Velocity battle back from deficits twice to set up stoppage time heroics in first-ever meeting
SPOKANE, Was. (May 11, 2024) – It took the team Union Omaha had never faced to finally break their unbeaten run in League One play.
An end-to-end thriller brought more than enough action for viewers, and after Spokane came back twice to even the score, it went all the way to the end before Javier Martin Gil separated the teams for good in stoppage time.
Head Coach Dom Casciato spoke of their run of games after the match, saying, “I think four games in ten days has been a lot for the group, but we showed some good character, and some good football at times.”
The starting eleven saw many changes for this opportunity to rebound after the heartbreaker against Sporting KC. This included the first starts of the season for forwards Adam Aoumaich and Zeiko Lewis.
It was the other attacking players that combined for the opener, however. Lagos Kunga found Missael Rodríguez on what’s fast become a trademark diagonal run slicing through the backline. His lashed shot went right through the wide-spread wickets of Carlos Merancio to put the Owls on top early, but the lead wouldn’t last long. Minutes later, Kunga trekked deeper and deeper into his own territory to escape the Velocity press. Andre Lewis stuck his foot in at exactly the right time, in a spot where he then only needed to have a hit to equalize.
Unsurprisingly, a former Búho had his fingerprints all over this match as well. Luis Gil made his impact known from the off, winning a free kick just outside the penalty area that resulted in Wallis Lapsley needing full extension to make a save. In Spokane’s 58.4% first half possession, it was whenever Gil was on the ball that they felt most likely to break through the Omaha defense. Meanwhile, Rodríguez’s movement added extra bite to Union’s counterattacks, meaning both goalkeepers had to stay on high alert throughout.
That movement would yield another goal just after the restart. Halftime sub Marco Milanese lobbed a ball over the top which Ahmed Longmire headed away, but the defender also bumbled over Rodríguez to try and clear the danger. After the Chicago Fire loanee was tended to by the trainers, Pedro Dolabella stepped up to the spot. He needed every inch of the placement that saw the ball skid into the side netting, with Merancio guessing the right way. Still, it was 2-1 to the visitors… again, only briefly.
Spokane was selectively swarming the Owls all night long, being very smart with their pressing. On one instance they regained possession out near the touchline, and from there the ball looked magnetically attracted to the feet of Luis Gil, the way it inexorably drifted over to him. Once there was finally space at the edge of the box to get a shot away, he put it well out of the reach of Lapsley. Yet again, Union Omaha’s lead lasted only five minutes.
The match opened up from there, with pure end-to-end football creating an onslaught of chances. Missael Rodríguez kept finding opportunities to fire away, while Pierre Reedy had Spokane’s best chance when Andre Lewis sent him in on goal. Between Ryen Jiba in the rear-view mirror and Lapsley charging head-on, Reedy slid his shot at a game-winner inches wide.
That all set the stage for the dramatic winner in Washington. Spokane poured men forwards, and eventually worked the ball to Madagascar international Romain Métanire. He had plenty of space on he right flank to pick out a cross, while Javier Martin Gil got behind Anderson Holt at the near post. Gil stuck out a leg and volleyed the ball home.
Once the Spaniard finished pinwheeling his shirt down the byline, the Owls set to work pinning Velocity back. While there was plenty of urgency, there was little of substance to come out of it. The thriller ended minutes later, as did Union’s unbeaten streak in League One play.
“I definitely think we need a little bit better in the box,” noted Coach Dom, saying it was something they take pride in, and something that will see an emphasis in training going into next week’s match.
From here, the Owls have a short week, though it’s still more time between matches than they’ve had in a while. It is, however, a cross-country trip to North Carolina to face off against Charlotte Independence on Friday, May 17th. Union Omaha’s next home match will be another Jägermeister Cup bout, this time against Central Valley Fuego on May 29th. That match will also be our One Means All Community Night, presented by Bellevue University.
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.
