Union Omaha announces today an addition of two local soccer legends to its roster. The announcement happened on the field prior to kick-off against Forward Madison FC at Werner Park. Fans in attendance witnessed the club’s first-ever live player announcements.
Manuel (Manny) Lira is an Omaha native who was coached by Joe Maass at Omaha South High School from 2007 to 2010. Lira scored 12 goals and added nine assists during his Senior Year. He was also named the Class A state captain; and received the Shrine Bowl MVP while earning first team All-State. In 2011, Lira begin his collegiate soccer career at Bellevue University where he appeared in 17 matches with (13) starts. During his Junior Year in 2013, Lira earned first team All-MCAC honors, led the team in goals (8), points (21), and shots on goal (22), and ranked second on the team with five assists and 37 shots. During the 2014 season, Lira was First team All-MCAC selection for the second consecutive season, NAIA Honorable Mention and started in 19 matches. Lira has also played club soccer with Chivitas, Viva FC and Nebraska FC among other local Latino leagues throughout the community.
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 180 lbs
Born: 8/22/1992
Hometown: Omaha, NE
“Manny is one of the toughest players I have had the pleasure to coach,” said Head Coach, Jay Mims. “He never backs down; and having someone like that in training every day is such a great asset to our team.”
Brian Holt is an Omaha native who played collegiate soccer for Creighton University and is one of the most decorated players in Bluejay history. He was a NSCAA First-Team All-America goalkeeper after setting an NCAA record with his 0.207 goals against average and 19 clean sheets, a MAC Hermann Trophy Award Semifinalist, First-Team All-America, NCAA College-Cup All-Tournament Team and MVC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011, leading in the NCAA with a 92.3 save percentage. Holt had an impressive 0.62 GAA for his career (top 20 in NCAA history) and set an NCAA record with 44 career shutouts. He won the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and was honored as the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year as the top Division I Men’s Soccer Academic All-American. In 2011, Holt played every minute of 16 matches for Premier Development League’s Reading (PA) United AC, earning All-Eastern Conference honors. Holt signed his first professional contract with the Harrisburg City Islanders and helped the team reach the quarterfinals of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In 2014, Holt signed with Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. He then played for the New York Cosmos for three years where he was part of two NASL Soccer Bowl Championships. He gained great experience with the club by appearing in games against La Liga club SD Eibar, traveled to Saudi Arabia to take on Al-Hilal FC, and appeared in an historic Friendly in Havana against the Cuban National Team where his double save made ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10. Holt later joined Jacksonville Armada FC and was a main fixture in guiding the team to their first ever club playoff appearance. In 2019, he appeared for the USL Championship’s Louisville City.
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 160 lbs
Born: 11/14/1988
Hometown: Omaha, NE
“Brian defines what I look for in a player,” said Head Coach, Jay Mims. “He is extremely competitive, incredibly disciplined, and highly motivated to succeed at whatever he does. Brian simply shines in tough moments; all these traits are hard to find and do not necessarily come together. We look forward to having Brian’s high character and experience within our club.”