’s always good when you score, but I think the more important thing is how the team wins.  If the team wins and I score, I’m happy with that.  Today I scored two, but the more important thing was the three points here on a very difficult game.”

On Northern Colorado Hailstorm:

“Yes, they have been doing good, but I think the last couple of games, we are playing better.  We are in a good moment now, as well.  I think we have to focus on ourselves.  We play them there and we know it’s a difficult game, but we have to focus on ourselves and try to get three points away.”

Forward Noe Meza (1 goal):

Thoughts on the evening:

“Got a little chippy out there, for sure.  Yeah, so it was a lot of back and forth.  I thought the ref made a couple bad calls in the beginning and then, unfortunately, we went down to 10 men, but at halftime, we kind of came together.  We knew we were going to get chances.  We just had to stick to the game plan and have the same belief that we were going to win the game and then we were able to carry out the game.”

On becoming the club’s all-time leading goal scorer:

“It’s just an awesome feeling.  Yeah, this year and last year, I just want to give thanks to the organization.  [Former Union Omaha Head Coach] Jay [Mims], for initially giving me the opportunity to come here and then this year, Dom [Casciato], with his playing style, I think it’s been really good for me individually, but then also the team and I think we’re seeing it now with the results that we’re getting.  Yeah, it feels great.”

On playing in front of a season-high crowd:

“Well, it felt great.  I mean, to get a win like this in front of everyone, I think it’s just great for the club.  It really helps with the fans being here.  It helps us.  They give us energy to keep going and so it feels great to get a result in front of that many fans.”

On the differences seen in the team over the last three matches:

“I think we’ve been playing well.  We’ve been giving good performances.  I think throughout the year, we’ve been tying a lot.  I think defensively, we’ve improved these past couple of weeks.  We’ve been really focusing on that and then we’ve been able to see it in our games a little bit better.”

On how it feels to be a part of such a dominant win:

“Yeah, I think it’s really good.  I think we’re on a good run.  We’re really clicking together, so getting a win like this tonight, scoring a lot of goals, and not really giving much up.  Except for that questionable PK, it’s a really good sign.  Now we have a little stretch of away games, but I think we’ll be in a good spot to get what we want.”

On Northern Colorado Hailstorm:

“Yeah, last year we were there.  I’m not sure if it’s the same place.  I think it’s a different place this time.  They’re a really good team.  We played them here at home.  I thought we had a really good performance against them as well, but we know they’ve been doing really well and we’re up for it and we’re ready for that game as well.”

On the keys to success moving forward:

“Yeah, I think [the key is] just sticking to what we’ve been doing, sticking to our game.  We’ll be looking at Colorado, seeing what type of system they’re playing, and then sticking to our game plan, which never really changes.  Our identity is always working hard, staying together.  And then, yeah, we’ll be ready for that next game.”

Match Summary

Attendance: 3,524

Injury Report: 

OMA: #12 – Eddie Gordon (Questionable)

OMA: #3 – Stefan Mueller (Questionable)

RIC: #7 – Ethan Vanacore-Decker

Goal Summary: 

25’: OMA – #17 JP Scearce (assisted by Conor Doyle)

39’: RIC – #32 Emiliano Terzaghi converts the PK

49’: OMA – #7 Noe Meza (assisted by Dion Acoff)

68’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos

79’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos (assisted by #8 Joe Brito)

Substitution Summary: 

45’: RIC – #3 Chris Cole replaces #16 Jake Mecham

61’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos replaces #20 Luis Gil

69’: RIC – #9 Matthew Bentley replaces #32 Emiliano Terzaghi

70’: RIC – #27 Chandler O’Dwyer replaces #10 Nil Vinyals

70’: RIC – #99 Khartlon Belmar replaces #17 Ryan Sierakowski

75’: OMA – #44 Alex Steinwascher replaces #7 Noe Meza

75’: OMA – #18 -Junior Palacios replaces #26 Dion Acoff

78’: RIC – #33 Gabe Cox replaces #8 João Gomiero

Discipline Summary: 

26’: RIC – #10 Nil Vinyals (Yellow card)

31’: OMA – #7 Noe Meza (Yellow card)

41’: OMA – #11 Joe Gallardo (Red card)

41’: RIC – #32 Emiliano Terzaghi (Yellow card)

66’: RIC – #19 Justin Sukow (Yellow card)

71’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis (Red card)

73’: RIC – #6 Zaca Morán (Yellow card)

86’: RIC – #24 Nathan Aune (Yellow card)

Owls Blank Fuego on the Road

Union Omaha took a first-half lead and preserved the lead until the final whistle to capture a very valuable three points on the road against Central Valley Fuego.  Noe Meza scored in the 32nd minute after crashing Central Valley’s goal area and tapping in a low driven cross from the corner.  The goal was his eighth of the season and elevated him into a tie for the Golden Boot race.  Not only did it distinguish him within the league ranks, but it was also an important goal within Union Omaha’s club history.  Noe Meza is now tied with Evan Conway for all-time goals while playing for Union Omaha.

Before the match even took place, the Owls had to battle the extreme heat of Fresno, California.  The midday conditions were such that it was the hottest day in Fresno since last summer.  At the time of kickoff, the area had cooled down to a meager 102’F, humidity was at 15%, and wind gusts were up to 10 mph.  If that wasn’t bad enough, USL League One had an announcement right before kickoff that incited plenty of anger across the fanbase.

With minutes to spare before the match started, USL League One announced on Twitter that there would be no broadcast, due to “unforeseen technical difficulties.”  Luckily for fans, a solution was found and a local Fresno station’s feed was streamed on ESPN+ so the second half could still be seen.

The win kept Union Omaha in eighth place, but kept the Owls on pace to take advantage of their match in hand and sneak above the playoff threshold.  The win was also the first time that Union Omaha had won back-to-back matches this season.  It was also the first time Union Omaha has won a match this season while only scoring one goal. The clean sheet was Rashid Nuhu’s fifth of the season, only two back from the Golden Glove leaders. In three visits all time to Fresno, Union Omaha has never lost, nor conceded a goal. Week 17 has the Owls hosting third-placed Richmond Kickers on Saturday, July 8th at Werner Park.  Kickoff is slated for 7PM and the promotional night is Cancer Awareness Night, presented by XCancer.

