Martie Cordaro on the Big Moment for Omaha Soccer and Omaha United Tomorrow

Episode Transcript

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Find us online on the free iHeartRadioapp. Just go ahead and go to
kfab dot com as well, andyou can listen to us live. We
really appreciate everybody for listening to usand taking part. You can listen to
us, you can talk to uson a variety of points as we continue
to move on here today and ourconversation with Jeff Angelo we are going to

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have in the five o'clock hour aswell, if you missed that conversation earlier,
really good analytic look at what ishappening with the Stormy Daniels testimony,
which has been stopped today and we'llcontinue on Thursday. If you have any
questions or comments on that sort ofthing, you can also email me Emory
at kfab dot com. Well,we continue to have a lot of things

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that are going on in and aroundthe Omaha area, things that we are
paying very close attention to on avariety of levels, and that includes our
Big Bucks giveaway contest which is movingon and money is our keyword this hour.
So if you go to kfab dotcom, I'll have a chance to
win a thousand dollars by putting inthe keyword money. And that's one thing

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we're paying attention to. Also tomorrow, I am going to be hustling and
bustling out of this seat and headingto Kinniglia Field with a couple of my
friends, and we're going to bewatching the Union Omaha soccer club here in
Omaha take on Sporting Kansas City ofMajor League Soccer. And this is a
very historic situation that is going tobe happening here and I can't wait to

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be in attendance. And joining usto talk about that is Marty Cordero,
who's the president of Union Omaha alongwith the Omaha storm Chasers, and he's
joining us here on our phone line. Marty, first of all, thanks
for being on our show today.Hey, Emery, how are you in
the KFB world today? It's fantastic, man. We're really appreciating all that
you guys have been doing so farthis year with the soccer club. We'll
talk baseball too, because you guyshave a little homestand that is starting tonight

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over at Werner Park for the stormChasers. But this is the most important
thing probably is happening as far asI'm concerned this calendar year. From an
interest perspective of people from outside ofOmaha to be aware of what's happening inside
of Omaha. The OWLS, yoursoccer club is actually playing an MLS team
in Omaha. Take us through whatthis entire event is like and how this
particular matchup happened. Yeah, youknow, we're we've moved on again in

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the US Open Cup as we've wonour first three matches, and this is
the round that the MLS clubs,or I would say the eight clubs that
decided to continue playing in the OpenCup this year have come into the tournament
and we just by luck, wewere drawn the hosts of this round.
There's one other USL club that's hosting, and that's Las Vegas hosting LAFC this

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round, and we're just fortunate thatit is here in the metro. And
it's the first non exhibition, firstmeaningful game for an MLS Major League Soccer
team in the history of the Metro. Pretty awesome stuff. You and Omaha
has been incredibly successful and it's veryshort history. It started basically as the

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pandemic started. It's that new,at least with the on field product.
It's won the league title already inUSL League One, and this is not
even the deepest that it's made itin this tournament. They actually went on
a great run in the US OpenCup a couple of years ago before running
into Sporting Kansas City in the finaleight of that particular tournament. So this
is a little bit regional and we'retotally expecting that a lot of Kansas City

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fans are going to make this midweektrip to come check this thing out.
What's the atmosphere that people can expectto cannigli A Field on the campus of
UNL tomorrow night. Well, wehave forty three hundred available tickets and pre
sale is just shy of thirty ninehundred. So if you want tickets and
you want to be a part ofthe atmosphere, you're referring to Union Omaha

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dot com or four zero two seventhree eight fifty one hundred is the number
to call if you have questions.Gates are going to open at five point
thirty. We're expecting an early crowd, so you're going to have an hour
and a half to get in.First kick is right at seven o'clock,
and you know it's going to bean apt sphere one that we really don't
know how many Union Omaha fans versusSporting KCY fans. There will be tomorrow

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night because there are a number ofSporting Ksey fans that are here in the
metro, much like there are alot of Chiefs and there are a lot
of Royal fans here, So wedon't really know what to expect there.
But the Parliament and a number ofour other supportive groups will be in full
effect tomorrow banging drums and being readyto unleash smoke pyrotechniques if you will.

