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Union Omaha

2025 US Open Cup Round 4: St. Louis CITY wins rematch with Union Omaha

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Joseph Zalinsky of St. Louis CITY SC celebrates after scoring a goal against Union Omaha in the Fourth Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: St. Louis CITY SC
Joseph Zalinsky of St. Louis CITY SC celebrates after scoring a goal against Union Omaha in the Fourth Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: St. Louis CITY SC

In a rematch of a 2023 Third Round US Open Cup draw, St. Louis CITY SC defeated Union Omaha, 2-0 Wednesday night in Round 4 of the 2025 Cup, to win a second straight over its USL League One foes. 

It was a match that was dominated in most phases by St. Louis but they continuously came up short of a finish eventually saw the difference maker occur. After a free kick cleaned up by debutant Joey Zalinsky in the 68th minute ended up being the match-winner for St. Louis. It was  Zalinsky’s first career start and first professional goal for St. Louis. 

“It was insane. I couldn’t ask for much more. First professional goal, first start with fans that are amazing. I was so happy,” Zalinsky said, who was a Second Round pick for St. Louis in the 2025 SuperDraft. “I had three previous chances so I thought one of these have to go in. … I didn’t think I had enough power behind it and thought it was going wide of the post. I was shocked at first.”

St. Louis didn’t rest on the night of firsts by Zalinsky, though, as Union Omaha had begun showing more aggression after falling behind, allowing the field to open up and on the other end of their player spectrum, CITY’s designated player Klauss found net in the 87th to seal the deal for the MLS side, 2-0.

Klauss’ finish came during a transition after St. Louis forced a turnover in the Omaha attacking end, getting the ball to a fresh legged Cedric Teuchert who played Klauss in the left channel and between a couple of defenders, Klauss buried a shot in the lower right corner to put CITY SC up 2-0.

“This was a must-win game and a Cup that we want to take serious but at the same time it wasn’t pretty,” Klauss said. “A lot of things to improve and we have to go to the training field and get better.”

It took a while for this Round of 32 match to open up, as neither team seemed comfortable in the attacking third during the first half. St. Louis, in a rare feat given their MLS play, dominated with 66% of the possession during the first half and outshot Omaha, 10-3. 

Each team had their share of chances generated as Célio Pompeu and Xande Silva showed their danger on the wings for CITY in 1v1 opportunities while Max Schneider, a former St. Louis CITY2 player during the 2022-2023 seasons, had the best chances for Omaha in both the run of play and from a corner kick against his former organization.

In the waning minutes of an otherwise uneventful first half, St. Louis saw a scary moment as midfielder Alfredo Morales went down in the 42nd minute with a non-contact injury. He gave way to Conrad Wallem, who entered and played the rest of the game in Morales’ midfield position. After the match, St. Louis head coach Olof Mellberg gave an update on Morales.

“I don’t think he’s ok, it could be some kind of strain but we’ll have to see tomorrow,” Mellberg said.

The second half started with a couple of dueling subs as St. Louis brought on Eduard Löwen for Tomas Ostrák, a move characterized by Mellberg as due to Ostrák feeling, “a little tight in his groin.” Union Omaha used the half to sub on defender Anderson Holt for Samuel Owusu.

In the 58th minuute, after a few chances generated by St. Louis, Omaha made two more attacking changes, bringing on their No. 9, Mehdi Ouamri and midfielder Sergio Ors Navarro for Josue Gomez and Kemy Amiche. It would prove eventful in the middle half of the period but there were fireworks for the home side before that.

St. Louis CITY SC subbed its third player of the game in the 63rd as Teuchert entered for Xande Silva and in the 68th, Zalinsky broke the scoreless draw with his heroics for the home crowd that began to open the game up a bit more after St. Louis went up 1-0. 

Shortly after this, St. Louis made a couple more changes in the 74th as they brought on Klauss and left-footed defender Jannes Horn for Simon Becher and Zalinsky.

Union Omaha began to press higher and show more aggression than they had up until this point and it resulted in some of their more dangerous opportunities.

“In the second half we had a bad spell for 10 minutes when we were 1-0 up and they were close to scoring,” Mellberg said. “Wasn’t happy with that period.”

This period was most notable as in the 79th Union Omaha generated a sequence into the final third and earned a corner off of a cross into the box. This corner resulted in a Ouamri shot on goal, his first of three chances.

Ouamri followed it up with a bicycle kick chance just four minutes later, shot directly into the arms of CITY SC goalkeeper Ben Lundt. Shortly after, Union Omaha made its final sub of the game, bringing on Mark Bronnik for Brandon Knapp in the 84th minute.

The final blow of the game came athree minutes later when Klauss, having just entered the game, received a drop off pass from Teuchert in transition after a Union Omaha turnover in the opposite end, and had a clinical finish in the lower right corner that put St. Louis up 2-0.

For Union Omaha, their 2025 US Open Cup run comes to an end having defeated three opponents including USL Championship side San Antonio FC. They will next return home to USL League One play on Saturday against Portland Hearts of Pine.

St. Louis earns their second-ever US Open Cup win, both having come against Union Omaha, and now move on to the Round of 16 to face Minnesota United, which defeated Louisville City. This matchup has the unique opportunity to see these clubs face each other twice in less than a week later this month, with both matches being in Minnesota. 

On that possibility, Mellberg said, “it’s a little bit of a strange run. You see it in Champions League legs, but when it’s two different tournaments it doesn’t happen as often.”