Random OMA 2023 Records (W-D-L)

On the Road: 2-4-1

In Matches Decided by One Goal: 2-0-2

Scoring First: 4-5-0

Leading at Half: 4-3-0

Scoring One Goal: 1-3-2

Match Report

Attendance: Not reported

Injury Report:

CV: GK #1 – Ofek Antman (Out – injury)

CV: MF #7 – Mouhamed Dabo (Out – injury)

CV: FW #20 – Villyan Bijev (Out – injury)

CV: FW #24 – Cherif Dieye (Out – injury)

OMA: FW #10 – Steevan Dos Santos (Suspension)

OMA: DF #12 – Eddie Gordon (Out – injury)

OMA: DF #3 – Stefan Mueller (Out – injury)

Goal Summary: 

32’: OMA – #7 Noe Meza

Substitution Summary: 

58’: OMA – #28 Shaft Brewer Jr. replaces #11 Joe Gallardo

58’: OMA – #44 Alex Steinwascher replaces #20 Luis Gil

58’: OMA – #18 Junior Palacios replaces #26 Dion Acoff

76’: CV – #59 Maximus Ekk replaces #77 Billy Forbes

76’: CV – #15 Sergio Chavez replaces #17 Omar Lemus

77’: CV – #14 Zahir Vasquez replaces #5 Andrew Forth

83’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis replaces #7 Noe Meza

85’: CV – #34 Angel Ruelas replaces #8 Victor Falck

85’: CV – #19 Adrián Vera replaces #3 Jesus Partida

90’+2: OMA – #13 Anderson Holt replaces #8 Joe Brito

Discipline Summary: 

24’: CV – #8 Victor Falck

42’: CV – #3 Jesus Partida

56’: CV – #4 Razak Cromwell

56’: OMA – #11 Joe Gallardo

69’: CV – #13 Francois Dulysse

87’: CV – #11 Alexis Cerritos

90’+4: OMA – #5 Marco Milanese

Owls Battle to Three Points

It was a match that had tremendous implications, but the Owls rose to the occasion and earned three points after defeating Tormenta FC 2-0 at Werner Park.

Both clubs entered the evening desperate for three points in order to keep up with the top half of the league standings.  Before kickoff, Tormenta was ranked 8th and Union Omaha was 10th and the distance to the nearest club above the playoff threshold was 5 points, so earning 3 points on Saturday night was a must for either side as they continue to scratch and claw for any gift that would bring them a chance at extending their season into the playoffs.

The first half of the match began a lot like most of the previous matches: feeling out the opposing defense, testing their response to long balls, and getting a few spare opportunities on goal.  As the half drew on, the weight of occasion began to set in and challenges became rougher, more chances on goal were taken until the deadlock was broken.

Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu was called into action inside the first ten minutes of the match, collecting an early shot from Tormenta’s Mukwelle Akale.  Moments later, Union Omaha forward Noe Meza returned the favor and tested Tormenta goalkeeper TJ Bush.  For every shot against the Owls, one was levied against Tormenta.  Even fouls seemed to carry a dose of retribution for the previous challenge.  Just as the proverbial temperature began to rise, the match experienced a few delays as a result of an injury sustained by Union Omaha midfielder Pedro Dolabella.  The Owls were soon forced into subbing on forward Steevan Dos Santos toward the later stages of the first half.  With the match approaching halftime, the Owls soon found the break they needed.

In the 42nd minute, Union Omaha midfielder Conor Doyle stepped up to take a corner kick.  His delivery into the box was spot-on and team captain JP Scearce was able to expertly deliver a header to the back of the net.  The goal was Scearce’s second goal in USL League One action and Doyle’s assist was his third of the season, tying him with Luis Gil for the club’s assist leader.

Approaching halftime, the ref decided six minutes of extra time was sufficient and it took until the fifth minute for Union Omaha to double their lead.  Union Omaha defender Alexis Souahy sent a deep ball for Shaft Brewer Jr. to chase down, which he did just as the ball was about to cross the goal line.  His immediate service into the box was low and driven toward the path of an oncoming Noe Meza, but a Tormenta defender went to ground in an effort to slide and clear the ball.  Luck favored the Owls in that moment, as the effort sent the ball into the leg of Tormenta defender Deshawon Nembhard and ricocheting into the back of the net.

The halftime stats between the two sides were decidedly even.  Nearly every statistical category was split down the middle.  One statistic that really jumped out was Union Omaha’s successful crosses, which was 57%.  This is coming off a midweek match in which the Owls were unable to earn a single successful cross in the first half against One Knox.  The home side was really looking to stretch the opposition, dispatching 41 long passes in the first half alone.  That figure was more than double was Tormenta was able to achieve.

After halftime, the match took on a much different tone.  With only one yellow card issued in the first half, the center ref would soon be delivering a lot more.  By the final whistle, five more yellow cards were issued, along with a red card at the end of the match.  In the first half on play, Union Omaha conceded 10 fouls to Tormenta’s 6.  The second half almost mirrored the first half totals with Union Omaha conceding 9 to Tormenta’s 7.

Before the match ended, a scrum broke out and Union Omaha’s Steevan Dos Santos was awarded a red card.  Union Omaha has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but will have to review the footage closely before deciding whether or not to pursue that action.  In 2022, Union Omaha was able to successfully overturn two red cards.

Once the full-time whistle was blown, Union Omaha had earned three points for the first time in over two months, dating back to a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado Hailstorm in Week 7.  The victory also continues an all-time undefeated streak against Tormenta FC, including matches home and away.  The Owls also extended an undefeated streak in league play when they score in the first half, lead at halftime, and when they score a total of two goals.

The festivities of the night didn’t stop at the full-time whistle. After the USL League One match, the first match of the 2023 Unified Series took place between Union Omaha and Forward Madison. The Owls held the Flamingos scoreless, winning 3-0.

In Week 16, the Owls will fly west to take on Central Valley Fuego.  That match will kickoff at 9PM CST on Saturday, July 1st.  The Owls will have a chance to capture their first regular season series, as they defeated Fuego on the road in Week 4 with a final score of 2-0.

