Union Omaha Erase Two-Goal Deficit to Secure Players' Shield
October 21, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release
Statesboro, Ga. - It may have taken a descent into the realm of the surreal to do it, but Union Omaha secured all three points on the night they earned their second straight Players' Shield.
As noted by the league, Omaha join Orlando City SC (in their USL Championship years) and NWSL's North Carolina Courage as the only teams in modern American professional soccer history to finish atop their respective regular season tables in three of their first five seasons of existence.
That accomplishment was nowhere near the minds of the players when a second minute wonderstrike off the boot of Aaron Walker put Union Omaha behind the 8-ball. Struggles to clear the ball after it's hoofed upfield meant a header found Walker in space, with time to fire off an upper 90 shot that couldn't have been placed better if he were throwing darts from a yard out.
The situation went from bad to worse in the 36th minute, when one of Tormenta's long balls was swept by Luca Mastrantonio back to... and through Rashid Nuhu. It wasn't the first time an Owl defender has misjudged Nuhu's positioning on a backpass to catastrophic consequences. Between the late-season stage and the ball trickling in off the far post almost in slow-motion, this was a gruesome way to go into the half.
There were two consolations. One, if they even knew of it, was the scoreless draw up north that would moot this result if it held, for the purposes of the Players' Shield. That mattered little to the Owls anyway.
The more pertinent one was the man advantage they held; Jake Steedman was sent off in the 40th minute with a second yellow card, a careless whack of a sliding Max Schneider earning him an extended stay in the timeout corner.
After pressing for chances en route to 67% possession and a 14-2 shot advantage by halftime, Los Búhos picked up where they left off once the second half began.
The resistance kept hold until the 63rd minute, when Joe Gallardo drove inside and floated in a trivela that Curtis Thorn tried to clear, but instead just went bar-down on his own goal to halve the Owls' deficit. Less than four minutes later, another Gallardo cross was headed over to Zeiko Lewis, who made no mistake on the volley to draw his team level.
Both teams kept grinding until the 87th minute, by which point Madison had drawn (securing the Players' Shield for Omaha) and Richmond had won (meaning Tormenta needed a win to stay alive). That's when the match veered, and hard.
First came the second sending-off, with Tormenta star Sebastian Vivas rashly sliding in on Max Schneider from behind and earning himself an early end to the season.
Next came the game-winning goal. Max Schneider, whose apparent goal was to take as many souls as possible, practically scored an Olimpico directly from a corner kick, but the towering Pedro Dolabella was there at the far post to ensure it was deposited safely into the back of the net. With that goal putting Omaha on top by one, plus the two-man advantage, it was all but over for South Georgia. The one-way traffic that had been present all match held up through the end, with Omaha ultimately tripling the Ibises up on number of passes by the final whistle.
Just to really stamp home the absurdity, though, Tormenta would finish the match with eight men on the pitch after Jake Dengler absolutely erased Lagos Kunga on a counterattack, tossed the captain's armband to a teammate when his marching papers were served, and was left hanging by the referee on a fist bump. That may just sum up a season in which Tormenta's only wins came against teams currently 8th or below in the table.
Union Omaha, meanwhile, earned their second straight Players' Shield under Head Coach Dominic Casciato, and third in five seasons. This means the USL League One playoffs will run through Omaha for as long as they're playing.
Before that, their regular season finale is this weekend, as they come home to Werner Park to face Central Valley Fuego. This Fan Appreciation Night match will take place on Saturday, October 26th at 4pm. After that tune-up comes knockout play, with a first round matchup against either Richmond Kickers or Spokane Velocity looming. Either way, it'll take place on Sunday, November 3rd at 4pm. Tickets are on sale now for the first round of playoffs.
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United Soccer League One Stories from October 21, 2024
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