Spokane, Wash. (September 4, 2024) – Spokane is quickly becoming a place for owls to fear, if these Owls’ first two matches there are anything to go by.
As USL League One’s leading team in possession, Spokane turned the tables on Omaha by adopting a more defensive mentality, soaking up pressure and pouncing on the visitors’ mistakes with ruthlessness in spades. Despite an xG (expected goals) tally of 0.52-2.52, Velocity ran out 2-1 winners, with Omaha’s sole goal purely a consolation in the late stages.
“It’s a tough one to take, because we were completely dominant for 90 minutes,” said Head Coach Dominic Casciato.
The first half, despite its lack of scoring, saw the field tilted towards Spokane’s goal. Joe Gallardo was central in several attacking moves, such as a whipped cross to Pedro Dolabella at the far post that found his head, the crossbar, and goalkeeper Brooks Thompson’s leg, just barely staying out of the net. Gallardo would get his own chance at a far-post header in the 35th, also to no avail.
Another way to talk about the extent of the field tilt is this: Spokane had a single shot in the first half, and it came 38 seconds into the match.
Unfortunately, the beginning of the second half one-upped that.
An underhit backpass from Blake Malone put Luis Gil one on one with his former teammate Rashid Nuhu. Gil simply outwaited Nuhu, letting him commit to the ground before rounding him and slotting it home. That made three goals in three matches against Omaha for Gil this season, and it made the visitors’ jobs a lot harder.
What also hurt was Gallardo being helped off in the 60th minute when his left foot got caught in the turf in a battle for the ball. While it’s a luxury to have players like Missael Rodríguez and Lagos Kunga coming off the bench, Gallardo is the leading chance creator for the Owls on the season.
Spokane continued to frustrate Union Omaha from there. While much of the game was played in their own third, Velocity stayed compact off the ball and forced the Búhos to work the ball around the perimeter of the box and put in crosses. In fact, in the first half alone their 17 crosses matched their total for last week’s slugfest in Madison. They would finish this match with an astonishing 38 crosses.
Naturally, it would be on a wide free kick that they’d concede again. After Luca Mastrantonio felt obliged to level Luis Gil all alone on the right flank, Derek Waldeck was put on the spot for a set piece. His ball found the head of Camron Miller, who towered above many of Omaha’s shortest players to nod it home.
Omaha’s own crosses, especially after going down two goals, felt far more desperate, and harmless at that. This, stacked atop scuffed passes and sloppy giveaways at times, painted the image of a team agonizing over the task of breaking down a well-drilled Spokane side.
The only way to salvage a goal came off a late corner kick, with Ryen Jiba’s outswinger finding a backpedaling Dolabella. His header looped over everyone and nestled perfectly into the far corner, giving the away side another 60 seconds of hope before the final whistle blew.
59% possession, 18-5 in shots, 9-0 in corner kicks, and yet Union Omaha really struggled to create many clear-cut chances against the expansion side, a far cry from the 4-1 drubbing at Werner Park in June. The Búhos will hope their final matchup of the season on October 2nd follows that trend rather than their two losses in eastern Washington.
“They had one or two spells where they got into our box,” said Coach Dom, “but that was it. In the first half, I don’t think you’ll see a more dominant performance than that all season. But we’ve obviously got to stop gifting teams goals, because the two goals we gave up were really poor. We’re going to move on and move past it.”
This match is the beginning of a brutal stretch of four matches in ten days. The Owls are already returning home for their September 7th square-off with Greenville Triumph on Hometown Heroes Night, presented by WoodmenLife. After that, they’ve got a residency in Windsor, Colorado with matches on the 11th and 14th against NoCo Hailstorm, the former of which is their USL Jägermeister Cup semifinal match.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion and 2023 USL League One 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 American soccer, 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 of Business Operations Alexis Boulos in the front office and Head Coach Dominic Casciato on the field.