Postmatch Quotes

Head Coach Dominic Casciato

General thoughts:

“Yeah, I’m just really pleased for the guys. You know, the guys have worked so hard and over the last seven games haven’t been rewarded for all of their hard work.  It’s a great group of guys. They buy into everything they’re doing. They work so hard every day.  And we’ve played a lot better than that this season. We’ve played a lot better than that and come away with one point.  So tonight, I’m just really, really glad and really proud of the guys for coming through and holding on and getting a good result.y

On the recent locker room meeting:

“We spoke about some of the things that were going on. We addressed how everybody was feeling.  I told the guys, “Look, I know you’re feeling pressure. You can put that pressure on to me.  And if you feel like you can’t unload the pressure onto someone else, understand that pressure is a privilege, right?  And you’ve worked really, really hard to get to this level. And playing for points that matter where, you know, you’re putting everything on the line and people can see whether you win or lose.  And that’s a real indicate you get judged on that.  All that stuff is out there and you just got to commit and do the best you can which you’ve been doing.”  But the players are great, like I said.  The players spoke freely, they spoke openly to each other, and I think they got a lot of things off their chest.  I hope this can be a catalyst now for us to kick on.”

On the positive changes in mentality amongst the players during tonight’s match:

“Long made that continue.  I think when you’re playing great football like we were playing and dominating teams, but then not getting results, you start to question in your own mind, right? Like, well, you know, we’re doing all these great things.  Maybe this is the wrong way to do it when you’re not getting a result, but then to get the fruits of our labor tonight is just so satisfying. And again, I’m just so happy for the guys. It’s a great group of guys and they work so hard. So I’m just really pleased for the guys.

Injury report:

“Stefan [Mueller] is getting closer to being back in. Eddie [Gordon] is probably going to be a few weeks now.  He got stepped on when we went to Greenville, so he’s got a little bit of a problem with his foot, but hopefully won’t be too long.

Next week’s road match against Central Valley Fuego:

“Yeah, Fuego.  They’ve got a lot of quality.  Obviously not getting results at the moment, but I think they’ve got quality and we need to go there and make sure we’re switched on and bringing the same type of intensity and mentality we did tonight.”

Team captain JP Scearce:

General thoughts:

“Yeah, it’s exciting to walk away with three points.  It was a win we really needed tonight.  Just prior to this game, we were disappointed on the previous result and the start of the season in general and we knew we had to take advantage of the opportunity tonight and I think we did.”

On scoring his second goal of the season:

“Yeah, it felt great.  Obviously getting an early goal and giving us a good start to the game.  It was really exciting because Conor [Doyle] and I had a little connection from last year and we spoke before he took the corner to drive it to the back post and I was just there to finish it off, so it was good to get that goal.

On the positively-changed mindset:

“Yeah, so we had a bit of a team talk yesterday and just to sort of talked about what’s been going on and how to fix it as a group.  I think that team talk really sort of united us and brought us together to put up a good performance for tonight.  It was just a great performance by the group.”

On next week’s road match against Central Valley Fuego:

“Obviously we’ll go in confident after the win tonight and we’ve gone to Fuego before and got a result, so hopefully we do the same thing and just keep the momentum going.”

Goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu:

General thoughts:

“I feel it’s great because as you guys know, if you’re having some kind of bad results, tough results to take in, etc., we just needed to clear this hurdle.  You know, guys get disappointed in making one mistake, just costing us games and, you know, it happens in soccer.  You just need to take one positive result and turn your season back around and hopefully this is just a turning point.”

On getting his fourth clean sheet this season:

“Oh, that’s the best feeling to be honest.  Since the season started, this is probably the game that I’m happiest about because we’ve had our ups and downs and it’s always a good feeling to come out of it and be on the positive side, so getting the clean sheet was one of the best things.  For me, it’s not even about the clean sheet.  I just want the team to get a win.  Even if we won 3-2, that’s awesome.”

On the team meeting:

“I think we needed that.  We just needed to get stuff off our chest.  Guys got to speak up and just get into each other’s hearts and pat each other on the back.  We all fall and so we got to keep everyone up.  So, that team meeting definitely helped us.  They want focus from us.  We are together.  We are brothers.  Let’s stick together, work and fight for each other. That’s what we did tonight.”

On next’s week road match against Central Valley Fuego:

“Fuego is going to be a tough game.  There’s no easy games in this league and especially on our away trips.  It’s going to be tough and we can’t let that game slip because of this win.  We have to keep it moving because if we go over there and have a bad result, then this result doesn’t mean anything, so we got to keep it going and keep the spirits high.”

Match Summary

Attendance: 3,082

Goal Summary:

42’: OMA – #17 JP Scearce (assisted by #22 Conor Doyle)

45’+6’: Own Goal – TRM #12 Deshawon Nembhard

Substitution Summary: 

36’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos replaces #9 Pedro Dolabella (injury)

45’: OMA – #20 Luis Gil replaces #11 Joe Gallardo

56’: TRM – #27 Arthur Bosua replaces #11 Jackson Khoury

69’: TRM – #20 Collin Mocyunas replaces #14 Nick Akoto

69’: TRM – #06 John Murphy Jr. replaces #5 Toby Otieno

69’: TRM – #45 Kingsford Adjei replaces #8 Pedro Fonseca

79’: OMA – #26 Dion Acoff replaces #28 Shaft Brewer Jr.

82’: TRM – #17 Elijah Amo replaces #21 Chris Heckenberg

90’+2: OMA – #44 Alex Steinwascher replaces #7 Noe Meza

Discipline Summary:

45’+4: TRM – #14 Nick Akoto (Yellow card)

60’: OMA – #17 JP Scearce (Yellow card)

65’: TRM – #21 Chris Heckenberg (Yellow card)

67’: TRM – #25 Jake Dengler (Yellow card)

75’: OMA – #22 Conor Doyle (Yellow card)

82’: OMA – #5 Marco Milanese (Yellow card)

90’+6: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos (Red card)

Owls Draw Again After Late PK

After an early goal in the second half, Union Omaha was on the cusp of winning their first match since Week 7, but One Knox converted a penalty kick in second half extra time to hand the Owls their fifth draw in seven matches.

