North Carolina FC fell 3-0 to the Union Omaha Owls on Saturday, Sept. 4. The loss was NCFC’s 11th loss of the season and the team currently sits bottom of the table with 16 points from 19 games.
Union Omaha dominated the majority of the first half, outshooting NCFC 8-2 in the opening 45 and taking the lead in the seventh minute via a rocket of a shot from Damia Viader
Omaha easily could have been up two, if not three, at the break if it wasn’t for NCFC keeper Jake McGuire making three big saves. Nelson Flores also got in on the goal-saving efforts, blocking a shot at the far post that was destined for an open net.
“In critical moments, we kind of let ourselves down a little bit,” said NCFC head coach John Bradford. “Obviously in terms of flow of play, responding after giving up an early goal and having a decent first half, that’s fine.”
While NCFC held the majority of the possession by the time the halftime whistle blew (59%), the Owls came out in a 4-4-2 and played a high line in the first half, making it difficult for NCFC to play through them, forcing the hosts to go direct with balls over the top throughout the first half.
“The high line they played the first half, only about five yards into their own half defensively, it’s asking for guys on our end to make positive runs behind and to be able to stretch them,” Bradford said. “We were decent at that. Maybe some questionable fouls that weren’t called in terms of stuff near the box. I don’t think any of the calls went our way tonight, but at the same time, that made it a little bit difficult to play through the spaces in the middle.”
The Owls doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute from the penalty spot. Evan Conway broke into NCFC’s box and McGuire came out to challenge the breakaway. Conway took a touch around McGuire and the keeper brought him down. There were some questions as to if the touch would have taken Conway out of bounds without McGuire’s contact, but the referee awarded the penalty.
Viader stepped up to the spot and converted as McGuire guessed the wrong direction.
“Giving up the early PK in the second half, it’s kind of a copy of the first half,” Bradford said. “I don’t think that our response was good enough to really get ourselves back into the game.”
After the second goal, NCFC made a pair of substitutions with Jay Tee Kamara and Thorn Simpson entering the game for Josh Coan and Robby Kristo. Kamara in particular gave NCFC an offensive spark and created some really good chances, while still coming back and doing the defensive work.
“There’s not many things I’m thrilled about after a 3-0 loss but every time there was an opportunity for Jay Tee to defend, to track back, he did,” Bradford said. “He did one right in front of our bench where he worked his ass off to get back, make a play and stop the transition.”
After the game, Bradford said that for Kamara to reach his potential, those off the ball efforts need to become more of a habit.
“Obviously he wants to play more, but to come in and work on the things that we’re trying to get him to work on is great,” Bradford said. “On the ball, continuing to make the right decisions at the right time is still something he needs to improve on.”
Union Omaha put any hopes of a comeback to bed in the 85th minute as substitute Ricardo Rivera headed home the Owls’ third goal.
New signing Daniel Steedman made his debut in the loss, entering the game as a substitute in the 76th minute. Prior to joining NCFC, Steedman has played more central, but Bradford said they are still trying to figure out the best position for him to work with the other personnel.
“Daniel has been a really positive addition to the group and to get him on the field tonight and kind of see him in the live game was great,” Bradford said. “He’s athletic. He’s explosive. He’s active. He’s gonna be difficult for opponents to deal with.”
NCFC will look to bounce back from the loss next weekend, hosting New England Revolution II on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. The game will be Pack Pro and club legend Nazmi Albadawi’s last game as a professional as he announced his retirement earlier this week.