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Once Once the Owls score a coupleof goals, and you know, we're
expecting a very competitive match, youknow, on the pitch as well,
it's going to be super fun.Speaking with Union Omaha and Omaha Stormchaser's president
Marty Corderyl joining us on the phoneline, I find the soccer culture so
fun, you know, is somethingthat kind of popped up as I'm in

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my early thirties and really fell inlove with it. When you start going
matches, you start talking to peoplethat love the sport, you start watching
the sport on television. It's sucha different vibe and winning helps a lot.
But you guys have had a veryinteresting stadium journey as well. You're
playing at Werner Park for now inPapilion, and I've been there. It's
actually quite quite awesome to watch asoccer match in that environment because it is

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so unique. But you guys,from the very get go, we're wanting
to get a soccer specific stadium,and that was those plans were announced in
January. Obviously that's not ready yet, which is why we're at Kiniglia Field
in Omaha. And you guys haveplayed Atkiniglia before. I was there when
you guys played the Des Moines Mintsin this tournament earlier this year. Can
you give us kind of some updateson how you guys kind of juggle all

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this, because the reason you're notat Werner is because the Storm Chasers have
baseball games there. So how doyou kind of juggle all this while you're
trying to get the stadium deal completelyfinished and finalized. Well, it is
definitely a juggle, you know.You know, baseball obviously comes first at
Warner Park. And I don't saythat as a like towards union, because

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without Warner Park and Professional Triple ABaseball, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Emory Pro Pro soccer would have neverstarted here in the metro area,
and that's something that you know,we need to remember. But as far
as in season, these tournaments likethe US Open Cup, it's just they're
they're planned out in advance, andand if baseball games are already scheduled,

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then that's what's going to happen atthe ballpark. Just like if we had
an opportunity to host a major baseballevent or baseball tournament and a Union Omaha
match was scheduled on a weekend,we're not going to ask Union Omaha to
move out. So our great relationshipwith you with un O, Ethan Anderson
and Adrian Dowell and you know,all the folks there at UNO over the

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years have have have really helped usbe able to have a second home,
if you will. And then Brandonmccarvill and Markus Blossom over at Creighton are
great as well, but uh,their facility this week and next week is
being taken up by the high schoolState tre Ornament, So there wasn't an
opportunity to play there, and we'reexcited. It's a great environment if you
will. Over at U and O, the pitch is amazing. It's one

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of the top five college services inthe country, so it's a great spot
for players to play on the pitch, and you know, there are a
lot of benefits to playing there.And we're speaking with Marty Cordero, president
of Union Omaha and the Omaha StormChasers. The Owls haven't lost yet this
season in any of the competitions,So soccer's kind of strange. This US

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Open Cup is not the same thingas the league games that have been going
on. And there's a thing calledJaegermeister Cup that is getting going for a
lot of these League One teams AndI was at that match with my dog
at Werner Park last week. Reallycool stuff that you guys are doing.
And man, it just feels likewinning and winning and winning. What about
this club keeps it as successful asit has been on the pitch to start

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this season. Well, our headcoach Dominic Casciotto does a great job of,
you know, finding players young talentto fit the system that that that
he wants. You're a year anda half, much like any other sport
has to deal with. But we'vecontinued onward and you're right, you know,

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we haven't lost in USL regular season. We wont our only Jaegermeister Cup
match last week the two attended andwe were three and oho in the Open
Cups. So you know, it'san expectation we've set that. You know,
we set that tone early on whenwhen coach mem started uh the organ
organization on the field back in twentytwenty. And you know, the expectations

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is when you come to compete andand and with for Union Omas not about
you know, just being competitive eachgame, each game, each match,
but it's about winning and and CoachCashiato has continued that it's super fun to
go to those matches and the environmentcontinues to get better each and every year.
Yeah, I want to ask youtalked about the stadium, the situation