Union Omaha entered the match with a clean bill of health, seemingly assisted by the bye week in Week 14.  USL League One newcomer One Knox had three defensive players mentioned on their injury report, which the Owls used to their advantage by putting pressure on the visitors soon after the opening whistle.

One Knox’s goalkeeper, Sean Lewis, was called into action early in the match thanks to a shot from Joe Brito, his only of the evening.  Mere minutes later, team captain JP Scearce made an attempt of his own to beat the keeper, but drove the shot just wide of the post.  Lewis was kept on his toes in the first half, facing a total of seven shots – three from inside the box and four from outside.

Both sides seem to favor carrying the ball down their attacking left side, which lended a lot of looks from the fans at how each side would settle their possession, transition out of pressure, and build their next attack.  By halftime, Union Omaha had claimed 55% of the possession with 85% total accuracy in their passing, which still held relatively strong at 76% in the opposing half.  Union Omaha also kept One Knox’s defense busy with handling crosses.  Before the break, the Owls had 14 crosses into the box.  The pressure was there, now the home side simply needed to put one in the back of the net.  Búhos Nation wouldn’t have to wait long to celebrate in the second half.

In the 48th minute, after Union Omaha’s Steevan Dos Santos won a direct kick in a favorable position, team scoring leader Noe Meza stepped up to deliver a beautiful, finesse-filled strike that rose over the defensive wall and snuck inside the near post.  The goal was his seventh of the season, keeping him only one goal behind the current Golden Boot leader.  Union Omaha maintained the lead and with each passing second, the home fans were drawing closer to the field with anticipation to witness the team’s first win since late April, but One Knox had a chapter yet to be told in the night’s drama.

Late in the second half, after the fourth official had already held up the sign alerting the fans of the six extra minutes, One Knox earned a corner kick.  With the ball in the air, Union Omaha’s Alexis Souahy battled for prime position to clear the incoming threat, but the ref called a foul against him, gave him a yellow card, and awarded a penalty kick to the visitors.  One Knox’s second-half sub Ilija Ilic converted the penalty kick and brought the scoreboard to an even level.  Though the ref continued more time for play, the result would stay the same.

Union Omaha conceded their eighth equalizer of the season, far and away the league leader in that category.  Of the 18 total goals conceded this season, Union Omaha has allowed 12 in the second half.  It was also the second time that the Owls have ever drawn against an expansion side in their first meeting.

Next up for Union Omaha is a home match against Tormenta FC on Saturday, June 24th.  The promotional night for that match is Pride Night, which comes on the heel of the club’s recent release of their Pride jersey.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7PM.

Postmatch Quotes

Head Coach Dominic Casciato

General thoughts on the evening:

“Yeah, I think it was a tough one for us to take because I think we were in control of the game for most of it, especially after scoring.  I thought we looked pretty comfortable with it and [One Knox] didn’t really cause us any problems.  I think it’s a foul on Alexis [Souahy] in the build up to the corner.  I think that should be a free kick to us and not a corner and then we probably see the game end.  Tough one to take, but again, a lot of positives: we defended well and played some good stuff, so you’ve just got to stay positive and keep moving forward.  And these decisions that are going against us, they’ll start going our way soon and when they do, we’ll be unstoppable.”

On match tactics (i.e. the heavy play along the flanks, outside crosses):

“Yeah, obviously with every opponent, we watched three, four games of them going into it and we noticed some stuff with Knoxville that we thought we could expose them in certain areas.

So that was one area you look to exploit tonight.”

Thoughts on the penalty call:

“I haven’t seen it.  I haven’t seen it, but I don’t think it should have been a corner because I think it’s a foul on Alexis [Souahy].  When Alexis makes the clearance, the big center forward smashes him once he clears it, so it should be a free kick to us.  I don’t think it should be a corner, but I haven’t seen the penalty, so I don’t know.  I’d have to see it.

On a clean injury report, yet sights of Eddie Gordon in a boot:

“I think that’s the fashion these days.  I think Eddie likes wearing a big black boot now.  So yeah, that probably explained that one.”

On the upcoming match against Tormenta:

“Yeah, obviously a quick turnaround for us.  They had a good season last year.  I know their staff, I know it’s a good club and they’ve got some good players, but I will be ready for them and looking forward to the game on Saturday.”

Team captain JP Scearce:

Thoughts on the match:

“Obviously frustrated.  Frustrated with the results.  Started out pretty good.  We’re dominating in the first half, dominating in the second half as well.  Second half, we dropped off a little bit, which is natural because we’re holding on to lead and guys are cramping up, getting subbed off, so we’re on the defensive end a lot, but just frustrated to give it up like that at the end.  I didn’t see if it was a pen or not.  I think it was a questionable call, but it is what it is.”

On wearing the armband:

“Yeah, I mean, it obviously feels good to wear the armband.  We all know Conor [Doyle] is the main captain, but if he’s not on the field, then it feels good to be the leader on the team, but at the end of the day, it’s just an armband that goes around my arm.  Everyone on the field is a leader on the team.  Everyone off the field is a leader, as well.  It just feels nice to wear the armband, but everyone’s a leader on the team.”

On the intense battles in the midfield:

“Yeah, it was.  I mean, we had them played in a little bit with the break we had, but it was a tough game, obviously.  Very, very humid and hot.  It was tough to run out in the field, but I’m just used to it. I’m used to playing as a box-to-box midfielder.  I’m just used to running that much, covering all that distance.”

On the Tormenta match on Saturday:

“We’re obviously looking forward to it.  After the results we’ve been getting, we want to turn this luck around and get on the winning side.  For me, it’s a special game because we got a few of the guys that used to be on the team with Toby [Otieno], Dalton [Knutson], and Johnny [Murphy].  It’ll be good to see those guys and play against them.  Hopefully we can come out with a win.”

Noe Meza:

General thoughts on the match:

“I thought it was overall a pretty good performance.  I thought defensively we were pretty solid, not giving up very many chances.  We created a few.  I was glad to get the free kick early in the second half to set the tone and then I think we were really unfortunate with the call against us right at the end of the game.”

On scoring, staying in the Golden Boot race:

“I’m just trying to pay attention to getting back on the right track in terms of getting wins.  I’m really happy that I keep scoring.  More importantly, I just want to do what I can to get the win.”

