A Quick Memory Refresh Before The Preseason Starts
It’s finally February. For most sports fans, that means the culmination of the football season with the Super Bowl. For many, the college basketball season heats up into its final stretch before conference tournaments and March Madness. Still others are excited about the Winter Olympics, including everyone’s favorite “hey, I could do that (but no, you really can’t)” event in Curling.
For a soccer-loving Penguin it means the return of the Owls, leading the migration home after a cold, dark winter away. For the next 10 months, lower-league soccer takes its place back at the top of my sports pyramid (yes…even over that other little tournament taking place this summer). It’ll be good to have it back.
Remembering Where We Left Off
Before we get into the coming season, lets remember where we left off. Though the season ended in heartbreak, we had a hell of a ride to get there.
By July 9, Union Omaha was in severely dire straits. Most of the fans had hit the panic button as we’d already spent some time alone on the bottom of the table (for the first time in club history) and were sitting only two points above the 14 spot, then occupied by Forward Madison. Despite making a decent run to Round 4 of the US Open Cup before falling to MLS’ St. Louis City, the team found itself without point nor goal in the USL Cup group stage and coming off their fourth straight loss in all competitions (another Union Omaha first). To top it off Coach Dominic Casciato had just left to take the Tampa Bay Rowdies job leaving talented, but inexperienced, assistant coach Vincenzo Candela to see out the rest of the season.
Good thing Búhos never say die.
To say the turn around was immediate would sugar coat things a little bit, but it didn’t take long for the magic to kick in. After treading some water in July (thanks to a very professional debut win at Charlotte, then our first ever loss to Tormenta the next week), The Owls did what they do best in late season: go on a run. A string of 12 unbeaten saw the Vinnie guide the team to a 5th place finish (even threatening for 4th on decisions day) and ensure that Union Omaha has still never missed the playoffs.
Along the way we saw improvement in the players as if a switch went on. Charlie Ostrem, Max Schneider and Dion Acoff continued delivering consistent performances that were met with breakthroughs from Sergio Ors Navarro, Mark Bronnik, and Ryan Becher. Brent Kallman started to look a lot more like the veteran center back the team was hoping for when they signed him. His influence could be felt with Sam Owusu and Anderson Holt visibly improving throughout the season. Cole Jensen pushed our Captain and OG Búho Rashid Nuhu to regain some of his pre-injury, golden glove form, with the pair logging 6 clean sheets over that 12-match unbeaten stretch. The Owls went into the first-round match in Naples as perhaps the most dangerous side in the playoffs.
That final match felt like a couple of heavyweights beating each other back and forth with neither able to land the critical blow. They played 90’ without a breakthrough before the real drama began in the second half of extra time. Lalo Delgado, FC Naples’ elite starting keeper and long-time Búho nemesis, came up injured and had to be subbed off three minutes into stoppage time.
I remember my optimism growing even as I thought how cruel it would be for Naples to lose that way after the game Delgado had. And if you’d told me that Rashid Nuhu would save two penalties during the shootout to boot, I’d have placed a not-insignificant amount on an Omaha win every time.
And yet Joel Serrano, with massive gloves to fill, made two saves of his own, including the match decider against Mark Bronnik. What a cruel way to go after the season the Owls had.
Where Are We Now
Three months later and thought the wounds maybe aren’t fully healed, the winter gave the team a lot to be excited about.
Sporting Director Jamie Henderson (another impact midseason acquisition) had seen enough to realize that Vinnie deserved the chance to be Union Omaha’s next head coach. Now without the “interim” tag, he gets to continue building with a great core of returning players.
Captain Rashid Nuhu is back for his 7th season with the club as well as local favorite Cole Jensen competing for the #1 slot.
Dion Acoff (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Charlie Ostrem (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Anderson Holt (New York Cosmos) and Marco Milanese (Aesernia Fraterna – Italy) leave the back line at the very capable feet of Sam Owusu, Ryen Jiba, Brent Kallman, and the eagerly awaited return of Blake Malone.
