Omaha, Nebr. (May 9, 2026) – Union Omaha upheld their unbeaten streak at home thanks to a late equalizer by Samuel Owusu.
It was a struggle for the home team to deal with a well-drilled Portland side that often controlled the tempo despite ceding nearly 75% of the possession to Omaha. It took a progressively turning tide in the second half to overturn the deficit, and even then it required stoppage time to pull even.
“It’s tough!” was midfielder Edrey Cáceres’ initial thoughts about penetrating the Hearts of Pine defense. “You have to move [the ball] quickly, you have to move it from side to side, and find the right opportunities and perfect space. Sometimes, you’ve just got to hope that the ball you play gets there, because it’s tough to break down whenever they have six or seven players in the backline.”
The match could hardly have gotten off to a worse start for the Owls. In the 7th minute, Portland was able to rampage forward in transition, with the ball centered to Tyler Huck at the top of the box. Huck collected the pass with a first touch that allowed the ball to bounce, which put it on a platter for him to unleash a wicked half-volley that went bar-down for his first professional goal.
The Owls would nearly knot it up ten minutes later when Ryen Jiba soared above everyone off a corner kick, but his header was saved off the line and collected by Hunter Morse to keep the home team at bay.
All throughout the match, Portland’s pressing hassled and harried their counterparts when it mattered. No matter where Omaha moved the ball, centrally or wide, they felt outnumbered and cut off at each turn.
That frustration only mounted when Portland struck again off a turnover in the center circle. The ball was worked out to Titus Washington on the right flank, who drew two defenders before letting loose a stunning shot that hit the upper 90 and hit the Owls right in the gut before the halftime whistle.
The changes came gradually from the home team, with a single halftime sub and a message to recalibrate. Owusu said the message was about “being on the same page,” with them urged to “talk to each other and fix everything that we’re supposed to fix in the first half that we couldn’t get done, and it helped.”
Midfielder Edrey Cáceres came on about ten minutes later, adding an additional playmaking impetus to the match. Said Cáceres, “I had to be involved and try to play it forward. I thought we had a different kind of energy in the last 20 minutes in trying to score. It was really important to come back and tie the game, especially for the fans.”
Minutes after that substitution, they got halfway there. Kempes Tekiela was on the receiving end of a fortunate bounce off a Portland player, then stayed patient to find a chance to shoot. When he finally did, it had enough power to trickle through Morse and over the line, handing Los Búhos a lifeline that they grabbed with both hands.
Said Head Coach Vincenzo Candela, “I love the response in the second half from the group. I thought we showed a lot of personality and character to come back from two goals down, after a good learning moment for us in the first half in making sure our protection behind the ball was right.”
It took plenty of huffing and puffing to break through, though. Portland stayed the course with their counter-attacking strategy, and still pressed the Owls relentlessly any time they worked the ball forward. While Omaha has had some late-match magic before in the season, for a while this didn’t seem like the type of match that would follow suit. This, despite Portland only taking two shots… those being their pair of Goal of the Week contenders.
Now, typically the phrase “cometh the hour, cometh the man” doesn’t apply to a center back, but it’s been a charmed life for Samuel Owusu in 2026. As the Owls threw everything forward, Sami Guediri pitched a beautiful diagonal into the box that found the head of Pato Botello Faz. Not only did Botello Faz nod it right towards the center of the box, but right into a pocket of space between Portland defenders… where Owusu had darted as the ball came back over. His volley found the corner of the net, the home team found a point, and Owusu found his fifth goal in all competitions this season.
Said Owusu afterward, “Like I always say, each and every one of us on the field have got to make a difference. And, I can’t call it luck, but I just keep pushing and keep being there for the team.”
Union Omaha travels east to take on the reigning USL League One champions, One Knoxville SC, on Wednesday, May 13th at 6pm central. After that, they return home for a titanic clash with Louisville City FC in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. With both teams off to a winning start in the group stage of the cup, this match has massive ramifications on who could advance from a tough group. It will also be Senior Day at Morrison Stadium; those who bring their graduation gaps will get a free ticket to the match. Tickets and ticket packages for upcoming matches are on sale now.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 and 2024 USL League One Champions, is the premier 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 the newly announced top-tier USL Premier, launching in 2028. Union Omaha will play its 2026 USL League One home matches at Morrison Stadium in downtown Omaha. The team is led by Chief Operating Officer Alexis Boulos in the front office and by Head Coach Vincenzo Candela on the pitch.