On Saturday’s Tormenta match:

“I think there’s a lot of positives to take out of this game.  We’ll build from it.  The good thing is it’s a quick turnaround, so we’ll be ready for Saturday.”

Marco Milanese:

General thoughts on the match:

“I think it was a good performance by the team.  I think we needed to manage the results better at the end and a very subjective goal at the end influences the results, but I think with this effort good results will come soon.”

On his busy, intense night of defensive battles:

“Yes, it was a very good game defensively, I think, until the end when the ref got back there.  I am a little bit tired, so I need to recover also because we play Saturday.  It’s a quick turnaround and I really need to focus on Saturday right now.”

On being included in the offensive side of the ball:

“Yes, I’m trying to work. I’m more of a defender and I’m trying to work every day on my attacking side.  I’m getting better.  In the second half, I stayed a little bit more inside to protect the result.”

On Saturday’s Tormenta match:

“We’re going to start scouting them tomorrow and see what their weak points are, but I think we need to focus on ourselves now because I think we’re starting to turn around.  The performance is getting better.  Even if the result doesn’t show it, but we are analyzing the game and we see that we’re creating more chances every game.  I think that it’s going to be a tough game because they’re a good team, but we need to win it, so our focus is on scouting tomorrow, recovering, and preparing for the game.”

Owls Draw, Belt Stays in G’ville

Saturday night was the 7th regular season edition of the Battle for the Belt and the two sides drew for the third time in a row.  Union Omaha scored early in the first half, but Greenville was able to answer just before the halftime whistle was blown and both clubs spent the entire second half looking for the elusive winner that would never take place.  With a final score of 1-1, the season series will be decided in Week 22, when Greenville hosts Union Omaha for the last regular season matchup between the rivals.

Union Omaha fans watching the broadcast hardly had a chance to get settled into their seats before Noe Meza pulled fans to their feet to celebrate the early lead.  In the 8th minute, Joe Brito ripped a shot from the right side of the penalty area and the Triumph’s netminder Jared Mazzola was unable to secure the shot, deflecting the ball directly into the path of Union Omaha’s leading goal scorer.  Noe Meza’s easy follow-up goal was his sixth of the season, keeping him in second place for the Golden Boot.  It was also his third goal against Greenville this season.

In the club’s postmatch write up, Meza expressed his happiness in notching another goal to his season tally.  “I’m glad to get on the scoresheet again,” Meza said. “I thought we started the game strong. There’s a number of areas we will improve on to get the results we want. We’ll use the upcoming weekend break to work on those aspects and make things right.”

Despite the fact that Union Omaha and Greenville are on opposite ends of the league rankings in total passes and passing accuracy, the match was surprisingly even in both of these regards as the contest continued.  Historically speaking, as fans of both clubs can attest, the midfield battle was as alive as it ever has been in the rivalry matchup.  This is the first half heat map from both clubs:

The middle third of the field has several splotches of red, noting the heavy amounts of play in those areas.  Union Omaha was often seen operating the offense along the sidelines, causing their presence in the central portion of the field to be less active than normal.  Here’s an image of Union Omaha’s heat map:

It’s also evident that while the team was highly present in the middle third of the field, the team had a harder time establishing a heavy presence in the final third.

As the first half continued, it looked as though the Owls might be able to take the lead into the locker room for the halftime break, but Greenville had other ideas.  In the second minute of stoppage time, Tyler Polak took a direct kick that eventually found its way to the foot of Leo Castro, whose shot was blocked, but the follow up from Lyam MacKinnon gave the Triumph the equalizer.

With the score level at halftime, Union Omaha also carried a slight edge in possession, with 54% going their way.  The Owls also earned four corners and had eight crosses from open play.  Union Omaha only had two total shots in the first half and their possession in the opponent’s half was 59%, one of the lowest this season.  It was a hard fought first half with moments of quality link up play and combinations.

After the teams made their way back onto the field and the whistle was blown, the battle for the midfield commenced.  With long stretches of the match passing in the middle third of the field, it seemed as though neither side would ever have another quality chance on goal, but Union Omaha would soon have their chance.

In the 72nd minute, the Owls looked to counter after a Triumph set piece.  As the team moved up the field, Pedro Dolabella stretched the field with a pass to Steevan Dos Santos, who was able to evade several Triumph defenders and put a shot on frame.  The threat was real enough that Mazzola had to make himself big to defend his goal.  That shot on goal was one of three for the Owls in the second half.  Moments later, the Triumph provided an opportunity for Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu to shine, as well.

Just as the second half was drawing to a close, Greenville midfielder Noah Pilato took a long range shot towards goal.  If not for Nuhu’s late-match heroics, the Triumph would’ve taken all three points on that shot alone.  That save has already been nominated for Save of the Week, his fourth in a row and his eighth nomination of the season.

The draw keeps Union Omaha in ninth place for the fourth straight week.  The Owls have a bye week in Week 14, but return to action in Week 15 with home matches against One Knox and South Georgia Tormenta.

Match Summary

Attendance: 2,164

Goal Summary

8’: OMA – Noe Meza (unassisted)

45’+2: GVL – Lyam MacKinnon (unassisted)

Substitution Summary

73’: OMA – Alex Steinwascher replaces Luis Gil

73’: OMA – Eddie Gordon replaces Shaft Brewer Jr.

76’: GVL – Venton Evans replaces Lyam MacKinnon

85’: GVL – Aaron Walker replaces Daniel Wu

87’: GVL – Lucas Coutinho replaces Leo Castro

88’: OMA – Conor Doyle replaces Joe Brito

Discipline Summary

41’: GVL – Leo Castro (Yellow card)

45’+1: OMA – Shaft Brewer Jr (Yellow card)

62’: GVL – John Harkes (Yellow card), Lyam MacKinnon (Yellow card)

90’+7: OMA – Eddie Gordon (Yellow card)

Owls Held Scoreless in Charlotte

Despite their efforts to develop quality attacks in the final third, Union Omaha suffered a 0-3 loss to 2nd-placed Charlotte Independence on Saturday night.  It was the first time that the Owls were held scoreless in almost a month and the third overall match which featured Union Omaha finishing without a goal.  Of the three scoreless matches, two of them were against Charlotte.

