The 2021 Union Omaha season was the second season in the soccer team's history, and their second season in the third division of American soccer, USL League One. Union Omaha played the majority of their home games at Werner Park, located in Papillion, Nebraska, United States, with one game played at Creighton University's Morrison Stadium.
| 2021 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Jay Mims | ||
| USL League One | 1st (first regular season title) | ||
| USL1 Playoffs | Winners (first championship) | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: All: Greg Hurst (14 goals) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 5,221 vs. GVL (11/20) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,722 vs. TOR (9/11) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 3,496 | ||
| Biggest win | OMA 6-1 TUC (11/13) | ||
| Biggest defeat | -1 goal (5 times) | ||
|
| |||
Union Omaha finished the regular season in first place, finishing with the league's best goal difference, earning home field advantage and a first-round bye in the USL League One Playoffs.[1] Union Omaha finished the season winning their first ever championship, beating defending champion Greenville Triumph SC 3–0 in the final.[2]
Roster edit
Following the completion of Union Omaha's inaugural season, head coach Jay Mims announced 14 players would return for the 2021 season.[3] The team's first new signings were announced on January 22, as Conor Doyle and Greg Hurst were signed as free agents from the Chattanooga Red Wolves.[4] Goalkeeper Kevin Piedrahita and defender Blake Malone joined the team as a free agent and on loan, respectively, before the start of training camp.[5][6]
- As of August 11, 2021[citation needed]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MF | Emir Alihodžić |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
| 3 | DF | Damià Viader |  Spain
|
| 4 | DF | Jaime Ponce |  United States
|
| 5 | MF | Tobias Otieno |  Kenya
|
| 7 | FW | Ethan Vanacore-Decker | United States
|
| 8 | MF | John Murphy | United States
|
| 9 | FW | Greg Hurst |  Scotland
|
| 10 | MF | Nicolas Firmino |  Brazil
|
| 11 | FW | Evan Conway | United States
|
| 12 | MF | Austin Panchot | United States
|
| 13 | DF | Daltyn Knutson | United States
|
| 14 | MF | Christian Molina |  El Salvador
|
| 15 | FW | Elma N'For |  Cameroon
|
| 16 | DF | Jacob Crull |  Austria
|
| 17 | MF | JP Scearce | United States
|
| 18 | DF | Blake Malone (on loan from Orange County SC) | United States
|
| 19 | FW | Ricardo Rivera |  Puerto Rico
|
| 20 | MF | Devin Boyce | United States
|
| 22 | MF | Conor Doyle | United States
|
| 24 | GK | Rashid Nuhu |  Ghana
|
| 25 | DF | Ferrety Sousa |  DR Congo
|
| 28 | DF | Illal Osumanu | Ghana
|
| 30 | MF | Yoskar Galván-Mercado | United States
|
| 33 | GK | Kevin Piedrahita | United States
|
Competitions edit
Exhibitions edit
| March 19, 2021 Preseason 1 | Minnesota United FC | 1–1 | Union Omaha | Blaine, Minnesota |
| Stadium: National Sports Center |
| March 24, 2021 Preseason 2 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–2 | Union Omaha | Chandler, Arizona |
| 12:00 PM MST | Dadashov  33' |
PHX Report | Scearce 41' Hurst 53' |
Stadium: Wild Horse Pass Stadium |
| March 27, 2021 Preseason 3 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–2 | Union Omaha | Chandler, Arizona |
| 11:00 AM MST | Rodríguez 42' |
PHX Report | Vanacore-Decker 69' N'For 90+' |
Stadium: Wild Horse Pass Stadium |
| April 17, 2021 Preseason 4 | Union Omaha | 2–1 | Sporting Kansas City II | Papillion, Nebraska |
| 2:00 PM CST | Scearce 25', 63' |
SKC II Report | Rešetar 34' |
Stadium: Werner Park |
| August 4, 2021 Midseason 1 | Union Omaha | v | Bellevue University | Papillion, Nebraska |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Stadium: Werner Park |
USL League One edit
Standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Omaha (C, X) | 28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 51 | Qualification for the semi-finals |
| 2 | Greenville Triumph SC | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 45 | |
| 3 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | 28 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 44 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 4 | FC Tucson | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 40 | |
| 5 | Richmond Kickers | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 40 |
Source: USL League One
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
(C) Champions; (X) Regular Season Champion
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
