Union Omaha are three matches away from a potential trophy. They’ll need to win all three to guarantee it, though, given that Charlotte Independence are only a single point behind them in the race for the Players’ Shield and have a significantly easier schedule; two of Omaha’s last three matches are against current playoff teams, while all of Charlotte’s opponents are already eliminated from playoff contention entirely.
This, meanwhile, could very well be a first round playoff preview if the standings hold, given Fort Wayne’s perch atop the playoff line by a cool five points in 8th. The Owls will have to hope that both matches go the way of the previous two fixtures between these sides, which were 4-2 and 2-0 wins for Omaha.
Here are three more key points to know as we go into this regular season finale:
- Former Owls have a tendency to score against their former club after leaving Omaha. That’s already borne out once in this fixture, when Ryan Becher scored an equalizer in their USL Cup matchup in June. Now Becher returns for league play in striking form, having finished runner-up for USL League One Player of the Month in September.
- Fellow Player of the Month nominee Sergio Ors Navarro has also set a torrid pace of late for his Owls. With four goals in September and nine since mid-July, the Spaniard has not just leapt into a tie for fifth in the Golden Boot rankings, but a tie for the club’s all-time goalscoring record with 25 in all competitions.
- You might be able to expect a frenetic pace to this match; these are the top two teams in the league in field tilt, and each is among the league leaders in final third recoveries as well; put simply, each team wants to play on the front foot even without the ball, pressuring their opponents in their own halves. Anyone who remembers the 4-2 slugfest at Morrison Stadium in June can provide a testimonial to that end.
Union Omaha vs. Fort Wayne FC kicks off at 4:00pm CT on Saturday, October 10th. Tickets for the match are available here, and all the details on this match’s happenings are here. You can also watch the match on ESPN+ or on the Golden Spike Network (available on WOWT Channel 6.6 and Cox Cable Channel 127).
