# Union Omaha

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).

## History

In 2019, USL1 awarded a franchise to Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings to begin play in the 2020 season, with former head coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Jay Mims, announced as the club's first manager. 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.
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. Union Omaha then finished the season winning their first ever championship, beating defending champion Greenville Triumph SC 3–0 in the final.
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. 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. 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.
On January 25, 2024, the club announced their plans to build a dedicated soccer stadium in Downtown Omaha. On November 17, 2024, Union Omaha won its second USL League One title, defeating expansion team Spokane Velocity FC 3–0.

## Crest

The team's name and crest were developed through fan engagement including town halls, workshops, interviews, and online polls to reflect the entire Omaha region. 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.
The star above the crest represents Union Omaha's first USL League One title, and was added following their 2021 title win.

## Stadium

The team plays in Werner Park, a baseball park south west of Omaha in the suburb of Papillion. The Sarpy County owned stadium was opened fourteen 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. 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.

### New stadium

In January 2024, the team announced plans to build a dedicated 7,000-seat stadium in the Riverfront area of east downtown Omaha along the Missouri River, southeast of the intersection of Abbott Drive and Riverfront Drive near the CHI Health Center and Charles Schwab Field. The stadium, with an estimated cost of $60 million, was originally intended to be part of a planned $300 million housing and entertainment district, and was scheduled to open in spring 2026. In January 2025, team owner Gary Green stated that plans had changed and the Riverfront site was no longer under consideration, but also said that the team was still “fully committed to building a downtown professional soccer stadium for Omaha.”

## Sponsorship

| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| 2020 | Nike | CHI Health (home) Nebraska Medicine (away) |
| 2021–2022 | Nike | XCancer |
| 2023 | Hummel | XCancer |
| 2024–present | Hummel | Centris Federal Credit Union |

### Uniform evolution

Home: 2020–present
| 2020 | 2021–2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Away: 2020–present
| 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 | 2022–2023 | 2023–2024 | 2024- |

## Players

    As of March 8, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 3 | DF | USA | Blake Malone |
| 5 | DF | ITA | Marco Milanese |
| 7 | MF | USA | Joe Gallardo |
| 9 | FW | ALG | Mehdi Ouamri |
| 10 | FW | GHA | Prosper Kasim |
| 12 | GK | USA | Russell Shealy |
| 13 | DF | USA | Anderson Holt |
| 14 | DF | USA | Brent Kallman |
| 15 | MF | USA | Brandon Knapp |
| 18 | FW | USA | Mark Bronnik |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | DF | USA | Josh Ramsey (on loan from Lexington SC) |
| 20 | DF | USA | Charlie Ostrem |
| 21 | FW | MEX | Aarón Gómez |
| 23 | MF | GER | Max Schneider |
| 24 | GK | GHA | Rashid Nuhu |
| 26 | DF | USA | Dion Acoff |
| 27 | DF | SSD | Ryen Jiba |
| 30 | MF | USA | Isidro Martinez |
| 70 | FW | USA | Lagos Kunga |
| 95 | MF | FRA | Kemy Amiche |

## Staff
### Current staff

Coaching staff :
| Dominic Casciato | Head coach |
| Ladulé Lako LoSarah | Assistant coach |
| Vincenzo Candela | Assistant coach |
| Front Office ||
| Martie Cordaro | President |
| Alexis Boulos | General Manager |

## Statistics and records
### Year-by-year

    As of November 17, 2024
| Season | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | USL League One | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Top Scorer | Top Scorer |
| Season | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | PPG | Position | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Player | Goals |
| 2020 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 29 | 1.81 | 2nd | F | Cancelled | Evan Conway | 6 |
| 2021 | 28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 44 | 22 | 51 | 1.82 | 1st | W | Cancelled | Greg Hurst | 14 |
| 2022 | 30 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 34 | 33 | 43 | 1.43 | 5th | QF | QF | Noe Meza | 9 |
| 2023 | 32 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 61 | 41 | 65 | 2.03 | 1st | SF | Third Round | Steevan Dos Santos | 13 |
| 2024 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 47 | 24 | 48 | 2.18 | 1st | W | Ro32 | Pedro Dolabella | 11 |
| Total | 128 | 66 | 38 | 24 | 206 | 135 | 236 | 1.84 | – | – | – | Noe Meza | 23 |

### Head coaches record

    As of September 7, 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 | 046.34 |
| Dominic Casciato | England | January 17, 2023 | Present | 62 | 37 | 10 | 15 | 124 | 84 | 059.68 |

### Average attendance

| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
| 2020 | 2,500 | – |
| 2021 | 3,354 | 4,414 |
| 2022 | 3,911 | – |
| 2023 | 3,030 | 2,217 |
| 2024 | 3,206 | 3,716 |

## Honors

* USL League One playoffs
** Champions: 2021, 2024
* USL League One Regular Season
** Players' Shield: 2021, 2023, 2024

### Individual honors

| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
| 2020 | Evan Conway | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team |
| 2020 | Damià Viader | Spain | Defender | All-League First Team |
| 2020 | Ethan Vanacore-Decker | United States | Forward | All-League Second Team Assists Champion |
| 2020 | Rashid Nuhu | Ghana | Goalkeeper | All-League Second Team |
| 2021 | Damià Viader | Spain | Defender | Defender of the Year All-League First Team League Finals MVP |
| 2021 | Rashid Nuhu | Ghana | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper of the Year Golden Glove Award All-League Second Team |
| 2021 | Greg Hurst | Scotland | Forward | All-League First Team |
| 2021 | Devin Boyce | United States | Midfielder | All-League Second Team |
| 2021 | 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 |
| 2022 | JP Scearce | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team |
| 2023 | Dominic Casciato | England | Coach | Coach of the Year |
| 2023 | JP Scearce | United States | Midfielder | All-League First Team |
| 2023 | Alexis Souahy | Comoros | Defender | All-League First Team |
| 2023 | Steevan Dos Santos | Cape Verde | Forward | All-League Second Team |
| 2023 | Noe Meza | United States | Forward | All-League Second Team |
| 2023 | Dion Acoff | United States | Defender | All-League Second Team |
| 2024 | Dominic Casciato | England | Coach | Coach of the Year |
| 2024 | Pedro Dolabella | Brazil | Midfielder | All-League First Team |