Owls face NoCo for second time this season, first in USL1 play
With the roller-coaster weather this past month, it was only a matter of time before Omaha welcomed back the Hailstorm… football club. The last time they met was a month ago on the dot for the Jägermeister Cup, but there’s points in the league proper up for grabs now. Both clubs are also coming off draws in their prior match, but Union’s came on Wednesday, giving the visitors a rest advantage going into this weekend.
A TALE OF TWO TOURNEYS
The welcome back for the Hailstorm isn’t just to Werner Park, either. They’ve become strangers to USL League One of late, because they haven’t played a league match since April 20th! This has left them stuck on an 0-2-2 record in the standings, putting them in last place. In the meantime, though, they’ve hit an entirely different gear in the Jägermeister Cup. They top our group with six points after three matches, and their nine goals leads the competition thanks to a 5-1 boat race in Knoxville.
FIRE WITH FIRE
Yes, I know Fuego was last match, but stick with me. This face-off features arguably the two in-form attackers in USL League One. Union Omaha fans have become well-acquainted with Chicago Fire loanee Missael Rodríguez of late, and he’ll be looking to stay hot after a six-goal May that featured not one but two braces. His finesse, chemistry with Lagos Kunga, et al has been covered plenty in recent matches. On the flip side, Hailstorm’s own Bruno Rendón has found the back of the net four times in the past month, giving him the lead in the Jägermeister Cup goal standings by one over Rodríguez. Of course, both their runs of form began in this fixture a month ago, too. Might we see more of the same from them in round two?
SERIES HISTORY
It’s a tale of two seasons when it comes to Union Omaha’s record against Northern Colorado. The Owls struggled against the Hailstorm in 2022, only able to scratch out an 0-1-2 record in the league. Of course, Omaha did beat them in the Round of 32 in that year’s Open Cup en route to the quarterfinals, so it evened out in the end. 2023 saw a better tally despite Hailstorm’s offensive explosion and rise up the standings; while NoCo pelted the Owls with two goals in each match, Union won two of the three face-offs by a 3-2 scoreline. Their one matchup so far in 2024 saw the beginning of the Missael Rodríguez Show, plus Wallis Lapsley making three stops in a penalty shootout in their first USL Jägermeister Cup match.
ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO HAILSTORM FC
Hailstorm FC are in their third season as Colorado’s third professional soccer club. While they’ve performed well to date, their fortunes have taken a turn for the worse of late. They ran rampant in 2023 with the league’s best goal differential, thanks to Trevor Amann and Arthur Rogers. However, both departed for USL Championship teams, and while Rendón has himself 4 goals already this season, they’ve been otherwise toothless. They currently sit at the bottom of the pile in League One, albeit on a league-low four matches played.
Season ticket memberships and voucher packs for the 2024 season are currently available via tickets.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.