The departures of Max Schneider (Tampa Bay Rowdies), St. Louis City 2 loanee Ryan Becher (Ft. Wayne SC), Joe Gallardo (Spokane Velocity) and Chelo Martinez (Free Agent) opens the field for Laurence Wootton and Brandon Knapp to continue their upward trajectory.
Up front, Stefano Pinho (Free Agent), Lagos Kunga (Portland Hearts of Pine), and Orange County SC loanee Benjamin Barjolo (Portland Timbers 2) have exited, but the attack remains strong with Pato Botello Faz, Sergio Ors Navarro, Mark Bronnik and Prosper Kasim join Aarón Gómez as the latter returns from injury for another season.
Vinnie also gets to work with some new faces to Omaha, including a some names that might be familiar to Búho Nation.
Adding to defensive depth are veterans Sami Guediri (Monterey Bay), Younes Boudadi (Las Vegas Lights), along with first-time pros Cameron Lawrence (Monmouth University) and Jamie Orson (Stony Brook University).
Familiar foes Adrian Billhardt (Richmond Kickers) and Gabriel Cabral (South Georgia Tormenta) become feathered friends and add more USL experience to the Owl midfield.
The Omaha attack got even more dangerous with the addition of Dylan Borczak (Lexington SC) and another former adversary-turned-ally in Kempes Tekiela (One Knoxville SC)
But even more exciting than the roster is the long-awaited move to downtown.
Though not the team’s forever home, the announcement of games at Morrison Stadium invigorated the fanbase perhaps more than winning the title would have. The team will finally be out of the shadow of the nets and foul poles and into a historic soccer-specific-stadium. This in preparation for (optimistically) the completion of a permanent downtown venue to be ready for the 2028 season.
The Competition
This year sees USL League One grow to it’s largest table since the league began in 2019. 17 other teams will challenge the Owls for glory over the next 9 months, bolstered by 5 new clubs hoping to replicate the successes that Union Omaha, Spokane Velocity, FC Naples, and Portland Hearts of Pine experienced in their inaugural seasons.
Unfortunately, we did say goodbye to Texoma FC, who made the tactical decision to drop down to League Two. Though we’ll miss those wonderful summer nights in Sherman, Texas, it’s good that the team was able to find an alternative to folding altogether. Whether they’ll seek to return later or be content to carry forward with the likes of FC Tucson remains to be seen.
Those who will be returning against the Owls are (2025 Final Standings Order):
One Knoxville SC (Knoxville, Tennessee – 2025 USL-1 Shield/Cup winners)
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (East Ridge, Tennessee)
Spokane Velocity FC (Spokane, Washington)
FC Naples (Naples, Florida)
South Georgia Tormenta FC (Statesboro, Georgia)
Portland Hearts of Pine (Portland, Maine)
Charlotte Independence (Matthews, North Carolina)
AV Alta FC (Lancaster, California)
Forward Madison FC (Madison, Wisconsin)
Greenville Triumph SC (Greenville, South Carolina)
Richmond Kickers (Richmond, Virginia)
Westchester SC (Mount Vernon, New York – 2025 USL-1 Wooden Spoon)
The new faces will be:
Athletic Club Boise (Garden City, Idaho – First Meeting: March 22 at home)
AC Boise will take the pitch under the direction of Nathan Miller, formerly a member of the Real Salt Lake (MLS) technical staff. Per the team’s website, he was previously head coach at San Diego Loyal (USL-C) and also led Lansing Ignite in their USL-1 campaign.
