Omaha, Nebr. (Oct 10, 2026) – Union Omaha stumbled at the final hurdle for an unbeaten USL League One season at home, despite finishing yet another match up a man.
Fort Wayne FC scored the game’s only goal through a Taig Healy banger, and from there were able to control the tempo through a variety of means to see through a key result in their attempt to lock down a playoff place.
Center back Brent Kallman broke the match down afterwards. “We could have done a better job,” he started. “We opened ourselves up to too many transitions in the first half, and that’s where they got their goal from. They probably could have gotten more too, as they got out in transition from our giveaways. It’s something to learn from, we know we’ve got to do better in limiting those moments because those can lead directly to goals and high-quality chances.”
Predictably, a match featuring two high-pressing teams meant that nobody had time on the ball, even the goalkeepers. Omaha started with the early possession edge, using outside-in passing moves to try and bypass Fort Wayne’s press. While it did work on occasion, they would also give the ball away far too often.
“I just didn’t think we were very good with our tactical approach in possession. We struggled to finish our attacks and we didn’t recognize the spaces we needed to exploit quick enough, and that starts with myself letting the players where they should go beforehand,” said Head Coach Vincenzo Candela.
One of those turnovers would lead to the sole goal of the match as well. Clarence Awoudor was able to maraud forward off a turnover in midfield, with plenty of space in the left channel before cutting towards the center of the pitch. Awoudor then laid it off to the oncoming Taig Healy, whose low-flying thunderclap just eluded Cole Jensen’s grasp at the far post.
Fort Wayne kept their foot on the gas to close out the first half, though they fluffed their lines on more transition chances like a late three-on-two that fizzled out in a hurry. And if it felt like Union Omaha was playing into a headwind… well, they very literally were.
“Today was a very windy day running south to north,” said Kallman. “In the first half we had a strong wind going against us, which made it difficult. It’s hard to even hit the ball enough to turn them around and play in behind them, so we’re stuck playing in front of them, and they’re a good organization with a good pressing team. What you saw was us struggling to get out.”
The second half was frustrating for the Owls in a very different way. While Fort Wayne kept up their aggressive pressing to harry the home team, they also had a spate of players go down with all manner of injuries, which had the side effect of letting the minutes while away.
That only intensified after a bizarre sequence in which Alexsandar Vukovic earned a second yellow card, and then received a lengthy treatment halfway through his trudge off the pitch. While the 5,000-plus in attendance bayed and howled their annoyance at these stoppages, it did nothing to stem the tide that was washing over Union Omaha.
The Owls did push forward, with crosses piled in and Sergio Ors Navarro sending a bicycle kick just wide. However, they just couldn’t string enough passes together to create that one quality chance, and their headers were never close enough to threaten Fort Wayne’s goal.
“It’s a good learning experience for us to not take any moment or game for granted, because nobody’s invincible. It’s a good one to learn from and get ready as we face another two important games and get ready for playoffs.”
Union Omaha has two more matches in the regular season. Next up is a trip to Westchester SC on Saturday, October 17th at 6:00pm central time. After the finale in Madison, the Owls are hosting a playoff match on Friday, October 30th. While time (and opponent) is unconfirmed, tickets are available now for playoff action returning to Omaha.
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.