(C) Champions; (X) Regular Season Champion
Results summary edit
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 51 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 10 | +11 |
Source: USL League One[7]
Results by round edit
Match results edit
| April 24, 2021 1 | Union Omaha | 2–0 | South Georgia Tormenta FC | Papillion, NE |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Conway 22' Boyce  53'Nuhu 69'Hurst 83', 88'Scearce 85' |
Report | Eckenrode 49' Phelps 57'Liadi 69'Billhardt 81' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 2,786 Referee: Mark Allatin |
| May 7, 2021 2 | Fort Lauderdale CF | 0–2 | Union Omaha | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Saavedra 66' |
Report | Conway 31' Alihodžić 47'Viader 71' |
Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| May 12, 2021 3 | New England Revolution II | 0–1 | Union Omaha | Foxborough, MA |
| 4:00 PM CDT | J. Buck 26' Presley 27'Dulysse 38' |
Report | Scearce 52' Hurst 84', 90+1' |
Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 150 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| May 16, 2021 4 | Greenville Triumph SC | 1–1 | Union Omaha | Greenville, SC |
| 3:00 PM CDT | Lomis 35' Pilato 37' |
Report | Firmino 59', 84' Scearce 77' |
Stadium: Legacy Early College Field Attendance: 2,058 Referee: Elton Garcia |
| May 26, 2021 5 | Forward Madison FC | 1–0 | Union Omaha | Madison, WI |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Sukow 58' Fuson 90' |
Report | Knutson 16' Sousa 69' |
Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 1,919 Referee: Nabil Bensalah |
| June 2, 2021 6 | Toronto FC II | 1–1 | Union Omaha | Casa Grande, AZ |
| 9:00 PM CDT | Thompson 49' Franklin 67' |
Report | Firmino 37' Sousa 52'Knutson 73' |
Stadium: Grande Sports World Referee: Jervis Atagana |
| June 6, 2021 7 | Forward Madison | 1–2 | Union Omaha | Madison, WI |
| 5:00 PM CDT | Keegan 35' Molloy 66'Fernandes 90+1' |
Report | Allen 7' (o.g.) Hurst 30'Alihodžić 51'Alihodžić 59' |
Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 2,195 Referee: Laura Chambers |
| June 12, 2021 8 | Union Omaha | 4–2 | New England Revolution II | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Sousa 5' Hurst 21', 45+1', 47'Boyce 77'Panchot 84' |
Report | Knighton 10' Presley 23'Tsicoulias 63' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,677 Referee: Velimir Stefanovic |
| June 19, 2021 9 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Union Omaha | Richmond, VA |
| 5:30 PM CDT | Terzaghi 57' Otieno 76' (o.g.)Anderson 80' |
Report | Sousa 31', 75' Vanacore-Decker 64'Otieno 73' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,009 Referee: John Matto |
| June 26, 2021 10 | Union Omaha | 1–0 | FC Tucson | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Hurst 6' Otieno 42'Knutson 78'Firmino 90+3' |
Report | Ferriol 45+2' Corfe 61'Fox 90+7' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,315 Referee: Melvin Rivas |
| July 3, 2021 11 | Union Omaha | 1–1 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Papillion, NE |
| 8:00 PM CDT | Hurst 36' Doyle 45+1'Scearce 54', 55' |
Report | España 24' Ruiz 31'García 81'Hernández 90+1' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,880 Referee: Samantha Martinez |
| July 16, 2021 12 | Union Omaha | 1–1 | Forward Madison FC | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Boyce 11' N'For 31' |
Report | Barriga Toyama 32' Gebhard 60' Tobin 67' Fernandes 74' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,304 Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| July 24, 2021 13 | FC Tucson | 1–2 | Union Omaha | Tucson, AZ |
| 9:00 PM CDT | Bedoya 49' Dennis 67'Doyle 74' (o.g.)Fox 90+4' |
Report | Sousa 23' Viader 44'Hurst 51'Murphy 84' |
Stadium: Kino North Stadium Attendance: 715 Referee: Gerald Flores |
| July 31, 2021 14 | Union Omaha | 1–1 | North Texas SC | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Hurst 20' Crull 65'Boyce 79' |
Report | Kamungo 49' Waldeck 51'Almaguer 63'Kazu 66' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,722 Referee: Chris Ruska |
| August 7, 2021 15 | Union Omaha | P–P | Forward Madison FC | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Stadium: Werner Park | |||
| Note: Match postponed due to severe weather[9] | ||||
| August 14, 2021 15 | FC Tucson | 0–1 | Union Omaha | Tucson, AZ |
| 9:00 PM CDT | Knox 58' |
Report | Kone 19' (o.g.) Otieno 59'Viader 75'Doyle 80' |
Stadium: Kino North Stadium Attendance: 859 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
