How Union Omaha won USL League One

Breaking down how Union Omaha's picture-perfect tactics won them the USL League One title

That Union Omaha would compete for a title in 2024 was no guarantee. Five regular starters from 2023 ended up in the USL Championship. Veteran leaders like Conor Doyle and Luis Gil - Omaha’s foe on Sunday afternoon - left for USL League One rivals. Dominic Casciato had the resources to rebuild his team, but there was work to be done, and it took a superior managerial effort to contend.

Omaha contended and then some. Inclusive of the playoffs, they ended 2024 as one of only two teams in League One history to finish with a cumulative expected goal difference of +20 or great. This team’s excellence was clear from the jump; this season began with an eight-match undefeated run across all competitions, garnered a Players’ Shield title, and ended in postseason glory.

This club kept improving all year long until they found the right formula. Nailed-on playoff contributors like Charlie Ostrem (a heady, technically gifted wing back) and Max Schneider (king of third-man runs and spirited counterpressure) were added partway through the year; just six of Omaha’s 11 opening day starters were in the lineup against the Spokane Velocity in the League One final.

Within a minute of the opening kick in the championship match, Union Omaha had already set the tone and established their bona fides. All-hands-on-deck attacking out of the 3-2-5 and torrid counterpressing defined this team’s best runs of form put the Velocity to the sword from the jump.

After about 40 seconds of play, a switch to an advancing Joe Gallardo on the right was jostled away, only for winger Lagos Kunga and midfielder Schneider - whose three duel wins and four recoveries grossly understate his effort - to close down. Spokane couldn’t clear amidst that heat, Omaha kept attacking upon re-gaining, and a go-ahead corner kick would be the result.

Defensively, Spokane set up for that corner with Derek Waldeck (marked with a “1” in the clip) floating between the corner flag and the near side. Two teammates were posted as zonal markers behind him at the near post.

Against that setup, Omaha would send a few runners to distract the zonal duo, thereby allowing Max Schneider (seen with a “2”) to sneak behind Waldeck for a glancing header. Yes, it was a difficult shot to convert for Schneider, but he had all the space in the world to do the job.

Omaha would score from the corner again in similar fashion shortly thereafter. At the start of the corner-earning move, a wanton Velocity goal kick was fielded by Pedro Dolabella toward the sideline, drawing Waldeck up from left back. With the defender semi-committed, Kunga could leak in behind and force another set piece. Again, Omaha went with a “flood the near post” routine, and, again, Spokane couldn’t keep up.

The early goals were no fluke. Whether in their 5-1-3-1 press or attacking in 3-2-5 mode, Los Búhos were the sharper side. Union Omaha was given far too much time to think while possessing the ball; Spokane hesitated to close down and opted for a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” 4-4-2 press that neither sat deep nor pushed high.

Conceding so much space was a death sentence for the Velocity. Omaha’s outside could push up and ask questions through the channels, teeing up overloads between the lines. I highlighted the role of Blake Malone’s carriage from the right side of the back three in my match preview, but it was Marco Milanese (five passes into the final third) that stirred the drink on Sunday.

In practice above, the Italian defender’s carriage forces the right winger in the Spokane midfield line to step up, thereby compromising the Velocity shape. The wing pressure doesn’t come quickly enough, and the formation isn’t the slightest bit compact.

As a result, wing back Charlie Ostrem, winger Zeiko Lewis, and Aaron Gomez all await ahead of Milanese with vanishingly little protection in-between. That Lewis was able to take 11 touches in the left half space in the first half alone was a sign of Spokane’s troubles and Omaha’s dominance.

The phenomenon extended both ways: Union Omaha’s high press did splendidly to limit central angles and turn the guests over with regularity.

Mostly using the aforementioned 5-1-3-1, Omaha pushed Dolabella (just named to the all-USL team) up from the pivot to create a three-man attacking midfield line. In contrast to their guest, Los Búhos shifted in parallel to the ball as Spokane swung around the perimeter to deny centering passes. Even when Andre Lewis and Jack Denton - the Velocity center mids - received the ball, their touches came under pressure. They completed just four passes into the final third in the first half.

Though Spokane lacked attacking sharpness throughout the match, they did improve in build after going down 2-0. Added daring at the full back spots was key, particularly when Javier Martin Gil pushed from right back and forced an Omaha player to step up and mark him. Thereafter, it was possible to skip over Gil into a winger and go to work.

If Luis Gil could drop low from his forward-ish role and bend the opposing press, the impact was even clearer. Gil didn’t have the day he’d have wanted against his old club, but he still showed flashes of the guile that makes him special.

That’s what’s happening here, though Gil begins the sequence offscreen. At the start of the play, the Velocity are working from right to left at the back toward the feet of defender Camron Miller. Because Spokane has swung the ball with requisite tempo, Miller can look ahead with an angle toward either Denton or Lewis.

The result? A high-pressing Dolabella can’t decide who to mark. He splits the middle, and so he’ll have to veer sharply to one side or the other once Miller’s pass is released.

In this case, Denton receives and easily turns around Dolabella into open space. There’s a massive runway because Gil, smart as ever, has camped in the left channel and pinned Schneider - Omaha’s lone No. 6 in their preferred pressing formation - in a disadvantageous spot. The break is on.

Those chances, of course, were few and far-between. The Velocity literally didn’t put a shot on target!

To keep Spokane shot-free, Omaha brought Dion Acoff into the game after about 60 minutes and shift into more of a 5-3-2ish look. Acoff took over at right wing back, shifting the excellent Gallardo - whose service powered the two corner goals - to the left wing in replacement.

You’d be equally valid in calling the shape a 5-4-1; Kunga, ostensibly the second forward, tended to be a freelancer on the right and could drop low if needed. Giving Lagos Kunga freedom is typically a very good idea, and it paid off in spades for Casciato.

In the 71st minute, Gallardo was able to shepherd a takeaway into final third, sucking Spokane in. Meanwhile, Kunga crept to the far post, anticipating a knock-on that eventually landed at his feet. From there, Kunga did classic Kunga things in a one-on-one, and it was a deserved 3-0.

What more can you say? Union Omaha dominated territory, executed their defensive gameplan to absolute perfection, and gave their best players the opportunity to be expressive.

A lesser manager would rein Lagos Kunga in or pigeonhole Pedro Dolabella as either a forward or No. 8. Dominic Casciato isn’t that manager. The two-time League One Coach of the Year has an unmistakable philosophy, but he isn’t doctrinaire.

Whether systematically breaking down the Richmond Kickers, leaning into a more pragmatic approach against the Greenville Triumph, or dominating wire-to-wire against the Spokane Velocity, Casciato and his club found ways to adapt without ever losing their identity.

That blend of consistency and adaptability is the marker of a great team. As 2024 comes to a close, Union Omaha is undeniably a great team. They proved it on Sunday afternoon.