Omaha and Red Wolves share spoils
2-2 tie in Nebraska
Union Omaha and the Chattanooga Red Wolves played out an exciting 2-2 stalemate at Werner Park on Saturday evening. The result sees Omaha drop one place to 11th in what is a tightly packed race for the 8th and final playoff spot in USL League One, with only three points separating 8th and 12th.
At the other end, the Red Wolves have dropped to 2nd place behind Spokane Velocity, although they’re only one point behind the team from Washington. With third place FC Naples having played a game more and two points further back, are we looking at a simple two-horse race now for 1st?
Omaha came into the game on stuttering form. Under interim Head Coach Vincenzo Candela, they’re now three wins, a draw and three losses. Before Saturday’s tie with the Red Wolves, they’d won their most recent game at home against Westchester (2-1). Chattanooga, meanwhile, are the league’s in-form side. Coming into Saturday’s game off a win at home against Forward Madison on Wednesday, they are now unbeaten in eight games.
Early exchanges of fire saw Chattanooga’s Matt Bentley and the pair of Laurence Wootton and Max Schneider go close for Omaha. Chattanooga, as expected, were sitting deep, allowing Omaha the ball and looking to break on the counter. Union had 73% possession in the first 45 minutes and eventually got the breakthrough that has eluded so many other sides up against this stubborn Red Wolves defense. On 28 minutes, after good Omaha buildup play, Mark Bronnick sent a shot through a clustered box that beat a diving Jason Smith.
Chattanooga’s modus operandi this season has been to allow the opposition the ball, be frustratingly composed and focused at the back, and attack with pace when the ball is turned over. It’s what has given them this now eight game unbeaten run and a recent four game winning streak. On Saturday, they held just 24% possession all night and again executed their counterattacking game plan with gusto. On 35 minutes, in the midst of another Omaha siege, captain Ualefi won the ball back on the edge of his own penalty box, got it away to midfield partner Wynand Wessels who brought the ball forward and got a pass off to Omar Hernández on the right-wing before being fouled. Playing advantage, the 24-year-old from Dalton, Georgia floated a deliciously crisp switching pass to a galloping and unmarked Jordan Ayimbila. The Ghanaian fullback took the ball neatly on the edge of the box, and advanced toward his compatriot Rashid Nuhu in the Omaha goal. A third Ghanaian, Samuel Owusu came back to defend, but Ayimbila slotted the ball through his legs and into Nuhu’s net to make it 1-1. His second goal of the season.
A few chances for both sides caused both keepers some bother, but nothing enough to test them that half and the score was 1-1 after 45 minutes.
And so, it would stay that way for most of the second half until late in the game, when the Red Wolves would take the lead. Another counter attack and another Wynand Wessels move, this time finding substitute Yanis Lelin on the left wing. The 23-year-old from Spain took two initial touches, one with each foot before absolutely smashing a left-footed shot from just inside the box that soared over Nuhu at high speed and into the top of the net. An absolute cracker of a goal and likely the finest he’ll score for a long time.
Omaha didn’t wilt however, and inspired by their 4,000 or so fans, kept on going. On the 96th minute a charging run forward by Dion Acoff ended with a cross that eluded the Red Wolves’ central defense and found substitute Stéfano Pinho who was there to poke a right-footed shot passed Smith and tie the game. In a sense, Omaha had done to the Red Wolves what they’ve done to everyone else. Attack blisteringly on the counter and score fast.
So, a point apiece for each team. Both are on the road next week with Omaha visiting Tennessee to meet One Knoxville on Saturday, while the Red Wolves head to Texas that day to take on Texoma in Sherman.
Box Score
Union Omaha - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
USL League One
Venue: Werner Park | Papillion, NE.
Attendance: 4,182
Final Score: Omaha 2-2 Chattanooga
Referee: Velimir Stefanovic
Scoring summary:
28’: M. Bronnik (OMA)
37’: J. Ayimbila (CRW)
86’: Y. Lelin (CRW)
90+6’: S. Pinho (OMA)
Discipline:
18’: M. Milanese (OMA) - foul, yellow
38’: J. Ayimbila (CRW) - foul, yellow
45+4’: D. Watters (CRW) - foul, yellow
53’: P. Faz (OMA) - dissent, yellow
71’: M. Schneider (OMA) - foul, yellow
90+4’: W. Wessels (CRW) - foul, yellow
Man of the Match: Wynand Wessels (CRW) - had a hand in both Red Wolves’ goals and looked composed and commanding in central midfield.
Line-ups:
Union Omaha (3-4-2-1): Rashid Nuhu (C); Marco Milanese (Dion Acoff 56’), Brent Kallman, Samuel Owusu; Charlie Ostrem, Max Schneider, Brandon Knapp (Isidro Martinez 83’), Laurence Wootton (Prosper Kasim 83’); Ryan Becher (Stéfano Pinho 67’), Mark Bronnik (Benjamin Barjolo 56’); Pato Faz
Substitutes not used: Cole Jensen, Anderson Holt, Sergio Ors Navarro
Head Coach: Vincenzo Candela
Chattanooga Red Wolves (5-4-1): Jason Smith; Jordan Ayimbila (Joshua Ramos 82’), Aaron Lombardi (Yanis Lelin 62’), Eric Kinzner, Declan Watters, Owen Green (Omar Gómez 62’); Matt Bentley, Wynand Wessels, Ualefi (C), Omar Hernández (Zahir Vazquez 62’); Greyson Mercer (Pedro Hernández 74’)
Substitutes not used: Ricardo Jérez, Kimball Jackson
Head Coach: Scott Mackenzie
Next Games
• August 16th, 19:00 (ET): One Knoxville SC v Union Omaha, Covenant Health Park, Knoxville, TN (USL League One)
• August 16th, 20:30 (ET): Texoma FC v Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Sherman Bearcat Stadium, Sherman, TX (USL League One)