In the first half, Union Omaha seemed to work solely along the right flank.  A lot of the time, JP Scearce and Junior Palacios were opening up channels along the sideline, but there were few developments found beyond the midline.  Here’s a heat map of a few players from the entire first half.  You’ll start to notice some trends as you see them:

Junior Palacios

JP Scearce

Conor Doyle

Joe Brito

Some of the trends to notice in these heat maps:

  1. Shape stability was becoming an issue.  With Junior Palacios advancing up the sideline and creating opportunities to advance up the field, JP Scearce was often caught sitting back too far to overwhelm the opposing defense.
  2. We’ve become accustomed to seeing Conor Doyle sitting back on defense, but seeing Joe Brito residing heavily in those three large splotches of the heat map tells me there were times when the two players were too close together and need to spread out to keep Charlotte honest.  It’s good to see Brito taking up space in the center circle because he has the obvious qualities to facilitate on offense, yet still shepherd the attacks to the outside before they can develop too far into the Union Omaha half.
  3. Not many of the players advanced high enough in the opposing half to create a meaningful attack.  With less players advancing, more emphasis was placed on 1v1 battles, rather than team-oriented attacks.  This meant the defense could swarm on Steevan Dos Santos and Noe Meza.

Not all was lost at halftime, though.  The Owls were down by a single goal, which came in the 7th minute.  Union Omaha also held strong on stat sheet: 84% overall passing accuracy, 73% passing accuracy in the opposing half, and 8 total shots.  Despite the three bullets above, the Owls were still able to maintain consistent possession and generate threats on offense.  The defense left a little more to be desired, on the other hand.

The defense had a successful duel rate of only 20%, which is extremely low, especially against a high-powered offense like Charlotte.  Fortunately, the five fouls lost in the first half were all on the opposite end of the midline, so there weren’t any set piece opportunities against the Owls.

The second half was a lot more like the first, in that most of the passing and offense was generated along one side of the field.  Despite having 10 shots in the second half, only 2 were on frame.  There were chances for Union Omaha to finish and get on the scoreboard, but none would come to fruition.  The Owls often resorted to long balls in an effort to give the defense a moment of respite, while also trying to catch the Charlotte defense asleep.  It just seemed like a night which wouldn’t go their way, no matter what was attempted.

At the final whistle, Union Omaha lost 0-3, giving up two goals in the second half – one in the 55th minute and the last in the 90th minute.  The loss kept Union Omaha in 9th place for the third straight week.  This Saturday, the Owls travel to Greenville to take another stab at bringing home The Belt.

After the match, Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciatio summed up his thoughts succinctly, saying, “It’s a disappointing result. We’re giving away too many soft goals, so it’s something for us to work on this week and get back to next weekend.”

Match Summary

Attendance: 2,562

Goal Summary:

7’: CLT – Joel Johnson (assisted by Miguel Ibarra)

55’: CLT – Tresor Mbuyu (unassisted)

90’: CLT – Khori Bennett (assisted by Lùis Álvarez

Substitution Summary:

61’: OMA – Pedro Dolabella replaces Joe Brito

61’: OMA – Stefan Mueller replaces Junior Palacios

69’: OMA – Alex Steinwascher replaces Shaft Brewer Jr. (due to injury)

70’: CLT – Khori Bennett replaces Dane Kelly

79’: CLT – Gabriel Obertan replaces Miguel Ibarra

80’: CLT – Lùis Álvarez replaces Tresor Mbuyu

82’: OMA – Chavany Willis replaces Luis Gil

90’+1: CLT – Héctor Acosta replaces Joel Johnson

Discipline Summary: 

No cards handed out during the match

Second-half Goal Drops Owls at Home

A picture-perfect night ushered in another Union Omaha home match at Werner Park.  This time the opponent was none other than rival Forward Madison.  After giving up the early lead, the Owls answered quickly.  Ultimately, the three points went to the visitors as they were able to score a second-half goal and keep the lead until the final whistle.

In the first 14 minutes of the match, Union Omaha was throwing personnel and possessions along the left flank time and time again.  When the ball wasn’t being settled and distributed along the back line, the ball spent far more time along the left sideline than the right.  The heat map below will emphasize just how much time was spent on that side of the field:

Here’s a field chart with all of the successful passes among Union Omaha players in the first 14 minutes.  This continues to display the obvious intent from the Owls to operate their business on the one side of the field:

Overall, the tone of the match in the opening moments seemed to lead fans into believing that a defensive showdown was unraveling before them.  The visitors would soon strike first and take the early momentum.

The Flamingos stunned the crowd with a 14th-minute goal, as Aiden Mesias received a ball from Stephen Payne, eluded three Union Omaha players, and found a window around Union Omaha captain Conor Doyle to curl the ball inside the far post.  The hosts would level the scoreline within a matter of minutes.

In the 22nd minute, first-half substitute Steevan Dos Santos was able to settle a throw-in, turn toward the goal line, and send a low-driven pass across the goal mouth for Shaft Brewer Jr. at the back post to calmly finish.  The goal was Brewer’s first ever goal for Union Omaha.

At halftime, with the score tied at one, Union Omaha was, again, the aggressor and leader in the match.  The Owls won 59% of their duels, 62% of their aerial duels, and only conceded 3 fouls.  On offense, Union Omaha earned 4 corners, had 87% passing accuracy, 13 crosses, and unleashed 9 shots against the Flamingos.  Union Omaha team captain Conor Doyle was instrumental in the development of attacks with 88% overall passing accuracy, 78% passing accuracy in the opposition’s half, and stretched the field with 7 long passes.  Shaft Brewer Jr. also had a strong half, earning 96% overall passing accuracy, 78% passing accuracy in the opposition’s half, and creating a chance on top of the goal scored.

