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USL1 Union Omaha

Match Preview: Union Omaha vs. One Knoxville SC

April 11, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release


It's been almost a full month since the season-opening win in Fresno. Between the Chattanooga postponement and the star-studded Open Cup escapades, it feels more like a lifetime ago that Union Omaha partook in a USL League One match. Luckily, Chattanooga's neighbors to the northeast are raring to take them on in a match that, bizarrely, features the two teams left in the league with 100% win ratios... neither of whom sit first in the table. MLS After Dark, meet USL Before May.

SPREADING THE LOVE

They say don't put all your eggs in one basket. Great advice for life, but poor advice for anyone still working on their Easter egg hunts. Union Omaha has started the season by taking this mantra to heart, though. The Owls have torn their opponents up to the tune of nine goals, including Joe Gallardo's hat trick heroics against Western Mass in the U.S. Open Cup. But those nine goals have come off the boots of seven different players; or, take out the extra two from the hat trick, and it's seven for seven! Players like Aarón Gómez and Steevan Dos Santos have provided multiple assists for this early-season glut of goals.

STAUNCH DEFENDERS

Speaking of spreading things around, the off-kilter nature of the schedule has allowed (or, arguably, obliged) Head Coach Dom Casciato to shuffle his squad to keep everyone's legs fresh but also match-ready. To wit, only three players have played every minute of Omaha's campaign thus far. No points for guessing Rashid Nuhu is one of them, stalwart in goal that he is. The other two full-timers are both just in front of him: Luca Mastrantonio, and hometown returnee Blake Malone. Even studs like Steevan Dos Santos have gotten a sub off to rest up, leaving just that trio at 270 minutes. Of course, if there's one area of the pitch you'd most like that consistency, it's the defense.

SERIES HISTORY

Until last year, all of Union Omaha's trips to Tennessee were to face Chattanooga Red Wolves. That changed when One Knoxville entered the league in 2023. The series was scheduled to get underway in the second match of the season, but travel delays cruelly denied us the kickoff until the summer. Omaha would go on to win both home and away matchups that season, with both matches ending with the away side down to 10 men off a red card. Dion Acoff netted a 94th minute goal in the rescheduled Knoxville tie to send the Owls home 2-1 winners. Of the five different goalscorers for Omaha in those matches, Acoff is the only one still on the team this year.

ABOUT ONE KNOXVILLE SC

2023 wasn't, however, One Knox's debut season. They first romped through USL League Two in 2022, putting up an 11-1-2 record that led to a three-match playoff run halted at the hands of North Carolina Fusion U23 in the conference finals. Their debut in USL League One was not quite as barnstorming. Their 9-12-11 record left them in 8th, five points outside the playoffs. A six match winless streak to close out the season had One Knox bluer than the Great Smokies in their badge, but the undefeated start to their 2024 league campaign has them feeling a lot warmer.

Season ticket memberships and voucher packs for the 2024 season are currently available via tickets.unionomaha.com or through the Werner Park Ticket Office by calling (402) 738-5100.

ABOUT UNION OMAHA ‚

Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion and 2023 USL League One Players' Shield Winner, is the only professional soccer team in the state of Nebraska. USL League One is a United States Soccer Federation-sanctioned professional men's soccer league that occupies the third tier of American soccer, below USL Championship (tier two) and Major League Soccer (tier one). Union Omaha plays its home matches at Werner Park in Sarpy County, also home to the Omaha Storm Chasers of Minor League Baseball. The team is led by General Manager of Business Operations Alexis Boulos in the front office and Head Coach Dominic Casciato on the field.

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