 

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Union Omaha blanks San Antonio FC to add to cupset resume

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Players from Union Omaha celebrate after scoring a goal against San Antonio FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Union Omaha
Players from Union Omaha celebrate after scoring a goal against San Antonio FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Union Omaha

Union Omaha are making a habit of taking down higher level teams in the US Open Cup.

This time the victim was San Antonio FC as a crowd of 1,112 fans watched the Owls hold on to a 1-0 Third Round victory on Tuesday night. Dion Acoff provided all the scoring the hosts would need with his 36th minute strike, while Rashid Nuhu turned away all three shots on target in an intense match that threatened to boil over by the time the final whistle sounded. Colombian midfielder Jimmy Medranda tried to keep San Antonio in the match, orchestrating four chances for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from another one-and-done Open Cup appearance.

Both teams entered the match having experienced some issues in their form. For Union Omaha, a pair of Open Cup victories and a 3-1 defeat at South Georgia Tormenta in USL 1 play showed flashes of last year’s defending championship teams, but two uncharacteristic losses at Greenville Triumph and Richmond Kickers also showed a team susceptible to mistakes and still looking for cohesion.

On the other side, first-year head coach Carlos Llamosa — fresh off being named USL Championship’s coach of the month — had watched a perfect 4-0-0 start come to a screeching halt. San Antonio suffered a pair of 2-1 losses to Phoenix Rising and Miami FC — the latter coming as San Antonio held 67% possession and twice as many shots on target as their opponent.

That trend would, unfortunately, continue into this match.

The opening minutes saw San Antonio with a lot of possession, but with little to show for it in terms of attacking motion. Omaha was happy to let San Antonio hold the ball, choosing to let the press and an organized midfield find the right time to pounce on a mistake. When the ball finally did make it into the Owls’ half, it was met with quickness and physicality that prevented the attackers from getting any really good looks at goal.

Yet Omaha was also struggling to fully take advantage of the turnovers. Whether trying to push long balls over the top or rush quickly through the middle in transition, it always seemed like San Antonio found a way to recover, if only just. The early going had a lot of good action, but nothing that looked to truly be able to open the scoring.

That is until the 10th minute when Prosper Kassim found the first good chance of the match. Having taken the ball away from San Antonio just shy of midfield, the Owls played the ball to the back line looking for a way to break down the defense. Charlie Ostrem took the ball on the left side and with a quick glance noticed Kassim on diagonal run that pulled him free of the marker. Ostrem’s pass was well placed and Kassim found himself just outside the area with San Antonio Keeper Richard Sanchez coming out to challenge. Seeing the open goal, Kassim put a chip up and over Sanchez, but the Ghanan midfielder found his accuracy wanting with the shot pushing wide right of the post. It could have been the opener, but served as a warning shot instead.

San Antonio wouldn’t have to wait long for a chance of their own, however. Just four minutes later, Juan Agudelo used some great footwork and even greater strength to turn his man at midfield and started dribbling into a mass of open space toward the final third. This led Ostrem into committing a foul from behind and set up a dangerous free kick for Jorge Hernandez. Hernandez’ kick beat all of the Owl markers and fell well to Agudelo inside the six-yard box. Agudelo’s couldn’t quite make good contact with the ball, and it bounced off the right post toward Mohamed Omar. Just as Omaha’s defense started seeing visions of the losing goal they conceded less than a week prior, the referee blew his whistle calling Omar for bring the ball down with his arm. The visitors had just issued a warning shot of their own.

From this point, Union Omaha seemed to grow more comfortable in their role and made more of the possession they were given. While San Antonio still had issues playing through the middle, Omaha found ways to turn that transition into rapid movement down either side or over the top of the defense. Often, only a slightly wayward pass or the official’s offside flag kept the hosts from breakaway opportunities against Sanchez.

When the deadlock was finally broken in the 36th minute, it was because of one of those breakaway opportunities.

A ball that was almost a turnover off the feet of Kassim managed to squeeze out to Chelo Martínez near midfield to begin another Union Omaha transition. This time, Martínez found Acoff making his run up the right side completely free of his marker. Acoff took the ball into the box with only Omar and Sanchez to beat. A quick shift of the feet threw off Omar before Acoff slotted home at the inside post, despite Sanchez appearing to get a touch on the ball.

Acoff credited the anticipation that Martínez has developed early on in his time at Omaha.

“Chelo saw me make the run, so, anytime he sees me making that run he usually plays it,” Acoff said. “At that moment, I’m just one-on-one with the keeper trying to score.”

The remainder of the half would go mostly Omaha’s way, if not in possession then at least in maintaining the lead. A good switch of play by Medranda set up Nelson Flores with a solid shot from outside the box, but Nuhu was up to the diving save required to keep out the best chance San Antonio would have to equalize prior to the halftime whistle.

Coming out of the break, Llamosa opted to bring on some younger legs on the wings to try to keep up with the pace that Omaha had brought in the first half. But even though the possession and passing stats even more heavily favored the visitors, they found a hard time getting through a disciplined Owl midfield and defense to create good chances.

As the frustration mounted, so did the physicality and tension between the two clubs. Both sides found themselves with solid tackles, jostling, and a real fight for forward momentum. When there were chances to be had they were either just off target, or well blocked by two teams that had decided not to give up a single inch willingly.

Omaha coach Dominic Casciato praised the team’s fortitude.

“Second half, we defended well, looked dangerous on the break at times, and, to be honest, I don’t remember them having a big chance,” he said.

