Union Omaha

Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2020, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1).

Union Omaha
Full nameUnion Omaha Soccer Club
Nickname(s)The Owls, Los Búhos
FoundedMay 1, 2019 (2019-05-01)
StadiumWerner Park, Papillion, Nebraska
Capacity9,023
OwnerGary Green
Head coachJay Mims
LeagueUSL League One
2021USL League One, 1st of 12
Playoffs: Champions
WebsiteClub website

History

In 2019, USL1 awarded a franchise to Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings to begin play in the 2020 season,[1] with former head coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Jay Mims, announced as the club's first manager.[1][2] Union Omaha finished 2020 in second place to qualify for the USL1 championship game. However, the match was canceled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 within the team's roster.[3]

By defeating the Richmond Kickers 2–0 in the second to last match of the 2021 season, the Owls became the USL League One regular-season champions and clinched the top seed for the playoffs.[4] Union Omaha then finished the season winning their first ever championship, beating defending champion Greenville Triumph SC 3–0 in the final.[5]

On April 19th, 2022, Union Omaha defeated Chicago Fire FC of the MLS in a penalty shootout (2(4)-2(5)) in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup to become the first USL1 team to defeat an MLS team in U.S. Open Cup history. Union Omaha defender Alex Touche scored from inside the box in the 122nd minute of extra time to equalize the game at 2-2 and force a penalty shootout.[6]

Crest

The team's name and crest were developed through fan engagement including town halls, workshops, interviews, and online polls to reflect the entire Omaha region.[1][7] In a bid to stay true to the roots of both the state and city, the team announced on October 3, 2019, the new name as a nod to the Union Pacific Railroad, with the great horned owl, a species of owl native to Nebraska, being the prominent focal point of the club's crest. The logo was designed by Matthew Wolff.[8]

Stadium
Werner Park Entrance

The team plays in Werner Park, a baseball park south west of Omaha in the suburb of Papillion.[1][9][10] The Sarpy County owned stadium was opened eleven years ago in 2011, and is shared with the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A East. The ballpark cost $36 million to construct and is located near 126th Street and Highway 370, less than three miles (5 km) west of Papillion in unincorporated Sarpy County.[11] Werner Park received additional locker rooms, field enhancements, and offices to accommodate the soccer operations.

Sponsorship
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2020 Nike CHI Health (home)
Nebraska Medicine (away)
2021–present XCancer

Players
As of April 23, 2022[12]
No. Pos. Player Nation
2 MF Emir Alihodžić  Bosnia and Herzegovina
4 DF Alex Touche  England
5 DF Gabriel Claudio  United States
6 MF Chavany Willis  Jamaica
7 FW Noe Meza  United States
8 MF Joe Brito  United States
10 FW Hugo Kametani  Japan
11 FW Kemal Malcolm  Jamaica
12 MF Eddie Gordon  United States
13 DF Daltyn Knutson  United States
16 FW Alex Bruce  England
17 MF JP Scearce  United States
19 FW Ricardo Rivera  Puerto Rico
21 DF Isaac Bawa  Ghana
22 MF Conor Doyle  United States
23 FW Giovanni Montesdeoca  United States
24 GK Rashid Nuhu  Ghana
26 MF Dion Acoff  United States
27 MF Ryen Jiba  South Sudan
30 MF Yoskar Galván-Mercado  United States
33 GK Kevin Piedrahita  United States
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract
    2.

Staff

Current staff
Coaching staff
Jay Mims Head coach
Bobby Murphy Assistant coach
Daniel Galvis Goalkeeping coach
Sport management and organization
Martie Cordaro President
Peter Marlette General Manager
James Cahilellis Director of Soccer Operations

Statistics and records

Year-by-year
As of October 24, 2020
Season USL League One Playoffs US Open Cup Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Position Player Goals
2020 16 8 5 3 20 15 29 2nd League Final Cancelled Evan Conway 6
2021 28 14 9 5 44 22 51 1st Champion Cancelled Greg Hurst 14

Head coaches record
As of October 24, 2020
  • Includes Regular Season, Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win%
Jay Mims  United States May 1, 2019 Present 46 24 14 8 73 38 052.17

Average attendance
YearReg. SeasonPlayoffs
2020 2,500 –
2021 3,354 4,414

Honors
  • USL League One regular season
  • USL League One

Player honors
Year Player Country Position Honor
2020 Evan Conway United States Midfielder All-League First Team
Damià Viader Spain Defender All-League First Team
Ethan Vanacore-Decker United States Forward All-League Second Team
Assists Champion
Rashid Nuhu Ghana Goalkeeper All-League Second Team
2021 Damià Viader Spain Defender Defender of the Year
All-League First Team
League Finals MVP
Rashid Nuhu Ghana Goalkeeper Goalkeeper of the Year
Golden Glove Award
All-League Second Team
Greg Hurst Scotland Forward All-League First Team
Devin Boyce United States Midfielder All-League Second Team
Evan Conway United States Forward All-League Second Team

References
  1. USLLeagueOne com Staff (May 1, 2019). "Omaha Unveiled as USL League One's Newest Club". USL League One. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  2. WOWT. "USL League One comes to Omaha". www.wowt.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. Smith, Rex (October 29, 2020). "Championship game canceled after multiple Union Omaha players test positive for COVID-19". WOWT. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  4. Shinzel, Gene (October 23, 2021). "2021 USL League One season". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  5. "Union Omaha wins first USL League One title in Owls' second season". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. Sigal, Jonathan. "Ezra Hendrickson reprimands Chicago Fire FC after US Open Cup exit to Union Omaha". MLS Soccer.
  7. Northam, Mitchell; USA, Pro Soccer (May 2, 2019). "USL League One expanding to Omaha, Nebraska in 2020". Pro Soccer USA. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  8. Ristau, Reece. "Introducing Union Omaha: Pro soccer team unveils colors, crest, name ahead of city's USL debut". Omaha.com. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  9. Peters, Chris. "Pro soccer is coming to Omaha: New team will begin play at Werner Park in 2020". Omaha.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  10. Star, Lincoln Journal. "Omaha lands USL soccer franchise, will begin play in 2020". JournalStar.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  11. "ROYALS' NEW BALLPARK: Sarpy's funding plan is complex". Omaha World Herald. June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  12. "Roster". Union Omaha. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.