By Cam McCann, Gonzaga University ‘25
Spokane Velocity FC’s historic inaugural season finale ended in a place nobody expected them to be – the USL League One Final.
Today, Union Omaha was crowned their second title since joining in 2020, winning in 3-0 fashion over Velocity in the Final played at Werner Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Hats off to them,” said Velocity captain and former Owl Luis Gil. “They played the way they wanted to, they stuck to the game plan [and] they made it really difficult to play through the middle.”
The year for Spokane ended with multiple historic firsts in League One, including the two biggest postseason upsets by seeding as well as the first inaugural club to play in the championship match within the current playoff format.
Omaha hadn’t lost since Sept. 11 coming into the match, and was awarded the top seed going into the postseason. The club’s record against Velocity, however, was locked at 2-2 going into the final match, with the home team ending on the right side of the score each time.
The match’s result is a testament to both the ability for Velocity to play tough but also the Owls’ to limit mistakes and capitalize on any waiver in Spokane’s defense.
“[Omaha’s] been building their identity for awhile, they’ve had the same coach for multiple years and you see that all the players really understand the system really well,” said Velocity midfielder Jack Denton.
The first two goals were scored off corner kicks. The first came in the third minute off an impressive header from Max Schneider that Velocity keeper Brooks Thompson was able to get a hand on, but ultimately bounced off the inside of the crossbar and fell in. The second came in the 19th minute after a touch by Marcelo Lage in the box found its way to Pedro Dolabella in a hoard of players, who sent it to the bottom left of the goal and out of Thompson’s reach.
“When you go 2-0 down within 19 minutes off two set pieces in Omaha, the uphill climb gets a lot bigger,” said head coach Leigh Veidman. “Thankfully, we were still in the game at halftime.”
The rest of the first half was scoreless, but not without Velocity making multiple efforts that gave spurts of life to the watch party crowd that took over Flatstick Pub in Downtown Spokane.
The first 30 minutes did not go in Velocity’s favor, as they were steadily losing both the total passes and passing percentage battles, which were two areas they were the best at during the season. However, over the next six minutes, Velocity’s total passes went from 100 to 141, and resulted in good possession down in their attacking third.
Javier Martín Gil created a chance for a score thanks to winning a one-on-one matchup off a lob pass that wound up just outside the right side of the Omaha box. Martín Gil sent a cross over to Anuar Peláez, who had pressed his way to the middle of the box, but multiple Owls prevented Peláez from making contact.
The first half ended with Omaha registering three shots on target with Velocity slowly taking over the possession and settling back into the game as the half drew to an end.
Despite the positive latter part of the first half, the second half saw Velocity register just one shot, despite holding on to possession for 62% of the time.
Thompson’s second half in the goal saw him snag four saves, but a splendid strike of the left foot of Lagos Kunga marked the match’s final score.
Velocity finding their way into the League One Final was not to be expected according to coach Veidman, and gives the young franchise plenty to build on in the coming years of pro soccer in Spokane.
“The group of people that have come together all the way from ownership down to the players, me, staff, front office [and] everyone in between has brought something really special to Spokane,” Veidman said. “This is not a reflection of who we are in the result of the game, but what we’ve done to get here, and it’s been an incredible journey. We really hope we made our fans proud at home, and we set some incredibly solid foundations to build a really successful future for this club and this community.”
With the USL League One Playoffs in the rear view mirror, Velocity is poised to regroup during the offseason and return in March 2025 for a sophomore season that is sure to draw attention across the U.S. professional soccer landscape and once again energize the City of Spokane.
