We’re a little more than three weeks out from the USL League One season, and right at 30 days before we get to see the Owls start their campaign. The weather is somewhat warming (for now), and the excitement is starting to build. That said, there’s still time for some transition and some roster moves, both of which happened this week, and a time to discuss how this might affect the season.
Goodbye, Martie (And Thank You)!
After being with Union Omaha from the very beginning, Martie Cordaro is returning his full-time attention to the Omaha Storm Chasers. Martie had been splitting his duties between the two clubs, which made some sense in the early going as Alliance Sports owned both teams. Martie continued to handle both roles after Diamond Baseball Holdings completed their acquisition of the Storm Chasers, but it’s no surprise that structure wasn’t meant for the long term. The Owls moving out of Werner Park this season provided the perfect opportunity for that clean break.
It’s also no surprise that Martie chose the Storm Chasers over the Owls. There’s no questioning of his love for both teams; he even said as much that he “will remain an important part of the ownership group” for Union Omaha. However, baseball has always been his first love between the two. He’s been in baseball front offices since 1999, and with the Storm Chasers since 2007. That’s not to say that he didn’t do great things with the Owls, but his history, experience, and expertise is rooted in baseball.
Even with that baseball flavor, Martie made the soccer side work. He worked very well with Gary Green and the rest of the front office to try to evolve the marketing strategy to fit what he knew about the Omaha area. He made some very good early decisions, including bringing in the likes of Jay Mims and Peter Marlette to help the young soccer team grow into a League One giant almost immediately. He engaged well with community partners and planners. His expertise in that area has served Union Omaha’s search for a permanent home very well. Despite the delays and frustrations that fans have on this subject, the deliberate process to find the right final location probably wouldn’t have happened without the lessons he brought from when he did the same thing for the Storm Chasers over 15 years ago.
But that said, I can’t say I disagree with his decision to step aside. Serving two similar but very different masters would only do harm to both eventually. It’s also not completely necessary. Alexis Boulos (newly promoted to Chief Operating Officer) and Jamie Henderson are doing very well to manage at this point. The club is searching for a new president and Chief Revenue Officer, but because Alexis and Jamie have their feet under them, Gary can take the search as it comes. The club is in good stewardship. And because of the talent they possess, and the groundwork previously lain, Martie can sit back, smile, and be a proud supporter with the rest of us.
Union Omaha Welcomes Edrey Cáceres
The Owls added a needed midfielder to the group with Edrey. The Houston-born Salvadoran U-23 International joins after a year at Lexington, but with a great pedigree that saw him grow up through the Houston Dynamo academy and at Marquette University.
I’ve been focused on size and dimensions somewhat this preseason, so Edrey’s 5’6”/150 lbs. (listed) interests me for a midfielder. He’s not going to win a ton of aerial duels in the park, but he’s not going to get bowled over either. He seems to be very good in possession, is likely quick (if not speedy), and can help with building out of the back and picking out good passes.
That’s my assumption at least. It’s really hard to find any consistent highlight videos of him, but he was good enough to sign in USL C immediately out of college, and he was a player of the year in Houston’s academy, so he’s got to have talent somewhere. I’m really excited to see where.
Tactical Expectations
This makes 22 now (yes, I miscounted in my last writing) on the roster, but still only 5 listed midfielders. We all know that position is just a name, but looking at the roster composition made me start to look at what to expect from Vinnie Candela’s team sheet this year. In Union Omaha’s press release for Edrey, Will Clarke noted the youngster’s appearances in for Lexington in a double pivot, 4-2-3-1 position. I’m thinking this might be why the Owls seem so light in midfield (compared to 8 defenders and 7 forwards).
Examining who we have in the midfield, and Vinnie’s past preferences, I think we can expect that baseline formation. Laurence Wootton and Brandon Knapp played opposite each other in front of the defense last year, and Brandon even had time at fullback when injury required it. Gabriel Cabral did similar things with Tormenta primarily playing central and distributing. Adrian Billhardt played mostly on the right with Richmond, but he’s a little bit of an outlier. He has the talent and experience to play as a central attacking mid or a right winger as well, similar to what Chelo Martínez provided for us last year. I’d expect him then to either take that position in the line of 3 behind our central striker, or shift back to right midfield to ensure those passing lanes stay open from the back 4.
Adding to that idea is video from preseason that appears to be from new Owl Forward Dylan Borczak (shared to my attention by Discord user _squints and on Bluesky by @proudowls.bsky.social). The video depicts his first preseason goal and credits Sergio Ors Navarro with the assist.
In the video, you can see Sergio fighting off his defender at the endline on the right side of the box. Just inside 18 yards, you can see three Omaha players, including Dylan making his run onto Sergio’s cross from the left side. As the goal is scored and being celebrated, you can see two more Owls enter the picture near midfield – one on the left and one on the right, indicating that they may have been in their (seemingly) preferred 4-2-3-1 formation for that attack.
Am I grasping at grainy Bigfoot-style videos of preseason? Probably. But in Omaha we take whatever content we can get. If you’d like to see for yourself, the link to the Proud Owls post in reference is here.
So What – Roster Edition
So what does that mean for our roster? I’m thinking that it’s almost complete, save for maybe another depth signing at midfield and the possibility of some academy signings if there are some young ones out there that really impress. If 4-2-3-1 is the play, 6 midfielders should be about right to ensure good rotation, substitution options, and to mitigate for injury. We finally have depth at defense and forward, so I’m not expecting many more moves in that area. As long as the chemistry on the team gels well, we should be in for another really good year.
What’s Ahead
Looking ahead, Union Omaha has some preseason work to do this weekend, but not before they take a cool dip in the lake for a good cause. The team will again be participating in the Polar Plunge at Lake Zorinsky on Saturday, February 14 at 11 am CT. The plunge probably won’t be as frigid as it was last year, but proceeds and donations still go to help Special Olympics Nebraska athletes, including the Union Omaha Unified Team. Donations are welcome at this link here.
Also announced for Season Ticket Members, an event titled “Kits After Dark” will take place on Thursday, March 5 from 6-8 pm CT. Expect a kit reveal, a chance to meet the team, and general socializing with other supporters. There may be some special discussions I get to share from the event, so stay tuned for that!
Until then, get ready Búhos. It’s almost time!
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