That fortitude could have been easily undone as regulation time wore down, however. Just at the stroke of 90 minutes, a scuffle started on the pitch that saw Brent Kallman behind the action and holding down San Antonio’s Jorge Hernandez. As the referee moved over to address the issue, both teams came in to the defense of their players. A few shoves, a consult with both assistants, and a significant amount of elapsed time saw the referee finally reach to his pocket and show a yellow to Kallman for his instigation of the activities. A bullet dodged for Omaha surely, as having to play the final 10 minutes of the match down a man would’ve put even more strain on the USL 1 champs.

Instead, the Owls maintained the full compliment of players to withstand San Antonio’s furious but, ultimately, futile assault and walked away still having never lost to a USL Championship team in US Open Cup play.

Though it wasn’t always an easy win, Casciato found a major building block from this win.

“I think, the performances so far this season have been a little spotty, and I think it’s just a case of time,” he said. “Preseason was pretty disrupted. We’ve been on the road for nine straight weeks. It’s a lot, it’s a lot on the guys, and I think tonight you saw what they’re capable of. So it’s about building on that and, as a team, always be willing to do what it takes to win.

“If we continue in that mentality, we’re going to be fine.”

Union Omaha will now try to take that mentality into the Round of 32 and await the draw for which MLS team will stand between them and a continued Open Cup success. 

2025 US Open Cup Round 2: 10-man Union Omaha hold off MLS stars from Des Moines Menace

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Graphic: Frank Lanham

On a windy afternoon in West Des Moines, Iowa, the home team Des Moines Menace faced Union Omaha, a USL League One team in the Second Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. While the headlines entering Wednesday’s contest centered around the Menace who had assembled a roster full of former Major League Soccer stars, it was Union Omaha who spoiled the storyline with a 2-1 win.

It was the second year in a row, and the third time in the last four years that Union Omaha eliminated Des Moines from the competition.

The first half was dominated by the visiting team, with Omaha scoring two goals in the 17th and 33rd minutes respectively with Dion Acoff opening the scoring and Aarón Gómez following.

Although the Owls seemed to easily control the game, shortly after the start of the second half, the Menace got a penalty kick then scored by former Sporting Kansas City star Benny Feilhaber, which reopened his team’s hopes. The two-time US Open Cup champion (Sporting KC 2015 & 2017) scored to cut the lead in half.

On the penalty kick, Union Omaha player Brandon Knapp, received his second yellow card, thus leaving his team with ten men for the remaining 35 minutes of the match. Although control of the game shifted to the home team’s hands, the Owls would hold on for the 2-1 win. 

The referee whistled the start of the game accompanied by the enthusiasm of the many fans of the Des Moines team who had come to the stadium for this match of their team against a higher-class formation. After 17 minutes of almost total possession, Union Omaha’s Acoff, launches his teammate Gómez toward the goal, to then collected the cross and turned it into the opening goal. The Menace continued to defend until in the 33rd minute Gómez, the author of the previous assist, again made his mark by scoring the second goal.

At the end of the first half, Des Moines Menace, who by now had nothing left to lose, took courage and appeared on a few occasions in the opponent’s half of the field before going to the locker room for halftime. Their chances of hanging with the defending USL League One champions took a blow 15 minutes into the first half when former MLS star Bradley Wright Phillips had to leave the game due to injury. Des Moines brought on some fresh legs at halftime and it gave them a spark. 

The decisive moment, however, was at the beginning of the second half, when halftime sub Feilhaber, the Red Army’s No. 10, entered the field putting the captain’s armband on his arm. He scored from the penalty spot just eight minutes after entering the game. Shortly after the goal, Sacha Kljestan subbed out of the game. In the 69th minute, Kljestan would be sent off from the bench after arguing with the referee.

Now, in numerical superiority and with the confidence given by the penalty kick, the Menace increased the pressure. Des Moines maintained an orderly ball possession that, in the 80th minute, produced the best scoring chance of the game for Leroy Enzugusi, who came in to replace Kljestan. He found himself one-on-one with Union goalkeeeper Cole Jensen who made the save. After five minutes of stoppage time, the match ended with the Owls advancing to the Third Round for the fourth year in a row.

“As a player, you always feel like you are in it, especially once you get a goal, you are a man up with about 30 minutes left you think you have a chance,” said Feilhaber. “They defended very well, it becomes tough in those moments to find balls in between the lines but we had some chances, couldn’t convert any of them and they were deserved winners in the end.”

Feilhaber gave credit to his team, especially the younger players who gave everything to put the team in a position to win.

Union Omaha’s defense had to remain compact for almost the entire second half to avoid a Menace comeback.

“We did well in defending, staying together and not conceding the second, because it would have been difficult to go into overtime with a man down,” said Union Omaha defendere and captain Marco Milanese. “I’m very happy with how we defended and how we managed to bring home the result.”

With this victory, Uunion Omaha secures a spot for the Third Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup to be played the week of April 15-16. The draw will take place on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. 

2025 US Open Cup Round 1: Union Omaha fends off late push from Flatirons Rush to advance

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Players from Union Omaha (left) and Flatirons FC battle for the ball in the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Flatirons FC
Players from Union Omaha (left) and Flatirons FC battle for the ball in the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Flatirons FC

Twenty-four hours later than planned, Union Omaha advanced to the Second Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a workman-like win over amateur side Flatirons Rush. 