| August 21, 2021 16 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | 1–0 | Union Omaha | Chattanooga, TN |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Capozucchi 28' Ricketts 33' Navarro 67' Carrera 75' Ruiz 79' |
Report | Doyle 36' Viader 76' |
Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,149 Referee: Joshua Belk |
| August 28, 2021 17 | Union Omaha | 0–0 | North Texas SC | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Otieno 50' Malone 90+2' |
Report | Maldonado 23' Smith 26' Gomes 31' Ferri 68' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,311 Referee: Karen Callado |
| September 4, 2021 18 | North Carolina FC | 0–3 | Union Omaha | Cary, NC |
| 6:00 CDT | Martinez 24' Flick 39'McGuire 52'Jackson 70' |
Report | Viader 7', 53' (pen) Alihodžić 68'Rivera 85' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: William Steffen |
| September 11, 2021 19 | Union Omaha | 2–1 | Toronto FC II | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Boyce 6' Scearce 21', 71'Hurst 45+4' |
Report | Carlini 39' Singh 53'Petrasso 59'Altobelli 88' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 2,722 Referee: Adorae Monroy |
| September 19, 2021 20 | North Texas SC | 2–2 | Union Omaha | Arlington, TX |
| 6:00 PM CDT | ElMedkhar 18' Ferri 30'Vargas 53', 90' |
Report | Viader 11', 76' Hurst 58'Conway 81' |
Stadium: Globe Life Park Attendance: 603 Referee: Benjamin Meyer |
| September 25, 2021 21 | Union Omaha | 0–1 | FC Tucson | Omaha, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Doyle 11' Alihodžić 32' |
Report | Dennis 7' (pen) Mastrantonio 51'Adams 56'Calixtro 76'Kone 81'Schenfeld 87' |
Stadium: Morrison Stadium Attendance: 3,741 Referee: Jervis Atagana |
| October 1, 2021 22 | South Georgia Tormenta FC | 0–4 | Union Omaha | Statesboro, GA |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Micaletto 2' Nus 51'Jackson 57'Candela 76' |
Report | Conway 5', 40', 71' Viader 66'Osumanu 77' |
Stadium: Eagle Field Attendance: 2,045 Referee: Izlen Peksenar |
| October 6, 2021 23 | Union Omaha | 4–1 | Fort Lauderdale CF | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Conway 35' Hurst 43', 58'Boyce 49'Doyle 70' |
Report | Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,126 Referee: Melvin Rivas |
| October 9, 2021 24 | Union Omaha | 0–1 | Greenville Triumph SC | Papillion, NE |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Doyle 72' Otieno 78' |
Report | Lomis 12' Booth 69'Hemmings 88' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,884 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| October 16, 2021 25 | Union Omaha | 4–1 | North Carolina FC | Papillion, NE |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Conway 2', 18', 57' Alihodžić 25' |
Report | Mbaye 15' Blanco 45+3'Frame 68' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,197 Referee: Nabil Bensalah |
| October 20, 2021 26 | Union Omaha | 1–2 | Forward Madison FC | Papillion, NE |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Conway 32' Hurst 89' (pen.) |
Report | Allen 32' Trimmingham 53', 58', 58' Rad 76' |
Stadium: Werner Park Referee: Abdou Ndiaye |
| Note: Match was originally scheduled for August 7 | ||||
| October 23, 2021 27 | Union Omaha | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Papillion, NE |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Hurst 34', 88' Otieno 85', 90+4'Sousa 90' |
Report | Bolduc 30' Bolanos 77'Morán 84' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 2,943 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| October 30, 2021 28 | North Texas SC | 1–1 | Union Omaha | Arlington, TX |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Kamungo 35' Avayevu 83' |
Report | Firmino 90+1' |
Stadium: Globe Life Park Attendance: 821 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
USL League One Playoffs edit
| November 13, 2021 Semifinal | Union Omaha | 6–1 | FC Tucson | Papillion, NE |
| 4:00 PM CST | Conway 3', 31' Boyce 32', 54'Crull 34'Viader 49'Panchot 70'Alihodžić 83' |
Report | Schenfeld 30', 32' Dennis 44', 63'Ferriol 66' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,607 Referee: Michael Radchuk |
| November 20, 2021 Final | Union Omaha | 3–0 | Greenville Triumph | Papillion, NE |
| 4:00 PM CST | Conway 7', 11'  77'Hurst 43'Sousa 62'Viader 63'Otieno 90+2' |
Report | Hemmings 65' Lee 72' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 5,221 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
Statistics edit
Appearances and goals edit
Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | USL-1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 2 | MF | BIH
