PAPILLION, Neb. (December 4, 2023) – Union Omaha announced today the initial group of returning players for its 2024 USL League One campaign. The Owls return four former All-League selections, including two second-team honorees from the 2023 Players’ Shield-winning campaign.
Omaha’s group of returners is once again spearheaded by Ghanian goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu. The Owls’ two-time Golden Glove winner and 2022 Goalkeeper of the Year returns for his fifth year in Omaha, having been with the club since its inaugural season. Nuhu recorded 9 clean sheets last season and a career-high 75 saves in 2023.
Omaha will also see two of its 2023 League One Second Team honorees return. USL Championship veteran Steevan Dos Santos returns to the pitch after making a splash in his first League One season, leading the Owls with 13 goals with 65 shots. Dos Santos made five League One Team of the Week appearances with one Player of the Week recognition. Dion Acoff is also set to return after a breakout season, scoring one match-winning goal and providing 3 assists and 85 recoveries in 25 matches.
Joining the group is Italian defending duo Marco Milanese and Luca Mastrantonio. In his first professional season, Milanese was second on the team in interceptions and tackles while being named to Team of the Week four times. Mastrantonio featured in 21 matches, recording 68 clearances and 14 interceptions.
Two of the Owls’ most dangerous midfielders will once again add to the attack in 2024, as Pedro Dolabella and Joe Gallardo are both set to return. Dolabella tallied 5 goals and 5 assists and was 3rd on the team in shots with 44. The 24-year-old São Paulo FC product was named League One Player of the Week after his three goal contributions in Week 26. Gallardo, a 2019 League One First Team selection, returned to the league and posted 5 goals, 4 assists and 26 key passes in 1,379 minutes of play.
Lagos Kunga will return for his first full season with the club after being signed in August 2023. The former U.S. Youth National Team Member made an immediate impact upon arriving, recording 1 goal, 2 assists and one Team of the Week appearance in eight matches played.
Anderson Holt begins his first full professional contract, a multi-year deal, in 2024. The talented youngster made six appearances in 2023 and becomes the Owls’ second-ever academy player to turn pro.
Union Omaha is still in the midst of discussions with other members of the 2023 squad about returning and will utilize the free agent market to solidify its roster leading into the 2024 campaign, which is slated to begin in the spring of 2024. Additional player signing announcements will be made via press release and through the club’s official social media channels.
Season tickets for the 2024 season are currently available via UnionOmaha.com or the Werner Park Ticket Office by calling 402-738-5100.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion and 2023 Players’ Shield Winner, 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 Head Coach Dominic Casciato on the field.