Aarón Gómez and Joe Gallardo scored goals to put the USL League One champions through to face Des Moines Menace on April 2. Flatiron’s Shjon Andrews cut Omaha’s deficit to one in the 84th minute before Omaha, winless in the young USL League One season, fended off the amateur’s late surge for the win. 

“They gave us a great game, they played really well. You can see why they did so well last year,” said Union Omaha coach, Domenico Casciato. “We came in with a lot of respect for them.” 

Initially scheduled for Thursday, the game was pushed back 24 hours after winter weather caused travel delays for the visiting Union Omaha. 

“The delay made things a little more challenging for us tonight,” Casciato said. “But we had a job to do and we came out and did it.” 

The game could have been very different if Union Omaha’s Mehdi Ouamri had connected on a looping cross from the right flank five minutes into the match, putting the ball awkwardly wide from inside the six yard box. 

After the miss, Flatirons worked diligently to get ahold of the match. Going into halftime, the amateurs out possessed the professional side with 53 percent of the possession, though they were lacking in the final third of the field. 

Even with the majority of possession, Union Omaha broke the stalemate in the 28th minute when Gómez blasted a rebound past Flatirons goalkeeper Matteo Conci from close range. 

Gallardo doubled Omaha’s lead in the 73rd minute from the penalty spot, smashing the ball into the upper left corner after referee Jozefecki Lukasz awarded a penalty kick after a severely spinning ball grazed Flatirons’ defender, Jackson Vander Ven’s hand. 

Eleven minutes later, Andrews pulled Flatiron a goal back, heading home an Oluwatobi Osifodunrin cross at the back post, making the final few minutes of the match frantic as Omaha struggled to see out the game. 

With the win, Union Omaha travels to face USL-2 side, Des Moines Menace, which will most likely feature a collection of former MLS and USMNT players. 

“We know they are going to have quality. They may not have the legs they once did, but they know how to play the game,” Casciato said.

 

2024 US Open Cup Round 4: Sporting KC escapes PKs with 120th min. winner vs. Union Omaha

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Alan Pulido of Sporting KC dribbles the ball against Union Omaha in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Sporting Kansas City
Alan Pulido of Sporting KC dribbles the ball against Union Omaha in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City delivered history and heartbreak to Union Omaha as a 120th minute Alan Pulido strike pushed four-time Open Cup champions to a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night.

The match, which saw an MLS team play in Omaha for the first time, turned out to be physical and fast-paced as the hosts were not intimidated by the side in front of them. A first-half goal from Lagos Kunga was cancelled out by a second-half Marinos Tzionis tally, and the game appeared to be heading for another penalty shootout. A moment of chaos and brilliance from the Mexican forward, though, would deny the Owls the chance to take down another giant in PKs.

Coach Peter Vermes, in pregame comments, anticipated that this would “be a very tough game for us, and we’re not going to take it lightly.”

True to his word, the four-time Open Cup champions rolled out a strong lineup, with even more firepower on the bench. As expected, the opening minutes belonged to the visitors with several runs, pace up the wings, and some well-worked possession that left the Owls scrambling at the back at times. Despite this, Omaha’s back line found a way to divert the most dangerous attacks by staying compact and disciplined in front of keeper Rashid Nuhu. Despite the initial onslaught, Sporting was rarely able to get a clean look at goal for the first few minutes—a marked change from the clubs’ first meeting in the Open Cup two years ago when Sporting scored the first of six goals in the 10th minute.

In fact, it was the defense-minded hosts that would get into a dangerous position early on as in the 12th minute Union Omaha’s Pedro Dolabella sent a long ball in from midfield toward the box. With Aaròn Gòmez streaking past his man to get on the ball, Khiry Shelton made a challenge that clattered Gòmez and immediately drew shouts from the players and supporters for a penalty. Referee Nabil Bensalah would waive off those pleas, but the passage of play showed that Omaha was ready to counter quickly and decisively when the opportunities arose.

But Sporting continued to dominate possession, passing, and positioning as they forced Nuhu into action. The keeper was able to get a dive in on a shot from Filipe Hernandez before turning away a rocket from the club’s leading goalscorer Erik Thommy just a couple of minutes later.

The Owls would finally show their talons despite being on the back foot for most of the first half.  In the 31st minute, Dion Acoff took on Robert Voloder down the right side and managed to skip past him into the box. Cutting inside, Acoff attempted to center the ball for either Marco Milanese or Joe Gallardo, both waiting in the area. The play seemed broken when Gallardo couldn’t get a good touch on the ball, but it fell to Lagos Kunga who lasered a shot off of Sporting’s Kayden Pierre. The deflection left John Pulskamp no chance at a save, and Union Omaha took a very unlikely 1-0 lead.

Sporting would continue their own attacks, getting an open header from William Agada as well as a dangerous chance from Zorfan Bassong, but Union Omaha stayed disciplined at the back and had an answer for every question asked of them until halftime.

That would change not three minutes after the break as Marianos Tzionis would find an equalizer off a forced turnover in the attacking half.  Pedro Dolabella was trying to find an outlet pass when Tzionis managed to turn the midfielder and take the ball off him. A darting run put the Cyprus international at the top of the box with an opening to shoot. Though he didn’t get the ball cleanly, he’d done just enough to put Nuhu off and unable to recover. The scuffed shot went off the post and rolled in over the line to even the score.

Sporting would continue to turn up the heat, keeping the ball for long stretches and forcing the compact defense into playing the counter. That almost worked for the Owls once or twice, including a 1-on-1 from Aàron Gòmez whose attempt to chip Pulskamp went just high of the goal. However, the more dangerous opportunities continue to go Kansas City’s way as the Union Omaha backline tried to hold on.

