Spokane Velocity FC Secures Win, 2-1, Against Union Omaha in USL League One's 1000th Match
USL1 Spokane Velocity FC

Spokane Velocity FC Secures Win, 2-1, Against Union Omaha in USL League One's 1000th Match

August 2, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Spokane Velocity FC News Release


SPOKANE, WA - In a rematch of last year's USL League One finals match, it was Spokane Velocity FC who came out on top over Union Omaha. This is Spokane Velocity FC's first win since their 1-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers on June 21st.

Spokane Velocity FC Head Coach Leigh Veidman reflected on the match:

"I know there's a fire in the belly of a lot of our guys wanting to win the game tonight because of what happened last year, but full focus was on the team that was in front of us today. It's a different team, different coach, slightly different style of play-so, many different things that we had to pay attention to. It was an entertaining one."

The opening goal would come quickly, just six minutes into the match. Spokane Velocity FC was left with a free kick inside the penalty arc following a Union Omaha yellow card. Nil Vinyals stepped up and placed his shot just inside the right post for the first score of the game.

"I was very confident that I was going to put it on the target. Of course, I didn't know I was going to score, but I felt really confident about scoring. It was an important moment in the game and gave us a strong start as we started to observe some pressure during that time. It was good defensive work and I was happy to help score the first goal of the match." said Nil Vinyals.

Union Omaha would get their first of many chances five minutes later. A cross was headed towards the box, but before it could get there a Spokane Velocity FC defender performed a diving header to prevent a potential shot attempt.

Their next opportunity came in the 24th minute when a shot from Union Omaha was put just behind Spokane Velocity FC goalkeeper Carlos Merancio. Merancio was able to reach back and get his fingertips on the ball and push it away from the goal for his first of two saves for the night.

Spokane Velocity FC wasn't satisfied with just one goal as they scored a second just before the end of the first half. A corner kick from Nil Vinyals floated to the back post where Anuar Peláez was able to tap in his seventh goal of the season.

"The performance was not good in the first half. Yes, we were leading 2-0, but there were certain things about our performance that we really needed to raise the bar on. We went into halftime and discussed a couple of things and we did a better job of that in the second half." said Spokane Velocity FC Head Coach Leigh Veidman.

Another chance for Peláez came in the 63rd minute. A free kick near midfield transitioned into a Spokane Velocity FC passing play; one that ultimately found the ball right in front of the net. Peláez was able to put a shot on net from close range, but it was saved.

Union Omaha wasn't giving up as their unrelenting pressure would finally result in a goal. In the 83rd minute, a Union Omaha cross forced Spokane Velocity FC's goalkeeper, Carlos Merancio, to jump out of the net to attempt to punch the ball away. The ball ended up past Merancio and led to a Spokane Velocity FC foul setting up a penalty kick for Union Omaha. Carlos Merancio jumped toward the opposing direction of the ball as Joe Gallardo calmly sank his shot to put Union Omaha on the board.

It would turn out to be too little, too late for Union Omaha as they wouldn't get another scoring opportunity for the rest of the match.

Carlos Merancio added his thoughts:

"It wasn't a pretty game. We didn't play the way we normally do, but good teams have bad days on the ball and we defended well. We won today, and that's the most important thing."

Spokane Velocity FC will look to continue their momentum into their next match against AV Alta FC on August 9th at ONE Spokane Stadium. For tickets to this match, visit https://www.uslspokane.com/velocity-fc-tickets/.

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