Former FC Tucson stopper has made nearly 70 professional starts in four seasons
PAPILLION, Neb. (February 6, 2024) – Union Omaha announced today the signing of Wallis Lapsley pending league and federation approval. The 26-year-old goalkeeper has played over 3,500 total minutes in USL competitions since 2020.
Lapsley joins the club from Tacoma Defiance of MLS NEXT Pro, where he helped secure four clean sheets in 14 matches during the 2022 season. Tacoma reached a conference final after winning the Pacific Division – Lapsley played the entirety of the team’s playoff campaign. Before his time in Washington, Lapsley spent the 2021 campaign with now-defunct FC Tucson in USL League One. He started all 30 matches for Tucson that season, helping his team to a playoff semifinal and cementing himself as the club’s single-season minutes record holder. He recorded a league-high of 91 saves in 2021.
After competing collegiately at UC Davis, his professional career began when he was drafted 36th overall by New York Red Bulls in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He spent the 2020 season with New York Red Bulls II in USL Championship and made 11 starts. During his youth career, he was named the 2015 Gatorade Washington Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
“I’m thrilled to have added Wallis to our squad for the 2024 season, having tracked his career and development since he was a senior in college at UC Davis,” said Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “His size, his quality and his character have always impressed me, and he will bring great competition to our goalkeeper department. He knows the league well having been the #1 at FC Tucson a few years back and has got better over the past couple of seasons in Seattle. He is a great addition both on and off the field.”
“I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the established winning culture of the club and to represent the city of Omaha,” said Lapsley.
- Name Pronunciation: [WAH-lis LAPS-lee]
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 200 lbs.
- Date of Birth: 4/14/1997
- Born: Seattle, Washington
- Previous Club: Tacoma Defiance
Union Omaha’s home opener is on April 20 against Charlotte Independence at Werner Park. Season ticket memberships and voucher packs for the 2024 season are currently available via UnionOmaha.com or through the Werner Park Ticket Office by calling 402-738-5100.
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.
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