Charlotte Falls on the Road to Union Omaha, 4-1
USL1 Charlotte Independence

Charlotte Falls on the Road to Union Omaha, 4-1

Published on August 20, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Charlotte Independence News Release


OMAHA, NE - Charlotte Independence fell for the second time this season to Union Omaha Wednesday night, losing by a score of 4-1.

#26 Souaibou Marou bagged the lone goal for the Jacks in the defeat.

It was a quick start from the hosts. #30 Isidro Martinez found space on the edge of the box in the 5th minute and looped a ball to the back post. Omaha's leading scorer #28 Ryan Becher finished the play, heading it past goalkeeper #28 Matt Levy for his fifth of the season.

The Independence found difficulty in the early stages of the first half breaking down Union Omaha's low block, lacking the free-flowing nature the Jacks attack has become accustomed to.

Omaha made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute. It was Becher again, deflecting one home with his left foot off a #20 Charlie Ostrem cross.

For Ostrem, his 7th assist of the season puts him at the top of the Golden Playmaker race, breaking a tie with Charlotte's #9 Jon Bakero.

Charlotte's best opportunity of the first half came in the 36th minute. Fullback #2 Fabrice Ngah got on the end of a Bakero cross and fired a left-footed low blast just inches by the far post.

Suddenly urgently chasing the game, the Jacks pressed before the break. #11 Bachir Ndiaye's header in the 41st minute just missed high, grazing the roof of the net.

Becher nearly had a first half hat trick right before the whistle. After Levy stopped him first, Becher had a vacant net on the rebound. However, in his 100th appearance for the club, #4 Nick Spielman saved it off the line.

Similar to the first contest these two teams played on July 12, Union Omaha took a 2-0 lead to the half.

Omaha kept the scoring going in the 49th minute. #18 Mark Bronnick banged a strike into the top corner from just inside the box to make it 3-0.

Bronnick got a brace of his own in the 54th minute. After the Independence defense stepped high, Omaha played over the top. Becher found Bronnick wide open in the box and the midfielder one-timed home the finish.

Ndiaye narrowly missed the post in the 56th minute and substitute Marou was denied by a diving Omaha goalkeeper #36 Cole Jensen in the 59th minute.

Charlotte took away the shutout in the 75th minute. #8 Juan David Moreno's pass deflected in behind Omaha's defense and Marou was left 1-on-1 with Jensen. The forward calmly found the side netting for his 8th of the season.

A 4-1 victory moves Union Omaha just on the cusp of the playoff line, while Charlotte remains in 5th place with tonight's loss.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the performance:

"Bad night. We weren't sharp at the beginning of the game. ‚¬©We didn't play with enough energy most of the first half. And we were very lax on the goals. To give away two goals off of throw-ins is really disappointing. And the other two goals are basically counters that we just didn't manage. ‚¬©So really frustrating night."

Jeffries on what went wrong:

"Tactically, it wasn't a surprise. We conceded in the ways we didn't want to. Essentially, the things that we set out to prevent and tried to organize and discuss. ‚¬©So I think that's the most frustrating part where we went through the throw-ins and their movement off of that. We talked about how to manage counters. I do feel like, especially the first half, that they outworked us and pressed and were harder to play against."

Nick Spielman on making his 100th appearance for the club:

"It means a lot to me that the staff and this organization has trusted me for so many games. Calling one place your home for 2-3 years is very tough in this business and it's been a honor to do so."

Clay Dimick on the team's mindset after tonight:

"I just think we need to get back to being a team that's hard to score on, hard to break down, and a pain to play against."

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