Alex Bruce nets his first for the club in Owls’ second win at home
PAPILLION, Neb. (July 16, 2022) – What better way to celebrate Omaha on 402 Night than recording a win?
It was a regular-season record-breaking crowd on hand at Werner Park Saturday night as the Owls played host to FC Tucson in just their fifth home match of the season. It was a matchup with some familiarity to it, as the Owls emerged victorious from last month’s taxing meeting in the desert.
The two teams have had very different looks results this season. Omaha came in at 8th place, though with multiple games in-hand to play around with. Tucson, on the other hand, has sat in last place for most of the season, although they can be prone to playing spoiler at times. Both teams are at pivotal points in their seasons, setting up a situation where neither can accept a draw.
Rashid Nuhu, already coming off a League One Save of the Week, was called upon early to keep Tucson off the scoresheet. In the 6th minute, Louis Perez carried the ball up after an interception and sent a hot shot Nuhu’s way, which he promptly pounced on and denied.
Omaha’s opening chance came in the 13th minute, as Hugo Kametani set up a shot for Kemal Malcolm right in the middle of the box. Malcolm had some work to do, spinning around a defender to be able to get a look on goal, but his shot rocketed off a Tucson man and out of play.
After a long scoreless drought at home, Omaha finally managed to find its footing with an early goal. It was the 14th minute when Malcolm fed Hugo Kametani, who slotted it just past Carlos Merancio in Tucson’s goal. It was the Owls’ first goal at home since April 23rd, providing plenty of energy for the home crowd of over 4,000.
As is customary in an Omaha-Tucson matchup, there were plenty of cards to go around in the match, starting with a yellow on JP Scearce in the 23rd minute. Tucson would match that just two minutes later with its own, a caution on Kaelon Fox for a hard foul on Brito.
The physicality didn’t stop there, as JP Scearce earned his second yellow in the 30th minute and was sent off the pitch as a result. It was a moment of déjà vu for the Owls, who found themselves down a man again in their last matchup. This time, though, Omaha would have to hold its lead for over a half of play rather than 20 minutes. Omaha head coach Jay Mims expressed some verbal frustration after the decision, earning himself a yellow of his own.
The Owls didn’t let the barrage of fouls dampen their spirits. The attack was still alive and vigorous for Omaha, as Ryen Jiba almost hit a strike from distance to double the lead before the half.
Cards were flying again just past the 50th minute, as a scramble and push on Doyle led to bookings on Nuhu and Daltyn Knutson for Omaha, as well as bookings for Fernando Garcia and Perez for Tucson. Perez would go on to earn his second yellow in the 61st minute, earning his own escort back to the locker room. It was now a 10-on-10 affair, with both teams experiencing plenty of discipline issues.
Soon after, two back-to-back corners and two connections from Brito to Kametani gave Tucson some more trouble, with both narrowly missing goal.
Tucson got its jab back shortly after in the 68th minute. A corner kick set up Jacob Crull to get Tucson on the board. Nuhu gave it everything he had, stretching out from head to toe for the save, but the former Owl placed his header perfectly in the top of the net to bring the score even.
The drama was far from over on the night, tensions building further as each team earned two more yellow cards in the dwindling minutes, with Tucson’s Yuki Shibata and Omaha’s Isaac Bawa each making their way into the book.
Omaha finally found daylight again in the 91st. A Crull pass back to his goalie went awry, and the substitute Alex Bruce saw his chance and took it in just his fifth league appearance. Bruce chased after the loose ball and struck it home on a tough angle to put Omaha up 2-1. It was Bruce’s first goal in a Union Omaha uniform, and it could not have come at a more opportune time to give the team the go-ahead score.
“It was needed for the team,” Bruce said. “We needed 3 points after tying, and it was good for the fans since we haven’t won at home in a little bit.”
“We played hard, we played aggressive, we played intelligent, and we never gave up,” Mims said.
Acoff worked to give the Owls some extra insurance in stoppage time, bolting past a defender and putting another one on-frame to force a Mercancio save.
Fans waited with bated breath as Tucson set up for a free kick, its final chance of the night, with the Owls’ defense lined up across. It was then when the reigning Golden Glove winner made his biggest save of the night, clutching onto a high target to seal the win for Union Omaha after a dogfight of a match.
“It’s not easy when you’re playing 11-on-10 for a long period of time and for us to play a man down and grind out a 2-1 win, that was amazing,” Mims said.
It was just what Omaha needed as it faces likely its most difficult test of the season to-date, with two of its rivals on the slate next week. The Owls will first attempt to avenge their last loss with a trip to Greenville before heading up to face a hot Forward Madison team in just the span of three days. Back on the right foot at home, los Búhos will return to their nest on July 30th, hosting Chattanooga Red Wolves SC for Singles Night.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion, 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 the American soccer landscape, 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 Peter Marlette in the front office and by Head Coach Jay Mims on the field.