As Coach Vermes could sense the advantage, he continued to bring on more of his reserve firepower to try to find a breakthrough. One of those subs, Johnny Russell, had two great opportunities to put Sporting ahead in regulation. In the 84th minute he was able to whip a free kick in around the Omaha wall, but Nuhu was in perfect position to cover it up. Just a few minutes later, Russell would get the ball in almost the exact same position and unleash a left-footed shot that prompted Nuhu’s best save of the night. A quick dive, and the fingertips of his glove, were all that kept the scoreline knotted heading into extra time.

The extra period would go pretty much the same way the rest of the match went.  Russell saw an effort beat Nuhu, but not the post, while Ryen Jiba had an open look from the left side of the box that went just wide. Sporting were still in dominance, and toward the end of extra time, looked to have Omaha playing counter and just trying to get to penalties.

Those penalties wouldn’t come, however, as Alan Pulido would finally come up with the breakthrough. After a back and forth bit of play in the defensive half, Marinos Tzionis would recover the ball on the left side of the box. Holding off his defender, Tzionis managed to find Pulido open at the top of the box. A quick touch was all he needed to find space between the oncoming defenders and put a shot into the bottom left corner, just out of Nuhu’s reach.

Commenting on his goal, Pulido said “Normally this is my shot when I put the ball behind the defender and I try to score in between the legs because normally the goalkeeper goes a little bit to the left. This happened in this game and I scored.”

As the final whistle blew, cheers of celebration and relief erupted from the traveling Kansas City supporters. Meanwhile the Union Omaha supporters started cheers of their own for a valiant effort that fell just short.

With the win, Sporting Kansas City will move on to host FC Tulsa of USL Championship in the Round of 16 the week of May 21-22.

2024 US Open Cup Round 3: Union Omaha add to El Paso Locomotive USOC struggles with PK win

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Mark Bronnik of Union Omaha celebrates after scoring the winning PK in the shootout to beat the El Paso Locomotive in the Third Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Union Omaha
Mark Bronnik of Union Omaha celebrates after scoring the winning PK in the shootout to beat the El Paso Locomotive in the Third Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Union Omaha

Different pitch, same result for Union Omaha as for the second consecutive year Los Búhos would oversee El Paso Locomotive’s exit from the US Open Cup, advancing 5-3 on penalties. An occasionally frantic 120 minutes saw the teams finish scoreless despite a missed Locos penalty, several incredible saves, and a late red card for Noah Dollenmayer that opened the door for the hosts decide the match in extra time. A breakthrough wouldn’t come, however, and the match came down to a well-timed Rashid Nuhu save and a cooly slotted final penalty kick by 17-year-old Mark Bronnik. 

Last year, Omaha beat El Paso 2-0 at Creighton University in the Second Round.

Despite being the side in the lower division, Union Omaha came out of the starting gates quickly.  Their tenacious pressing led to several shaky moments at El Paso’s back that put keeper Ramón Pasquel under duress early in his first start of the season.  The FC Juarez loanee found himself facing a shot in the 2nd minute from Lagos Kunga following a turnover deep in the defensive half that was kept out by the striker’s hesitation and timely defending in front of goal.

That would end up being a sign of things to come for both sides.  A stout Omaha midfield would control the game and force the Locomotive back line into mistakes or poorly played long balls, the hosts would attack up the wings, and in the final moments the attack would fizzle out either by off-target shooting or Los Locos finding just enough to keep the ball out of the net.

When El Paso was able to connect their passes together, the danger was very real.  The visitors’ first real opportunity to show their teeth came in the 24th minute as defender Nick Hinds worked his way past two Owls to make some space on the left side.  With time to place his cross, he found Javier Nevarez, who took the ball on his right foot and blasted a shot on target.  Rashid Nuhu’s diving save would be the first of six often mind-boggling saves that would keep the clean sheet intact. Nevarez, on the other hand, would also continue to be a major thorn in Omaha’s side.

Play returned to favor the hosts as they outpaced, out-muscled, and out-skilled an Locomotive team that seemed to be lacking steam. El Paso looked like they had no answer for the attacking creativity of Los Búhos and were playing dangerously close to the fire.

That is until the end of the first half when Nevarez took the ball in the attacking third and slipped past Marco Milanese to take a run toward the box. Milanese was able to catch up just enough to foul Nevarez just outside the penalty area to give El Paso a free kick in a tempting area.  As Joaquin Rivas struck the free kick, Nortei Nortey blocked shot with an arm extending from his body. The referee was in perfect position to see the foul and pointed immediately to the spot.

Unfortunately for Locomotive, Amando Moreno’s kick sailed well over Nuhu and the supporters behind his goal.  Minutes later, they would have the ball in the back of the net, but that would be ruled offsides.  By the time the half time whistle blew, the feeling was that El Paso may have squandered the best chances they’d seen all night.

If the first half was hallmarked by the hosts’ control of the match, the second half would be noted for its chaos.  Neither side could build on the positives they’d created in the first half, and the opening 15 minutes were marred by poor passing, turnovers, and a lack of any momentum for either team.  There were still the occasional sharp runs and moments of creativity, but the match had gotten more physical as each side tried to break through the frustration and find the opener.