After the break, Union Omaha was having difficulty moving the ball past the midline.  In the first ten minutes, the Owls were barely crossing the dividing line, relegating most of their passes to be among the backline.  The passing chart below shows Union Omaha’s successful passes inside of the first ten minutes of the second half:

With Forward Madison pressing early and often in the second half, the Flamingos started to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  In the 53rd minute, the visitors earned a corner kick.  Despite Union Omaha clearing the initial threat, Stephen Payne was able to feed the ball directly back into pressure, putting it at the feet of their most potent goalscorer: Christian Chaney.  After a quick challenge from Union Omaha’s Pedro Dolabella, Chaney was able to clear a window for himself and attack the high corner of the near post.  Of Chaney’s three total goals scored this season, two have now come against Union Omaha.  And just like he did in Week 2 when he scored on the Owls, Chaney made his way to the sideline for his usual backflip celebration.  Another goal, another backflip, and another dagger to the hearts of the home crowd.

For the remainder of the match, Union Omaha faced off against the brick wall of Forward Madison’s defensive unit.  Chances on goal, shots, and crosses were all attempted, but not a single shot would be counted as “on goal.”  The Owls had five blocked shots, most of which were right around the goal area.  For varying reasons, the ball never traveled closer to the goal line and the home side would have to settle for their first loss in over a month.  Here’s a map of Union Omaha’s shot map in the second half.  The red arrows are the shots off target and the blue arrows are the blocked shots.

In comparison to Week 10’s results, the loss keeps Union Omaha in 9th place in the league standings.  Week 12 has the Owls traveling to Charlotte for a second matchup against the Independence.  The first meeting between the two sides was in Week 6, when the Owls settled for a scoreless draw on the road.

After the match, Union Omaha’s Shaft Brewer Jr. and head coach Dominic Casciato were kind enough to provide some thoughts on the evening.

Shaft Brewer Jr.

General thoughts on the match:

“It’s a tough night. We always want to win and we always push and we’re training and pushing to put out good performances and always win, especially at home.  But, you know, it was one that got away from us and it’s really something that shouldn’t happen much, but we’ll go back to the table and go back to training and prep and get ready for the next one. So, it’s a tough one. It’s football. It happens. So, we can’t really think about the loss that much, but it’s a long season.

So, hopefully this is going to be it and then, you know, we keep pushing.”

On his first-ever goal for Union Omaha:

“Amazing. Super amazing. I love the fans, love the environment, love the club, love my teammates and I can’t thank anybody else, but all of them that helped me get there and helped push to get this goal.  So, really exciting night and yeah, hopefully more will come.”

On his role in the offense:

“I think a lot of the time, you know, in our game plan, we pushed to get me up against that back line and let me use my speed to go after guys.  I feel like offensively one-on-ones and balls behind, I do have a major advantage, especially with my speed.  I used to be a forward, so obviously I am pretty comfortable up there and it’s one of those things for me – the team counts on me to get up there and do that.  That’s my job, so obviously we train for this and mentally I’m always ready to go after guys.  So that’s why you’ll usually see it every game – me trying to push and get a lot of balls in behind so that our guys can get opportunities.  It seems like there’s the determination in the locker room and speaking among some of the guys to turn these results into wins.”

On the team staying positive:

“I think it’s just instilled in us. Coach has done it. All the guys have a winning mentality.  We all want to win the Championship. We all want to win the League and that starts with every single day, every single game.  Everyone is always pumped up and ready to go because we all want the same thing, right?  We’re all one and we all think the same thing and that’s to get a win, that’s to do better in training, to push, and obviously we have that mentality in the locker room like crazy.”

Head Coach Dominic Casciato

General thoughts on the match:

“Yeah, disappointed.  I think guys were tired, you know, after a free game week.  I thought we played well.  I thought we maybe rushed things a little bit in the last ten minutes.  You know, we were in control of the game and sending so many long straight balls that we weren’t getting on the end of.  I think we need to have a little bit more patience in the last ten minutes and we would have created a couple more chances for ourselves, but that being said, we had some big chances in the first half.  I think we’re doing a lot of good things, but we need to start turning these good things that we’re doing into points from the game.  So, we keep working, we keep pushing forwards and we stay together now and stay positive.”

On the offense’s productivity:

“Yeah, I think if you watch the game, we didn’t do a lot wrong, right?  I think defensively we maybe switched off on two moments.  I think they had three shots on target the whole game, so we dominated the game, but dominating isn’t enough.  You’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net and you’ve got to make sure that you’re defending your area and you’re defending the box..  So, lesson for us is  to make sure we punish teams and that we close the door more at the back end because it’s not been good enough the last couple of games.”

On Joe Gallardo’s injury:

“Yeah, he pulled his groin early.  You know, I was disappointed for us.  Joe was somebody that was going to give us good energy today and has started the last few games, but some were expecting a lot out of today.  Hopefully it’s not a bad one.”

On whether JP will play more matches out of the back:

“I don’t know.  I don’t think so.  We like JP everywhere. We wish we had 11 JPs, but today he was played as a sort of right back purely for tactical reasons.  If we need to look at him there again in the future we will.”

On the upcoming away match against Charlotte in Week 12:

“Yeah, we feel confident.  If you look at the performances this week, which has been really positive performances, it’s just about turning positive performances into points.  When we went to Charlotte last time we dominated there, as well.  Again, like big, big chances in their box that we somehow didn’t take and we came away with a 0-0 tie.  So, as soon as we turn that corner and we win one of these games that we should win, I think you’re going to see the belief flow through the guys and we’re going to be unstoppable, but we’ve got to get to that point and we’ve got to make a little bit of our own luck.”

Match Summary

Attendance: 2,886

Goal Summary: 

14’: MAD – #23 Aiden Mesias (assisted by #22 Stephen Payne)

22’: OMA – #28 Shaft Brewer Jr. (assisted by #10 Steevan Dos Santos)

53’: MAD – #9 Christian Chaney (assisted by #22 Stephen Payne)

Substitution Summary: 

20’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos replaces #11 Joe Gallardo (injury)

65’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis replaces #8 Joe Brito

65’: OMA – #18 Junior Palacios replaces #22 Conor Doyle

72’: MAD – #19 Wolfgang Prentice replaces #17 Derek Gebhard

72’: MAD – #8 Eric Conerty replaces #23 Aiden Mesias

80’: MAD – #24 Nazeem Bartman replaces #2 Robert Screen

88’: MAD – #14 Mauro Cichero replaces #18 Francis Jno-Baptiste

Discipline Summary: 

8’: OMA – #8 Joe Brito (Yellow Card)

11’: MAD – #14 Mauro Cichero (Yellow Card)

33’: OMA – #17 JP Scearce (Yellow Card)

33’: MAD – #23 Aiden Mesias (Yellow Card)

39’: MAD – #24 Nazeem Bartman (Yellow Card)

57’: MAD – #55 Bernd Schipmann (Yellow Card)

78’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis (Yellow Card)

90’+5: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos (Yellow Card)

Mixed Reviews for the Supporter group section move.

