Forward Madison FC vs Union Omaha
Saturday, April 9th, 2022; 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Bresse Steven Field
Follow @ForwardMSNFC on Twitter and Instagram for live updates
Forward Madison is set to face off against the defending USL League One Champions, Union Omaha. The match will take place at Breese Stevens Field on Saturday night at 7pm CT. This is the Flamingos home opening match for the USL League One 2022 season.
Forward Madison notched a 1-1 draw with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in their season opener on April 2nd. Newcomer Nazeem Bartman scored a 95’ minute goal to equalize the score for FMFC. Forward Madison continued their campaign with a battle with Cleveland SC in the 2nd Round of the US Open Cup this past Wednesday. FMFC moved on to the 3rd round of the Cup with a 3-0 win with goals from Justin Sukow, Cesar Murillo, and Nazeem Bartman.
Union Omaha began the 2022 campaign with a 2-1 win against Des Moines Menace in their 2nd Round matchup in the US Open Cup. They’ll open their USL League One season in Madison.
Tickets are available now for this match!
Coaches and USL League One 2022 Records
Forward Madison FC (0-0-1)
Head Coach: Matt Glaeser
Union Omaha (0-0-0)
Head Coach: Jason Mims
Key Players to Watch:
Forward Madison:
Abdou Mbacke Thiam: The Senegalese Forward helped apply a lot of offensive pressure against Chattanooga FC. He looked aggressive in the opener and helped lead the team to take plenty of quality shot attempts. Watch out for Thiam challenging Omaha’s back line.
Mitch Osmond: In his first match in the pink and blue, Osmond made an immediate impact on FMFC’s defensive solidity. The Flamingos captain earned USL League One Team of the Week honors for his performance against Chattanooga. Expect another big game from the Australian defender.
Phil Breno: Almost no one had a better season opener than Breno, who made crucial saves and came up big when the Flamingos needed him most. The 6’2’’ goalkeeper proved himself with an impressive one-on-one breakaway save to hold Chattanooga to only one goal. The 26-year-old will be amped up for the challenge to prove himself once again, especially against the defending league champs.
Key Match Up
Forwards vs Forwards:
This match will feature two of the better offensive teams in the league. For Union Omaha, their Championship campaign last season was led offensively by Devin Boyce and Evan Conway. Boyce and Conway are now playing in the USL Championship League, which means other forwards are going to need to step up for the Owls. Omaha will likely have to primarily rely on Noe Meza, Ricardo Rivera, and Ryen Jiba for offense.
As for Forward Madison, the club faced some season-opening jitters in their match against Chattanooga, but converted 3 goals in the U.S. Open Cup match against Cleveland. The Flamingos will need big performances from Nazeem Bartman, Abdou Mbacke Thiam, Derek Gebhard and Audi Jepson in order to apply some pressure on the defending champs.
Keys to the Match
- Fast Start: In what will be the season opener for Forward Madison, it’ll be crucial for the club to start off quickly to get the crowd into the game. If the Flamingos can score an early goal, the crowd will gain some momentum and that’ll only help the team play better. FMFC started slow against Chattanooga, so an early goal could provide the team with more confidence in their offense.
- Stick to the System: Everyone will need to play within the system and stay focused to come away with the victory. Union Omaha is going to try to get Forward Madison out of its system, so FMFC players will need to stay disciplined and understand their positioning on the pitch.
- Defensive Solidity: The back line will need to remain confident after back-to-back solid performances in order to shut down Omaha’s offense. Eric Leonard and Mitch Osmond will need to continue to lead the Flamingos’ defense and build from the back.
USL League One Table
Previous and Next Match
FMFC played their last USL League One match against Chattanooga Red Wolves FC, which ended in a 1-1 draw. They then won 3-0 versus Cleveland SC in the U.S. Open Cup Second Round. Next on the schedule for the Flamingos is a trip to Arizona for a match against FC Tucson on Saturday, April 16th at 9:00 p.m. CT.
Union Omaha came out victorious against Des Moines Menace in the U.S. Open Cup Second Round. Their next USL League One match will be against South Georgia Tormenta FC on April 16th at 5:00 p.m.