By the time the first substitutions came on the energy and pace had evened out between the teams.  Union Omaha continued on their way to dominating the shot chart (32-12), but a heavy majority of those would be off the mark or blocked.  Locomotive would make better use of their chances, putting a total of six on Nuhu’s frame, but the Búho’s number one would show his quality time and again.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "Champions" shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “Champions” shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

The match had the chance to turn itself on its head in the 90+3 minute when Noah Dollenmayer would receive a straight red card for a dangerous challenge at the ankles of Marco Milanese.  The Locomotive defender was initially shown a yellow card, however, after consulting with his assistants, Referee Esad Omanovic upgraded the card and reduced the visitors to 10-men going into extra time.

With the man advantage, Omaha began the extra period much the same way as they began the first half.  In the 91st minute, Brandon Knapp was able to find a completely unmarked Adam Aoumaich inside the Locomotive box, but Aoumaich’s shot would sail over the bar.  7 minutes later, a Ryen Jiba corner would find Joe Gallardo who put a close range shot into Pasquel’s body.  The rebound fell to Marco Milanese who put the shot over the bar.

As the second half of extra time came around, both teams ran at each other alternating squandered chances, yellow cards, and the occasional word or two for the referee.  Despite their renewed energy and efforts, this match was seemingly destined to end 0-0 and have to be decided by penalties.

Electing to go first, Omaha put their first two penalties into the net, matched by Los Locos.  Adam Aoumaich’s kick wasn’t the prettiest in the world, but managed to get in off Pasquel’s glove to give Omaha a 3-2 advantage awaiting Gonzalo Pelúa’s kick.  The young Uruguayan would test Nuhu to the keeper’s right, but Nuhu was well on it to put Los Búhos on the brink of the next round.

The two teams would trade penalties bringing up 120th minute substitute Mark Bronnik. Despite his age, the Brooklyn native placed a pinpoint shot in the bottom left corner that left Pasquel with no chance, despite his guessing correctly.  The youngster was mobbed by his teammates as he send Union Omaha on to the next round, and El Paso back to the station for the second straight year.

After the match, Omaha’s Dominic Casciato had nothing but praise for the mentality of his team, and of the 17-year-old match winner.  “Sometimes when you have that many shots and that many opportunities and the ball doesn’t go in, you start to think maybe this isn’t going to be our night…but the guys have got a real strong mental capacity to break through.”

On Mark Bronnik taking the final kick, Casciato said, “I told him to take the fifth one. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him, he’s a top young player, and he’s going to have a really good career.”

Union Omaha will need every bit of that confidence and mentality as they continue their all-competitions unbeaten run to start the season and look forward to the entrance of the seeded-USL Championship clubs as well as the entrance of MLS first-team sides in the upcoming round of 32. On the other side, El Paso is winless in their first four appearances in the US Open Cup, joining MLS side NYCFC as the only teams in the Modern Era to fail to win their first four consecutive Open Cup games.

2024 US Open Cup Round 2: Union Omaha ends Des Moines Menace’s star-studded cup run

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Steevan Fortes Dos Santos of Union Omaha dribbles against Des Moines Menace defenders in a Second Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Hellman - @trevhellman
Steevan Fortes Dos Santos of Union Omaha dribbles against Des Moines Menace defenders in a Second Round match of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Hellman – @trevhellman

Big names and bigger dreams weren’t enough for Des Moines Menace to overcome a stout Union Omaha as they fell to the USL League One side by a score of 3-1 on Wednesday night. Goals on each side of halftime from Pedro Dolabella and Marco Milanese plus a very late dagger from substitute Menace alum Lagos Kunga propelled Los Búhos into the Third Round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

With the win, Union Omaha won their opening game in the tournament for the third year in a row and improved their home record in their brief three-year history to 4-0-0.

The visitors from Des Moines came in to Omaha with five former MLS players in their starting eleven, but couldn’t get much going in the first half. Both teams seemed content to feel each other out with Omaha getting the larger share of possession and the Menace staying mostly compact and ready to break on the counter. Every time the visitors broke, however, two or three Owls would track back and block off any danger in attack.  Similarly, Union Omaha would find themselves in dangerous positions on the wings, but just unable to connect on the final pass to expose Brian Rowe’s goal.

In the 22nd minute the first major chance of the night would go Omaha’s way as Pedro Dolabella found Dion Acoff in stride and running past his defender to unleash a rocket shot from just outside the box that rang heavily off the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Joe Gallardo would ring out a shot from the other side of the box that forced Rowe into a spectacular diving save to keep the game scoreless.

Sacha Kljestan and his Des Moines Menace teammates shake hands with Union Omaha players before their Second Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Hellman - @trevhellman
Sacha Kljestan and his Des Moines Menace teammates shake hands with Union Omaha players before their Second Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Hellman – @trevhellman

The pressure on the USL-2 side would continue until Union Omaha finally broke through in the 34 minute.  Playing from a free kick, Joe Gallardo took the ball up the left wing and found Aáron Gomez just outside the six-yard box.  Gomez was able to drop the ball back to Pedro Dolabella who calmly slotted home from about 15 yards out to open the scoring past a helpless Menace defense.  This was Dolabella’s second goal in US Open Cup competition, following his tally against MLS side St. Louis City in 2023.

Union Omaha continued on the front foot, asking a lot of questions of the Menace defense, but Des Moines answered all of them keeping the score at 1-0 heading into halftime.

That wouldn’t last long, however, as two minutes after the break, Marco Milanese would extend the Omaha lead following a scramble in the goal mouth off a well taken corner. Steevan Dos Santos out jumped his marker to put the ball in the path of Luca Mastrantonio who fired a point blank shot at Rowe. The Menace keeper did well to keep it out, but couldn’t stop the rebound shot, nor the 2-0 lead.

