FRESNO, CA – Central Valley Fuego FC faced Union Omaha in Round 7 of the USL Jägermeister Cup in a tense and hard-fought match that ended in heartbreak for the home side. The first half saw both teams locked in a tactical battle, with neither side able to break the deadlock. Fuego made a triple substitution at halftime, bringing on S. John-Brown, A. Midence, and C. Torr in an attempt to inject fresh energy into their side.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances. Fuego were forced into another substitution in the 60th minute due to an injury to B. Bustamante, with C. Heckenberg taking his place. J. Carrera also came on for T. Williams in the same minute, signaling Fuego’s intent to push for a breakthrough.
Union Omaha made their first change in the 61st minute, introducing L. Kunga for J. Gómez, followed by M. Rodríguez for B. Malone in the 70th minute. The visitors started to apply more pressure, and the game became increasingly physical, with Omaha’s Lagos Kunga and Max Schneider both receiving yellow cards in the 78th and 80th minutes, respectively.
As the game approached its conclusion, tensions flared further. Fuego’s José Carrera-García was shown a yellow card in the 95th minute for a tactical foul, and just moments later, Union Omaha struck the decisive blow. In the 96th minute, Steevan dos Santos found the back of the net to give Omaha a crucial 1-0 lead.
Fuego’s frustration boiled over in the dying seconds, with Razak Cromwell receiving a yellow card for arguing with the referee in the 99th minute. Despite their efforts, Central Valley Fuego FC couldn’t find an equalizer, and Union Omaha secured a hard-earned victory on the road, moving forward in the USL Jägermeister Cup.
Chris Heckenberg, #8:
“I thought ut was good, there is a lot of positives to take from it but at the same time it’s one of those ones where you have to finish your chances cause ultimately every team is going to get at least one chance and if they put theirs away and we don’t then we end up losing like that.”
Omar Lemus, #17:
“It was tough one, back and forward game, we had a plan we stuck to it but it’s always those last minutes whoever wants it more and unfortunately for us we are on the other side.”
Coach Jermaine Jones:
“I wanted to give the guys some minutes, so we can give some guys rest for our next extremely important match against Lexington in league.”
About Central Valley Fuego FC:
Established in 2002, Central Valley Fuego FC is the region’s sole professional soccer club. Competing in USL League One, the club made its professional debut in April 2022. In 2024, all home matches will be hosted at Fresno State Soccer Stadium. Central Valley Fuego FC is dedicated to uniting the community through the love of soccer. For more information, visit www.fuegofc.com