Corpus Christi FC (Corpus Christi, Texas – First Meeting: March 28 at home)
Corpus Christi has a man well-known to fans of both USL-1 and stylish sweaters. Eamon Zayed, formerly of Northern Colorado Hailstorm landed in much warmer climates for his follow-up gig. He led the Hailstorm to the inaugural Jagermeister Cup (now USL Cup) as well as playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Fort Wayne FC (Fort Wayne, Indiana – First Meeting: August 1, away)
Fort Wayne is moving up after having tremendous success in USL League Two. Making the move with them is the only head coach the club has ever known in Mike Avery. In the team’s press release, they noted Coach Avery’s five years of service to the club, as well as previous college coaching jobs at Valparaiso (Head Coach), Louisville (Assistant), and Notre Dame (Assistant).
New York Cosmos (Patterson, New Jersey – First Meeting: May 27, away)
The old crest that was once worn on Pelè’s chest returns after a lengthy absence and several legal battles. This time they’ll be coached by Davide Corti. According to the team’s press release, Corti managed AC Milan and Sampadoria in Italy’s top women’s flight, while also spending time at AC Milan’s youth academy.
Sarasota Paradise (Lakewood Ranch, Florida – First Meeting: June 13, away)
Sarasota Paradise finally find their way onto the pitch for the 2026 season. Leading the way will be Mika Elovaara. No stranger to USL-1, the team’s press release notes that he’s been the Head Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development & Methodology for the Richmond Kickers in 2019.
What’s Coming Next
Union Omaha players have already returned and are spinning up for the first preseason matches later this month. The roster is currently sitting at 20 players, so we can expect that there may be a couple more signings on the horizon, especially in midfield where the Owls have only four players listed. There are a few more Tuesdays between now and the start of the season, so there is ample time for the club to evaluate some trialists, find some players that might not have caught on in USL-C or MLS Next Pro, or seek out some loan moves. The club is very deliberate about bringing the right people in and has shown the willingness to wait until the season has already started to bring in impactful players at the right time. Jamie and Vinnie are in a good position to be able to see how things play out before making any decisions.
Of course, that first match is still looming about a groundhog’s shadow away from now. Spring will (hopefully) break in full with a trip to St. Charles, Missouri to take on BOHFS St. Louis in the US Open Cup’s first round on March 18. Immediately behind that starts the USL League One season as the Owls open up the Morrison Era by hosting AC Boise on March 22.
From there, expect the next nine months to go a lot quicker than you realize. Buckle in, Búho Nation. The ride is about to start.
Writer’s Note
Before I end this I have a little bit of a programming note. There is a ton of good soccer in the Omaha area that’s not Union Omaha. The Omaha Kings and Queens are fighting hard for the city and crest in their indoor leagues. In the UPSL, Omaha Street is preparing to defend NE-SD-IA Division title, bringing on former Greenville Triumph Assistant Coach Nicholas Luque as their new Head Coach. Joining them will be Club Atlético Omaha, who signed former Búho Noe Meza to add some firepower to their side. Across the river, CB Captains FC look poised to make another run at the league as well. And while we haven’t heard much from Linoma FC recently, all previous signs point to the 2025 MWPL Gateway champions reloading for even more glory this year.
Add to that all of the college, high school, and amateur club soccer around the metro there won’t be a shortage of quality, fun, lower-league soccer to take in. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of Penguins.
I loved covering all the teams I got to last year, but I don’t feel like I really did them as much justice as I they deserved. Even with the help of Braedon Johnson and Morgan O’Rear (which I appreciate to no end!) to split some of the work, it was a lot to manage when it isn’t your primary day job. And now that those day job duties have increased (along with my return to grad school at Bellevue University — Go Bruins!), it’s become clear that I’m not going to be able to juggle all of it in the way that I really want to.
So the focus this year is going to be on Union Omaha. I may write some quick updates on the other teams as time allows, and I’ll definitely repost any of their content on the socials I’m inhabit. But the recaps, thoughts, and other writings will center on the Owls.
Also, I may be moving away from Substack in the near future. Whether I do or not, however, all of my writing will be housed here, with Union Omaha recaps and such at wgahmedia.com, and US Open Cup coverage at thecup.us.
Ranting Blue Penguin Media 