Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2020, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1).
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| Full name | Union Omaha Soccer Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Owls, Los Búhos | ||
| Founded | May 1, 2019 | ||
| Stadium | Werner Park, Papillion, Nebraska | ||
| Capacity | 9,023 | ||
| Owner | Gary Green | ||
| Head coach | Dominic Casciato | ||
| League | USL League One | ||
| 2023 | 1st of 12 Playoffs: Semifinals | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
History
editIn 2019, USL1 awarded a franchise to Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings to begin play in the 2020 season,[1] with former head coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Jay Mims, announced as the club's first manager.[1][2] Union Omaha finished 2020 in second place to qualify for the USL1 championship game. However, the match was canceled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 within the team's roster.[3]
By defeating the Richmond Kickers 2–0 in the second to last match of the 2021 season, the Owls became the USL League One regular-season champions and clinched the top seed for the playoffs.[4] Union Omaha then finished the season winning their first ever championship, beating defending champion Greenville Triumph SC 3–0 in the final.[5]
Union Omaha made a deep run in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup, entering in the second round and advancing to the quarterfinals as the last remaining third division team in the competition. In April, the Owls defeated Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire FC in a penalty shootout in the third round, becoming the first USL1 team to defeat an MLS team in U.S. Open Cup history.[6] After defeating fellow USL1 side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, Omaha played Minnesota United FC of MLS in the Round of 16 and won 2–1. They were the first third division team since Orlando City in 2013 to advance to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.[7][8] The club's run in the competition ended with a 6–0 defeat to hosts Sporting Kansas City in the quarterfinals; approximately 700 fans traveled from Omaha to attend the match at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.[9]
On January 25, 2024, the club announced their plans to build a dedicated soccer stadium in Downtown Omaha.[10][11]
Crest
editThe team's name and crest were developed through fan engagement including town halls, workshops, interviews, and online polls to reflect the entire Omaha region.[1][12] In a bid to stay true to the roots of both the state and city, the team announced on October 3, 2019, the new name as a nod to the Union Pacific Railroad, with the great horned owl, a species of owl native to Nebraska, being the prominent focal point of the club's crest. The logo was designed by Matthew Wolff.[13]
The star above the crest represents Union Omaha's one USL League One title, and was added following their 2021 title win.
Stadium
edit
The team plays in Werner Park, a baseball park south west of Omaha in the suburb of Papillion.[1][14][15] The Sarpy County owned stadium was opened thirteen years ago in 2011, and is shared with the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ballpark cost $36 million to construct and is located near 126th Street and Highway 370, less than three miles (5 km) west of Papillion in unincorporated Sarpy County.[16] Werner Park received additional locker rooms, field enhancements, and offices to accommodate the soccer operations. During the 2022 U.S. Open Cup, the team hosted Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC at Caniglia Field, located on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.[17]
In January 2024, the team announced plans to build a dedicated soccer stadium in Downtown Omaha with 7,000 seats. The stadium would be part of a planned $300 million housing and entertainment district.[10]
Sponsorship
edit| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nike | CHI Health (home) Nebraska Medicine (away) |
| 2021–2022 | XCancer | |
| 2023 | Hummel | |
| 2024–present | Centris Federal Credit Union |
Uniform evolution
editHome: 2020–present
      2020 |  2021–2022 | 2023- |
Away: 2020–present
 2020–2021 |  2021–2022 |   2022–2023 |    2023–2024 |    2024- |
Players
edit- As of 2 May 2024[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Staff
editCurrent staff
edit| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
 Dominic Casciato | Head coach |
 Kevin Nuss | Assistant coach Head of Scouting |
| Ladulé Lako LoSarah | Assistant coach |
| Front Office | |
| Martie Cordaro | President |
| Peter Marlette | General Manager |
| Ric Granryd | Director of Soccer Operations |
Statistics and records
editYear-by-year
edit- As of 14 October 2023
| Season | USL League One | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Top Scorer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | PPG | Position | Player | Goals | |||
| 2020 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 29 | 1.81 | 2nd | League Final | Cancelled | Evan Conway | 6 |
