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USL1 Union Omaha

Union Omaha Blow Away Chattanooga to Continue Cup Bounceback

June 28, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release


PAPILLION, Neb. - Union Omaha bounced back from their defeat in Madison to put the hurt on Chattanooga again, winning 4-2 to up the season series to 9-4 on aggregate.

On a night where the grey skies portended worse weather than we actually received, the signs of life displayed in the second half against the 'Mingos came through on this matchday. The dynamic attacking line of Steevan Dos Santos, Lagos Kunga, and Missael Rodríguez created constant problems for Chattanooga, their varying strengths all meshing to create a deadly trident augmented by Joe Gallardo's creativity.

Said Gallardo post-match, "I think the team started well today. Obviously we let in two goals where they came back and tied us, but we got a great response from the team, and we move forward happy for the three points."

It took all of three minutes and forty-four seconds for that to see Omaha take the lead. Joe Gallardo floated a beautiful inswinging corner kick into the box, while Dos Santos backpedaled to meet it at the edge of the six-yard box. From there, the big man simply levitated up to nod it home at the far post to mark his return to the starting lineup.

Despite the early goal, the first minutes of the match were mostly played in Omaha's half. Chattanooga possessed the ball about two-thirds of the time through the first 15 minutes. From there, though, Gallardo provided Rodríguez with a golden chance that he lifted past T.J. Bush but just wide of the far post. It wouldn't take long for them to one-up that.

Once again Gallardo put a set-piece into the box, this time a deep free kick from the opposite side. Blake Malone got behind the backline to head it back across goal, and Dos Santos arrived just in time to stab it home.

After the match, Joe Gallardo talked about his role and his chance creation expanding. "I feel like Dom has expected more from me this season, and I've been trying my best to get goals and assists. I'm just happy to be able to help the team."

Gallardo is Omaha's top chance creator, and ranks in the top 5 in crosses delivered this season.

It seemed to be cruise control for Union Omaha after his second goal contribution, albeit this time a hockey assist rather than something that will go down in the scorebook. But little by little, the Owls let the Red Wolves back into the match.

They were made to pay for that in the 40th minute. On a break forward, Stefan Lukic displayed great patience to hold the ball up until a lane was open to tee it up for Ricky Ruiz, whose first-time shot was always curling away from Wallis Lapsley's sprawling dive.

Union couldn't even stem the tide from there. Heartened, Chattanooga began sniffing around for an equalizer after Ruiz's goal. They found it deep into stoppage time, when Stefan Lukic pivoted in heavy traffic and fired a knuckler that looked to be on a string towards the side netting. Once again, despite Lapsley's best efforts, the shot was just too well-struck.

At the half, Union Omaha had nearly evened out the possession stats, and with 69% of the aerial duels won as well, they had a solid foothold. Yet they were deadlocked with the newly ascendant Red Wolves, spending the break searching for answers.

According to Head Coach Dom Casciato, "I think in the first half after going two goals up, we allowed our intensity and our focus and our aggression levels to drop off, way below what they should have been, and that allowed Chattanooga to get into our box way too often. And obviously, they scored two good goals."

Needless to say, he and his squad found the answers.

Union had the run of play to start the second half, and it paid off in the 54th minute. One-two passing down the left flank advanced the ball to Joe Gallardo, who cut inside and took half the Chattanooga defense with him. He slipped it out to Rodríguez on the overlap from there. The young attacker nipped the ball past one Red Wolf, shrugged off another on the byline, then punched a shot into T.J. Bush that neither quite corralled until the attacker managed to poke it back to Lagos Kunga. Kunga proceeded to absolutely blast the ball into the net from close-range.

Pedro Dolabella nearly made it a rapid-fire double immediately after, thanks to a trademark jinking run by Lagos Kunga, but all his shimmying to create open space only yielded a carom off the post. The match lulled while both clubs made changes to try and tilt the momentum their way, but Pedro was not to be denied.

Joe Gallardo swooped in on a loose touch to stab it over to substitute Nortei Nortey in space. He in turn shuttled it across to Dolabella, who waited until the ball just trickled into the box before lashing it into the far corner for his seventh goal of the season.

Chattanooga provided a scare late on a counterattack, being saved by some Lapsley heroics, but looked relatively toothless otherwise. Omaha came out of the match with 25 shots, an astonishing 17 of those being on target, and a handy win that put them tentatively atop their USL Jägermeister Cup group and in a great position for the wild card spot if that fails.

Coach Dom had a lot of praise to give out afterwards. "We got a good response from our forward players, and we had a really good impact from the bench as well. I thought Nortei coming on had a good impact with an assist, and Isaac [Bawa] coming on for his first game back was really pleasing."

"I think the team started well today," said Joe Gallardo. "Obviously we let in two goals where they came back and tied us, but we got a great response from the team, and we move forward happy for the three points."

From here, Union Omaha will hit the road for most of July. Their first matchup against Lexington SC of 2024 will come on Saturday, July 6th, followed by a trip to Greenville to face the Triumph a week later. Finally, they'll take on Northern Colorado Hailstorm in a Jägermeister Cup showdown before returning home to rematch the Red Wolves on July 27th, also at 7:00pm, also at Werner Park. That match will be our Women in Sports Night, featuring your 2024 PVF Champion Omaha Supernovas.

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