This past matchday Parliament was put into the standing drink rail section at our beloved home of Werner Park. While the move had it’s upsides it also came with a few downsides. However it was a good experiment and possible trial run for the proposed stadium, and something I think is worth exploring for future matches.

First I may disappoint some people here and go with the downsides. After seeing the discourse online and hearing from a couple of people who regularly sit in the section there was a few issues that hindered some of the enjoyment of the match. First of which was the difficulty in getting enough room for the flags that usually grace the berm. Flags are a huge part of supporter culture and something that can also spread the message that they want to see. I would love to see more flags as the group continues to grow and that may not be entirely possible with a section move.

Secondly there was an issue with the drum placement. Placing it on the drink rails potentially creates the hazard of spills, which lets be honest who wants to spill their beer? (Especially with the prices at Werner) I am sure that there is a solution that could be ironed out in the future but still a drawback none the less.

Next up is the smoke, another huge part of the supporter groups important role in the gameday experience. While I personally love the smell, it reminds me of the 4th of july smoke bombs my cousins and I would light off and run through, there are some around me in section 105 that don’t feel the same way.

Lastly there was the tremendous job of the drum core for Parliament, while they did an amazing job of creating an atmosphere that would make any team envious I have heard rumblings of people getting headaches from it. A simple offer to move their seats a bit further away would resolve this issue and keep the amazing atmosphere the drummers were able to create.

Let’s get to the positives, because these are all huge things.

First off the accessibility is greatly improved. With smooth concrete at the top of the section those who would love to be a part of the amazing group of supporters we have but were previously unable to because of the berm now could. Which is something I know we are all in favor of.

Next is the much better angle of the sun. Instead of being in the direct sunlight in the faces of our supporters it was off to the side which is much more manageable, especially if you partake in the amazing pre match tailgate scene.

Let’s get to my favorite part of the move, the noise level. Wow. That’s really all that I can say and that doesn’t do it justice at all. With the move to the drink rails the drums and chants could be heard louder and clearer for the seatback sections. I heard people around me that usually don’t participate in the chants getting into it and feeding into the environment. The noise bouncing off of the seats and “roof” of the stadium helped a ton as well. I am a big fan of this, as I am sure the players are as well.

Overall I think that the experiment to move the SG to the drink rails was a worthy one. One that could and should be explored more. In my opinion it helped create an atmosphere that was more like 5000 people rather than the 2500 that were there. Now don’t get me wrong here, the berm is a great place as well for our SG, and will be utilized for the foreseeable future, however perhaps extending it would be an option for the future. That is way above my paygrade though.

Parliament continues to bring the noise and atmosphere week in and week out. That is what they have done and will continue to do, wherever they end up, all I know is I could use another one of those matches to keep this adrenaline going in my body and they know how to bring it.

Match Day 9 Preview: Union Omaha v. Forward Madison

Midwest rivals get ready for second of three matchups

For the second time this week, Union Omaha will only have several days to move on from a 3-3 draw that resulted from multiple lost leads. The good news is that there isn’t an added day of travel in-between as there was following their 3-3 draw in Chattanooga, but this weekend’s opponents in Forward Madison obviously don’t have a far distance to travel themselves. Madison have also had slightly longer than one week to recuperate from their last match, a 2-0 loss at home to Northern Colorado Hailstorm, their first blemish in the league this season.

Both teams and their supporters are pining for wins as they’ve combined to draw nine of their 15 matches, which can be consolidated down to eight draws in 14 matches to account for the 1-1 draw between these two teams back in March on the season opener at Caniglia Field. Neither side are strangers to draws, not only during this season, not just in general, but also historically against each other. There have been six draws between these two sides in their ten matches historically, and each has only managed to win twice. The last win in the series was a 1-0 UO victory at Werner Park last August, when a 10-man side was able to get the result with a Corey Hertzog goal. Madison’s last win was a 2-1 victory in Omaha back in October of 2021, the result of a replay from a match that was previously postponed due to weather. It was the last blemish Omaha logged before lifting the League One trophy the following month. Defense has dominated the rivalry, unsurprisingly, with a paltry 18 goals having been scored in the combined 10 matches.

Whether or not defense will be the name of the game on Saturday is definitely up in the air. While Madison have given up just four goals in their seven matches, they’ve also only scored seven goals of their own. In fact, Madison have been shut out in four of their first seven games. At barely 1.5 goals per game, Madison’s games have been the lowest scoring so far at this still-early point of the season. Meanwhile, a goal explosion since the end of April has led to a total of 17 goals scored in Omaha’s last 4 games, and over the course of the entire season only Greenville Triumph have seen more goals scored in their games so far. So while Madison’s 2023 season has been old hat so far, UO’s has been far from the norm.

The preview of the previous game missed the mark a good deal when assuming not only lineup rotation, but also the possibility of predetermined substitutes at the start of the second half. So I think it’s safe to say any prediction about Saturday’s lineup should be taken with a grain of salt. Eddie Gordon making the bench was the only unfamiliar look to the lineup we’ve seen recently (at the expense of Dion Acoff), and that’s with looking at both the bench and starting XI. The most unfamiliar look we’ve seen to date was JP Scearce looking like a right-back in the second half against Greenville, almost certainly a result of Joe Gallardo’s halftime sub-on of Marco Milanese, who had been booked earlier in the game. If there is anything that could be strongly suggested, it’s that JP Scearce starting Saturday’s game at right-back would be a pretty big shock.

Union OmahaForward Madison
Overall Record2-5-12-4-1
Table Position8th9th
Recent FormL-W-D-D-DW-D-D-W-L
Last MatchD (3-3 v. GVL)L (0-2 v. NCO)
Next MatchCLT (Away, June 3)CVF (Home, June 3)
Leading ScorerNoe Meza (5 goals)Christian Chaney (2 goals)