The two sides would continue to trade jabs (and yellow cards) for the majority of the second half, but with Union Omaha still seeming firmly in control.  That control would falter in the 87th minute as Leroy Enzugusi put his name on the scoresheet after finding a path through the Búho back line from a perfect pass from Braden Allen.  Rashid Nuhu was late to react and while he did get a small touch on the ball, Enzugusi was able to keep control, round the keeper, and give the Menace life going into injury time.

That life put a spark in the Menace who made the final minutes of the match rather nervy for the home crowd. There were several chances that could have gone Des Moines’ way until substitute Lagos Kunga put the match beyond doubt. 

In the ninth minute of stoppage time, the former Menace forward found himself alone in space just outside the box on a pinpoint pass from Nortei Nortey. Having just had a wonderful chance saved by Rowe a minute earlier, Kunga cut inside and let go with his left foot to put this match, and Des Moines’ Cup run, to bed.

When asked about the clinching goal, Kunga responded in high spirits. “This is what we live for,  moments like this, to come in, get a goal, to help the team win.”

And while it may have been a goal that knocked his former club from the Cup, it was obvious he enjoyed the moment, saying “They say when you play your old team, you get a little extra motivation, so it felt good.”

For Union Omaha, that feeling will continue into the next round as they take their 17-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (dating back to last season) to the test.  They take on USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive who enter the 2024 US Open Cup in Round 3. For Des Moines Menace, it’s another empty-handed trip back home to await the start of the USL-2 season, and another chance to dream of a trophy.

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Joe Gallardo’s hat trick leads Union Omaha to blowout win at Western Mass Pioneers

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Players from Western Mass Pioneers (red) and Union Omaha battle for the ball in a First Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: David Henry
Players from Western Mass Pioneers (red) and Union Omaha battle for the ball in a First Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: David Henry

Freezing temperatures and over a thousand miles of travel weren’t enough to disrupt Union Omaha, as the USL League One side cruised to an easy 4-0 victory against USL League Two’s Western Mass Pioneers at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Mass.

With the thermometer hovering around 30 degrees and the 106-year-old stadium being battered by 40 mile-per-hour wind gusts, it seemed possible that both teams would get off to a cold start. 

Instead, the defending USL League One Players’ Shield Winners rocketed out of the gate, as forward Joe Gallardo slotted a 4th minute goal that deflected off a Pioneer defender, giving Omaha a 1-0 lead. 

For the rest of the half, the combination of the wind and Omaha’s relenting pressure caused the Pioneers to struggle to build momentum. One Union attempt found the crossbar, and a 30th minute cross into the box from Gallardo required some panicked defending from Western Mass to diffuse the chance. 

The impact of the home side’s lack of practice time and hodgepodge roster, which contained many players that were new to the squad, was evident through the game. 

In the second half, Omaha’s pressure became too much to bear. 

The 67th minute saw Steevan dos Santos continue the form he showed in the 2023 USL League One regular season, scoring with his right foot to give his team the 2-0 lead, with the assist going to Brazilian midfielder Pedro Dolabella. 

Six minutes later in the 73rd minute, Joe Gallardo added a second goal to increase Omaha’s lead to third. He would score his third right-footed goal in the 89th minute, earning the hatrick and capping the game off at 4-0 for the away side.

Facing a team that had only trained together twice, Omaha goalkeeper and captain Rashid Nuhu spent most of the game focusing on staying warm and admiring his side’s form, seeing no official shots on target. While it wasn’t the most difficult conditions the Ghanaian goalkeeper and Fordham University alum has played in, it was close. 

“I wouldn’t say it was the worst, but it was up there,” Nuhu said, “For sure, very cold and it’s hard with the atmosphere, with no fans out here.”

Despite the shutout, he showed respect to the Pioneers.

“They’re tough, I know them,” said Nuhu, who played for the Westchester Flames in 2016 and for New York Red Bulls U-23s in 2018, when USL-2 was known as the PDL. “I knew it was going to be tough. We had to stay on our game and stay focused the whole game. If not, we could lose.”

Omaha Union moves on to the Second Round of the U.S. Open Cup in a game against a yet to be determined opponent that will take place on either April 2 or 3. This marks the third consecutive year that they’ve won their first cup game; they made the Third Round in 2023 and advanced all the way to the quarterfinals in 2022, their first ever time playing in the competition. 

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Record crowd watches St. Louis CITY crush Union Omaha in USOC debut

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Players from St. Louis CITY SC and Union Omaha battle for the ball during their match in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Will Bramlett @YBrammer
Players from St. Louis CITY SC and Union Omaha battle for the ball during their match in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Will Bramlett @YBrammer

Not many cities appreciate the US Open Cup like St. Louis. With more than 100 years of history, and now an Open Cup Third Round attendance record to add to its storied past as 22,423 at CityPark had much to celebrate as St. Louis City SC soared past Union Omaha, 5-1.

It was City’s first appearance in the storied competition and one that they have been looking forward to.

“We spoke to the group this week about what this tournament means to the city of St. Louis,” St. Louis manager Bradley Carnell said. “We wanted to head into this game with intensity and a lot of bravery.”

St. Louis’ intensity was instantly noticeable as Aziel Jackson scored in the third minute, a left-footed shot from the outside of the box to the bottom left corner.

