May 20, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release
CHARLOTTE, Nc. – Those expecting yet another scoreless draw between Omaha and Charlotte were pleasantly disappointed by an outbreak of goals that saw the visitors leave with an emphatic victory.
A brace by League One’s hottest player, Missael Rodríguez, was book-ended by goals from fellow in-form players Pedro Dolabella and Lagos Kunga to make for a second 4-1 win for Omaha in their last four meetings. Incredibly, this came after going into the halftime break down 1-0.
Charlotte had most of the better chances in the first half, despite 50-50 possession and a relatively even shot total. Rashid Nuhu had to come off his line aggressively in the 8th minute to deny Rayan Djedje cutting inside from the right wing. Later, Luis Alvarez, who had fed Djedje for that early chance, busted free on a counterattack off an Omaha corner kick. However, Dion Acoff busted a lung to make up for the misplaced pass that began the break, bought enough time to allow other Owls to recover as well, and then blocked Alvarez’s shot to snuff out the danger.
The Independence’s run of play soon came to a head as the heavens came pouring down, though. Alvarez made a great dummy on a diagonal ball to the top of the box, and Charlotte’s leading scorer Juan Carlos Obregón turned, put the ball on his left foot, and got off a shot that squirted through both Nuhu and Blake Malone for the lead.
Head Coach Dominic Casciato chalked the first half deficit up to an identity crisis of sorts. “I think first half we didn’t really recognize who we were, with or without the ball. We were giving away too much space, and obviously gave away a sloppy goal.”
While the first few minutes of the second half were innocuous enough, though, from then on the Owls found themselves.
Pedro Dolabella kicked things off with a goal in his third straight match. As part of the Búhos’ high pressing, Joe Gallardo bull-rushed Djedje and muscled him off the ball. It fell to Aarón Gómez, who had Charlotte goalkeeper Austin Pack committed to closing him down. The winger coolly slid it across goal to Dolabella, who had a wide open net to tap in the equalizer.
By the 62nd minute, the match had been turned right on its head. Not long after a wonderful line-splitting pass out of the back from Mechack Jérôme and a blocked Rodríguez shot, Lagos Kunga juked Anton Sorenson out of his shoes and skated past Bachir Ndiaye en route to the byline. He…