|
Emir Alihodžić | 29 | 3 | 14+15 | 3 |
| 3 | DF | ESP
|
Damià Viader | 30 | 7 | 29+1 | 7 |
| 4 | DF | USA
|
Jaime Ponce | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | KEN
|
Tobias Otieno | 25 | 2 | 16+9 | 2 |
| 7 | FW | USA
|
Ethan Vanacore-Decker | 11 | 0 | 7+4 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | USA
|
John Murphy | 8 | 0 | 0+8 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SCO
|
Greg Hurst | 30 | 14 | 27+3 | 14 |
| 10 | MF | BRA
|
Nicolas Firmino | 25 | 2 | 9+16 | 2 |
| 11 | FW | USA
|
Evan Conway | 18 | 13 | 15+3 | 13 |
| 12 | MF | USA
|
Austin Panchot | 16 | 1 | 3+13 | 1 |
| 13 | DF | USA
|
Daltyn Knutson | 23 | 1 | 22+1 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | SLV
|
Christian Molina | 9 | 0 | 1+8 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | CMR
|
Elma N'For | 15 | 0 | 5+10 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | AUT
|
Jacob Crull | 23 | 0 | 19+4 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | USA
|
JP Scearce | 29 | 1 | 27+2 | 1 |
| 18 | DF | USA
|
Blake Malone | 13 | 0 | 7+6 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | PUR
|
Ricardo Rivera | 7 | 1 | 1+6 | 1 |
| 20 | MF | USA
|
Devin Boyce | 29 | 5 | 27+2 | 5 |
| 22 | MF | USA
|
Conor Doyle | 30 | 0 | 28+2 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | GHA
|
Rashid Nuhu | 26 | 0 | 26+0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | COD
|
Ferrety Sousa | 29 | 1 | 27+2 | 1 |
| 28 | DF | GHA
|
Illal Osumanu | 17 | 0 | 15+2 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | USA
|
Yoskar Galvan-Mercado | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | USA
|
Kevin Piedrahita | 4 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
- Last updated: November 21, 2021
- Source: USL League One
Disciplinary record edit
| No. | Pos. | Player | USL1 | Total | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MF | Emir Alihodžić
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Damià Viader
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Jaime Ponce
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Tobias Otieno
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Ethan Vanacore-Decker
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | John Murphy
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Greg Hurst
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Nicolas Firmino
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Evan Conway
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | Austin Panchot
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | Daltyn Knutson
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Christian Molina
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | Elma N'For
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Jacob Crull
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | JP Scearce
|
5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | DF | Blake Malone
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Ricardo Rivera
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Devin Boyce
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Conor Doyle
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | Rashid Nuhu
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Ferrety Sousa
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | Illal Osumanu
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | Yoskar Galvan-Mercado
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | Kevin Piedrahita
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 56 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 1 | ||
- Last updated: November 21, 2021
- Source: USL League One
References edit
- ^ "2021 Standings". uslleagueone.com.
- ^ "Union Omaha wins first USL League One title in Owls' second season". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ "Union Omaha names 14 players to be retained for next season's roster". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "Union Omaha Signs Conor Doyle, Greg Hurst for 2021". USL League One. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "UNION OMAHA ADDS GOALKEEPER TO 2021 ROSTER". Union Omaha. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Orange County SC loan Blake Malone to Union Omaha for 2021 season". Angels on Parade. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "2021 USL League One Standings". USL League One.
- ^ "Union Omaha Schedule". USL League One.
- ^ "Omaha vs. Madison Contest Abandoned". wwww.uslleagueone.com. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.