| 2021 | 28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 44 | 22 | 51 | 1.82 | 1st | Champions | Cancelled |  Greg Hurst | 14 |
| 2022 | 30 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 34 | 33 | 43 | 1.43 | 5th | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Noe Meza | 9 |
| 2023 | 32 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 70 | 41 | 65 | 2.03 | 1st | Semifinals | Third Round |  Steevan Dos Santos | 13 |
| Total | 106 | 51 | 34 | 20 | 168 | 111 | 188 | 1.77 | – | – | – | Noe Meza | 23 |
Head coaches record
edit- As of 7 May 2024
- Includes Regular Season, Playoffs, Jägermeister Cup, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Mims |  United States | May 1, 2019 | December 16, 2022 | 82 | 38 | 27 | 17 | 115 | 82 | 46.34 |
| Dominic Casciato | England | January 17, 2023 | Present | 43 | 27 | 9 | 7 | 84 | 57 | 62.79 |
Average attendance
edit| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,500 | – |
| 2021 | 3,354 | 4,414 |
| 2022 | 3,911 | – |
| 2023 | 3,030 | 2,217 |
Honors
editIndividual honors
edit| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Evan Conway | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team |
| Damià Viader |  Spain | Defender | All-League First Team | |
| Ethan Vanacore-Decker | United States | Forward | All-League Second Team Assists Champion | |
| Rashid Nuhu |  Ghana | Goalkeeper | All-League Second Team | |
| 2021 | Damià Viader | Spain | Defender | Defender of the Year All-League First Team League Finals MVP |
| Rashid Nuhu | Ghana | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper of the Year Golden Glove Award All-League Second Team | |
| Greg Hurst | Scotland | Forward | All-League First Team | |
| Devin Boyce | United States | Midfielder | All-League Second Team | |
| Evan Conway | United States | Forward | All-League Second Team | |
| 2022 | Rashid Nuhu | Ghana | Goalkeeper | Golden Glove Award Goalkeeper of the Year Award All-League First Team |
| JP Scearce | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team | |
| 2023 | Dominic Casciato[19] | England | Coach | Coach of the Year |
| JP Scearce[20] | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team | |
| Alexis Souahy[20] |  Comoros | Defender | All-League First Team | |
| Steevan Dos Santos[20] | Cape Verde | Forward | All-League Second Team | |
| Noe Meza[20] | United States | Forward | All-League Second Team | |
| Dion Acoff[20] | United States | Defender | All-League Second Team |
References
edit- ^ a b c d USLLeagueOne com Staff (May 1, 2019). "Omaha Unveiled as USL League One's Newest Club". USL League One. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ WOWT. "USL League One comes to Omaha". www.wowt.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Rex (October 29, 2020). "Championship game canceled after multiple Union Omaha players test positive for COVID-19". WOWT. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Shinzel, Gene (October 23, 2021). "2021 USL League One season". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Union Omaha wins first USL League One title in Owls' second season". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ Sigal, Jonathan (April 19, 2022). "Ezra Hendrickson reprimands Chicago Fire FC after US Open Cup exit to Union Omaha". MLSsoccer.com.
- ^ "Union Omaha advances into the quarterfinals of U.S. Open Cup". June 2022.
- ^ "Orlando City's U.S. Open Cup History". June 10, 2019.
- ^ Sperry, Daniel (June 22, 2022). "Sporting Kansas City routs Union Omaha to reach Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ a b "Alliance Sports Announces Vision for Union Omaha With Cutting-Edge Stadium" (Press release). Union Omaha. January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ Crisler, Dan (January 25, 2024). "New soccer stadium, mixed-use district planned for north downtown Omaha". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Northam, Mitchell (May 2, 2019). "USL League One expanding to Omaha, Nebraska in 2020". Pro Soccer USA. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Ristau, Reece. "Introducing Union Omaha: Pro soccer team unveils colors, crest, name ahead of city's USL debut". Omaha.com. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ Peters, Chris. "Pro soccer is coming to Omaha: New team will begin play at Werner Park in 2020". Omaha.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Star, Lincoln Journal. "Omaha lands USL soccer franchise, will begin play in 2020". JournalStar.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ "ROYALS' NEW BALLPARK: Sarpy's funding plan is complex". Omaha World Herald. June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ "2022 US Open Cup Round 4: Union Omaha $25,000 richer after win over Northern Colorado Hailstorm". thecup.us. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "Roster". Union Omaha. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Omaha's Dominic Casciato voted 2023 USL League One Coach of the Year". www.USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "USL League One Announces 2023 All-League Teams". www.USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.