August 30, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release
Madison, Wisc. – There’s a typical pattern to many of these derbies. Hard-fought, but also cagey. Prone to outbursts of brilliance as much as stretches of tepid, simmering action, less throwing haymakers than speculative jabs.
Going into August, this matchup has seen an average of 1.85 goals a match, with no team ever exceeding two. The 2-2 draw earlier this month was, by these standards, near-lunacy.
Last night’s madcap 3-3 draw, then, was something else entirely.
Head Coach Dominic Casciato, predictably, had a lot to say in the aftermath of this see-sawing epic. “Disappointing not to hold on for the win tonight, but what a performance from the guys! I know we gave away two soft goals at the beginning of the game, which obviously you can’t do against any team, especially a team like Madison. But the way we responded after that was unbelievable.
“I think it’s a really good sign now going into the last stretch of the season in terms of what we can do and how we’re going to be playing, how we’re going to be performing, and how we’re going to be winning games.”
Perhaps seeing the ‘Mingos start all four former Búhos on their roster was the first hint that this would be a helter-skelter evening, but there was hardly any time to process that before the Madison outfit got themselves on the board.
A giveaway on the left flank led to Madison breaking forward just 80 seconds in, with Timmy Mehl driving into the center of the pitch. To his left, Wolfgang Prentice darted unmarked into the box. Union Omaha couldn’t close him down in time to keep the Oakland Roots loanee from slotting a wormburner into the far corner practically before Rashid Nuhu could even sprawl out for it.
The Owls opened the match looking apprehensive on both sides of the ball. Madison’s direct play often yielded unconvincing clearances and better chances for the home side, while their pressing gave every other pass an element of disquietude.
Both of these came to pass in the 23rd minute. A typical ball over the top by Forward Madison seemed to land in a Bermuda Triangle where nobody knew whose job it was to clean it up. With former Owl Devin Boyce in pursuit, Marco Milanese sprung into action to pass it back to Nuhu… who had come out from goal in case he needed to collect the ball.
He did, but unfortunately it was out of his own net once the pass trickled past him for a tragicomic own goal. 2-0 to the Flamingos, with a ticket…