Carnell wanted his squad to keep up the pressure but Union Omaha held back St. Louis for the rest of the first half. Omaha tested St. Louis at times but the scoreline was largely due to the performance of Omaha keeper Rashid Nuhu. His eight saves in the game kept it within striking distance, but that wouldn’t last long.

Three minutes into the second half, Célio Pompeo drove into the box and sent a powerful ball toward Nuhu’s back post. Midfielder Joe Gallardo successfully blocked the cross, but the deflection resulted in an own-goal against Gallardo.

St. Louis CITY SC had an announced attendance of 22,423 at CITYPARK in St. Louis, MO. against Union Omaha in the 2023 US Open Cup. It broken the Modern Era (1995-present) record for attendance. Photo: Kevin Hall
St. Louis CITY SC had an announced attendance of 22,423 at CITYPARK in St. Louis, MO. against Union Omaha in the 2023 US Open Cup. It broken the Modern Era (1995-present) record for attendance. Photo: Kevin Hall

With a two-goal lead, St. Louis continued to pressure Omaha’s backline, resulting in 23 shot attempts.

St. Louis benefited from strong performances everywhere on the field.

“Every time we put the ball in dangerous places, good things happen,” Célio said. “We love playing like that.”

Célio stayed involved, this time setting up Akil Watts for his first-ever City goal, a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the high center of the goal. Watts also had a productive match, completing 42 passes throughout the match along with six passes into the final third.

Aziel Jackson continued his man-of-the-match performance by securing a brace in the 66th minute with a left-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.

Union Omaha hurt St. Louis though, grabbing a goal and cutting the score to 4-1 from a Pedro Dolabella left-footed shot from the right side of the six-yard box to the bottom right corner.

St. Louis slammed the door shut with a fifth goal in the 88th minute, as a newly substituted Eduard Löwen cut through Omaha defenders en route to easily finding the bottom corner of the goal behind Nuhu.

“Yeah, it was really special,” Jackson said of the win.

2023 US Open Cup Round 2: Union Omaha begins another cup run with upset of El Paso Locomotive

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Union Omaha players celebrate after scoring a goal against El Paso Locomotive in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Trev Hellman | @trevhellman
Union Omaha players celebrate after scoring a goal against El Paso Locomotive in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Trev Hellman | @trevhellman

Union Omaha looked to prove that last year’s deep run in the US Open Cup wasn’t an exception and after 90 minutes, the Owls proved victorious over USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive, winning the Second Round match with a final score of 2-0.

The fans that made their way into Morrison Stadium on the campus of Creighton University were prepared for the evening, showing up in several layers. At the time of the opening kickoff, temperatures were in the mid-40s and wind gusts were averaging close to 20 mph. Once the opening whistle sounded, weather stopped being a concern and the battle for victory commenced.

Before the match started, El Paso Locomotive announced they would have upwards of 12 players making their US Open Cup debut. Brian Clarhaut, the Locomotive Head Coach, was also making his debut. Of the 12 players eligible for making their debuts, 8 actually took the field in the contest. Despite Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato making his US Open Cup debut, he opted for a lineup full of veteran players with plenty of experience in the tournament.

From the opening whistle, Union Omaha was displaying a level of composure fans didn’t see in their first league match. El Paso Locomotive pushed high, spread their wingers high on the Union Omaha backline, and looked to capitalize on forcing an errant pass. Union Omaha seemed to counter that effort by exposing the half spaces and limiting touches to move the ball quickly. Both sides did a good job of swiftly moving the ball forward while in possession. While the battles continued, the scoreline remained 0-0 heading into the break.

“I think we had a really clear identity and I think in our first game of the season, against Forward Madison, we came away from that identity,” Union Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato said. “If we stay true to who we are, I think we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The second half continued with a lot of the same patterns from the first half, but the ingredient of individual duels became an increasing source of progress as challenges became rougher and successful dribbles helped gain each and every valuable inch toward the opposition’s goal. Within 15 minutes of action after halftime, that notion led to the first goal of the evening.

In the 58th minute, Union Omaha set up for a corner kick. After a series of blocked shots, Union Omaha forward Steevan Dos Santos was able to connect with center back Junior Palacios for the opening goal. It seemed like a mad scramble, but the Owls were able to take advantage of the moment and take the lead.

“Yeah, this week we had been going over set pieces,” Union Omaha defender Junior Palacios said. “We had been honing in on that and I was just anticipating the ball in the right space. It fell to me and I took the opportunity to score.”

As the second half continued on, the tackling grew rougher and rougher. Within a span of 15 minutes, three yellow cards were handed out and that number could’ve been higher, if not for the occasional restraint from the head referee.

Union Omaha’s insurance policy came in the 75th minute when second-half substitute Joe Brito sent a beautiful cross into the box and served it on a platter for Steevan Dos Santos to score the goal. Dos Santos finished the match with a goal and an assist.

The victory was Union Omaha’s first of the calendar year and first ever for new Head Coach Dominic Casciato, who spoke to the importance of the victory. “It feels great,” Casciato said. “I think we’ve got the best people in terms of players and the staff at this football club and that showed tonight.” When asked about his own connection to El Paso Locomotive, serving as an assistant coach for the club last season, Casciato didn’t waste any time in complimenting the Locomotive. “I love El Paso,” Casciato said. “El Paso was a special place to me.”

Both Union Omaha and El Paso Locomotive return to league action this weekend, as Union Omaha travels to Central Valley Fuego for a USL League One match and El Paso Locomotive hosts Orange County SC in their USL Championship matchup.

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