Omaha, Nebr. (Sept 19, 2026) – Union Omaha capped off a three-match week with another win over potential playoff opposition, securing a 2-1 result over One Knoxville SC.
Much like their midweek match, they notched an eighth minute goal before their opponents saw a man sent off in the first half. Despite being hit back early in the second half, the Owls pulled through with another goal from Sergio Ors Navarro to earn themselves a nine-point week.
“It’s always good to get an early goal, especially here at home to get the crowd going,” said Diego Gutiérrez, an Omaha native who delighted the home fans on Hispanic Heritage Night by finding the back of the net. “They gave us a little scare with their goal early in the second half, but I think we managed the game well. At the end of the day, you can see that we have the championship DNA; everyone’s bought in, and as long as we keep working hard I think we’re going to reach our goals.”
It was Gutiérrez’s directness that helped earn that chance, with his drive into a dangerous position leading to Laurence Wootton being upended by Teddy Baker for a penalty kick. Gutiérrez sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to set Union Omaha off and running early.
Bad became worse for the defending champions in the 24th minute when their captain, Dani Fernandez, saw a red card for a potential last-man foul. One Knoxville’s head coach, Ian Fuller, was given his marching orders for vociferously debating the merits of the call. Despite this, the rest of the first half was extremely uneventful, with the sides combining for just five shots in total.
“Red cards are what they are in this league, but whether they’re against you or go in your favor, you have to stay engaged and you can’t let it affect your mentality,” said Head Coach VIncenzo Candela. “I’m proud of the group for continuing to have that resiliency, that belief, and not losing their patience in the attacking third to score two really good goals again. The most important thing was getting nine points this week, so I’m very pleased with the effort, the mentality, and the commitment to find ways to win.”
The visitors came out in the second half with vigor, though, and it showed when Kyle Linhares twisted and turned off the second ball from a goal kick to work himself into a perfect position to feed John Murphy Jr. in the box. The former Búho pitched the ball up with his first touch, then wheeled and fired a beautiful bounding shot into the side netting.
One Knoxville immediately went into game management mode, with plenty of stoppages to follow that would eventually result in ten minutes of stoppage time tacked on. However, it was after one of these stoppages that Union Omaha were able to deliver a corner kick into the box. While Pato Botello Faz’s header was parried away by Johan Garibay, Sergio Ors Navarro was there to not just collect the rebound, but fire a sidewinding half-volley home to put Union Omaha back up, 2-1 now.
From there, the Owls had enough about them to keep One Knoxville at arm’s length and secure the three points and a 26th straight result at home.
Midfielder Edrey Cáceres summed it up as such: “I think our team showed what we’ve built throughout the whole year. It shows that the energy of the guys, between the starters and the substitutes, is top. We’re just happy to get the win in front of our fans, and I think we’re going to keep it rolling.”
Union Omaha will travel to South Carolina next weekend to square off against their old foes from Greenville. That match will take place on Saturday, September 26th at 6:00pm central. They’ll then have a week off before their final home match of the regular season against newcomers Fort Wayne FC. That Fan Appreciation Night match, presented by Bellevue University, is on Saturday, October 10th at 4:00pm. Tickets are available now for the Owls’ regular season home finale.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 and 2024 USL League One Champions, is the premier 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 the American soccer landscape, below USL Championship (tier two) and the newly announced top-tier USL Premier, launching in 2028. Union Omaha will play its 2026 USL League One home matches at Morrison Stadium in downtown Omaha. The team is led by Chief Operating Officer Alexis Boulos in the front office and by Head Coach Vincenzo Candela on the pitch.
