Papillion, Nebr. (November 3, 2024) – On a heavy day for the team, Union Omaha pulled out a 1-0 win over Richmond Kickers to advance to the playoff semifinals.
The goal will be remembered for some time, a string of jaw-dropping moments leading to catharsis for team and fans alike. But all of it pales against the backdrop of a teammate in recovery. As captain Rashid Nuhu put it afterwards, “We knew we were fighting for something bigger than soccer today.”
While he wasn’t at Werner Park on the day, defender Mechack Jérôme’s presence was felt on the pitch and beyond. Players and coaches wore his #2 on their pre-match tops during warmups, and in the match itself displayed white armbands with messages of love and support for him and his family. Omaha Parliament displayed a large #2 jersey of their own, and they led the stadium in applauding for the duration of the second minute in tribute to Jérôme.
The former Haitian national team captain was severely injured, along with his wife and a close relative, after his home exploded on the night of October 31st.
“Strange day to have a game,” said Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “The important thing about today was getting through, and the lads showed tremendous character after everything that’s gone on this week to show up and perform and get the win, so I’m really proud of the players.”
Richmond Kickers came out of the gates with the first move of the match, and in the 14th minute provided the first true chance after Ryan Sierakowski skipped through Luca Mastrantonio’s challenge to fire a shot that curled the wrong way. Omaha had quite a grip on the match’s proceedings in the first half, though, ending up with nearly 60% of the possession and a 5-1 shot advantage by halftime.
The most notable chance came late, though, on a floated Joe Gallardo free kick from wide and deep. Blake Malone headed the ball right into the danger zone, where Ryen Jiba was there to nod it on goal, but 18 year-old James Sneddon pawed it away with a dive, then scrambled over to deny Max Schneider sliding in as well. Sneddon had taken the reins at goalkeeper directly after the last matchup between these two sides, and his confident performance in this match put on display why he’s become a fixture in net for the Roos.
While he stood on his head in that moment, though, the match as a whole would be turned on its head just after the halftime break.
It began in the Owls’ own end, when a Roos corner kick met the head of League One legend Emiliano Terzaghi. He forced a reaction save from Rashid Nuhu that just pushed the ball onto the crossbar, where it ricocheted down and away. Kickers’ center back Klaidi Cela was first to the ball, and stabbed it… off the underside of the bar as well.
From there, Richmond struggled to get it back into the box, and instead Max Schneider nodded it on to Lagos Kunga to set him scurrying forward. Kunga somehow shrugged off Simon Fitch while keeping both his stride and possession intact, and from there it became a pure footrace towards Richmond’s goal. Except, he smartly waited until both Fitch and Morán Correa converged on him to then slide it to Zeiko Lewis flanking him down the left. Lewis stretched to control the ball, then squared it to Kunga, who had broken free down the middle. All he had to do was sidefoot it past the scrambling Sneddon to cap off one of the wildest sequences in club history.
While Richmond slowly began to possess the ball more after the home side busted the game open, their season-long struggles in attack haunted them here as well. Omaha would consistently send in reinforcements as well, such as Mark Bronnik getting a good 12 minutes plus stoppage now that he’s on a professional contract. Bronnik would actually have the best chance at a goal for either side too, but couldn’t quite round Sneddon to seal the win after a giveaway by the young goalkeeper. Still, the Kickers would only scrounge up a single shot after falling behind, making it a safe (if tense) closing act to the match.
“We knew we had to fight hard and win our duels, and ultimately, that was the first step to a successful game. We knew if we imposed our game on them, we would have pretty good chances. Yeah, we were a little bit lucky in one situation, but other than that we were dominating and I think it’s a deserved win for us,” said midfielder Max Schneider of proceedings.
Coming up next weekend is a square-off against old foes Greenville Triumph, who defeated One Knoxville SC 2-1 at home to advance. This match will take place on Saturday, November 9th at 4pm at Werner Park, with the winner moving on to face either Madison or Spokane in the final.
Above all else, though, this next week is about support for Mechack Jérôme and his family as they recover.
Said Coach Dom, “Looking forward to the game next week, but our thoughts and our prayers and our love is going out to Sandra, to Wadner, and obviously to our man Mechack. We love you guys, and we’re with you.”
You can donate to the club’s GoFundMe set up for the family here. Proceeds will go towards both medical expenses for those injured and support for their children.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion and three-time 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.