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that you have now, and Ijust want to ask real quickly and briefly.
You and I spoke right when theannouncement was made of the plans of
this stadium, which is going tobe in the downtown area in Omaha,
which sounds super fun, super easyto access for so many different people that
might not have the ability or havethe the interest level to drive out of

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town to Papillion and watch at WarnerPark. What is the latest because I
know you guys had a victory withthe unicameral towards the end of their session
as well, and the allocating ofthe funds that you guys had already kind
of planned out with your announcement,you know, Emory, we are excited
the state will be participating in theproject as it moves forward. We're at

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the stage right now focused on architectand designed from a facility perspective, and
then from a development We continue tovisit with master developers as well as residential
developers, so things are moving ina parallel tract as far as timelines,

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and we get asked all the timeon groundbreaking and open dates. Sometime in
twenty twenty four for groundbreaking and sometimesspring of twenty six are our loose targets
right now, if you will,for opening the facility, and you know
that would be Union Omaha playing intwenty six, and then from a women's
program perspective, that would come probablythe following year in twenty seven, which

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would be absolutely fantastic have a women'sprofessional soccer team here in Omaha as well.
Marty Cordero is joining us. Yougot to shift to baseball real quick,
because you're the baseball guy too.Five straight wins to wrap up the
series with the I Cubs down Ieighty over in Des Moinette Principal Park starting
a six game stand against the JacksonvilleJumbo Shrimp, which starts today at Werner

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Park. This team is winning anawful lot, and you guys have a
lot of cool promotions that are comingup. What are some of the things
that people can see at the ballparkthis week? Well, you know,
it's a team that's competing for theInternational League Championship in the first half.
There's two halves now each year inTriple A and we're just a game and
a half out from there. Butyou're going to see a lot of talented
players. You know, the Royalswent out and signed seven eight players,

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which has created the opportunity for usto have players that were Triple A here
instead of guys jumping to the BigLeague phil spot. So that's the first
thing. Our manager, Mike Jerseley, has a really competitive squad. Secondly,
you can see a lot of greatpromotions. You know, just to
hit a few of them. Weare homes tonight through Sunday, but thrifty
Thursday, where we have three dollarsPEPSI three dollars Bloodweiser, a three dollars

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hot dog, three dollars ice creams, a number of three dollars items,
and limited three dollars tickets. Isevery Thursday night, So the next one
is this Thursday, our first fireworksshow of the year, presented by Harshorthshoot
Casino, follows the Star Wars night, and we're having a special jersey auction
this Friday that will benefit the UnitedWay of the Midlands. Tornado really fun

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for both Iowa and Nebraska, andwe want to get special thanks to Lucasfilm.
That was supposed to be an auctiongoing to a charity of their choice,
and we've moved that till later inthe year, so they have worked
with us for that to happen.And then on Saturday, probably one of
the more meaningful, we will beretiring another jersey as our inaugural manager,
our initial manager, Jack McKeon ninetythree years young, will be in town

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from North Carolina and we will beretiring his jersey on Saturday night. Fans
have a chance to meet him.He's looking at this as a great opportunity
to get back here. He managedus in sixty nine through nineteen seventy two,
and then he went on to managethe King City Royals and become known
as Trader Jack and up until DustyBaker recently won the world title World Series

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with Astros. Jack was the oldestmanager to win a World Series back in
two thousand and three at the Marlin. So he'll be here and then Leo
Dennis Leonard will be in attendance aswell that night, and we'll have some
other representation from the Royals. Sothat's all Saturday night. So almahastrom Chases
dot Com for all the specific detailor at or Twitter whatever it's supposed to

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be referred to for all the updatepromotions because there's a lot more. There's
a lot more happening. But youknow, Tomorrow night Sporting KC Union,
Omaha. If you haven't taken thetime to come to Warner Park, this
is your opportunity to support pro soccerand it's your opportunity to come witness what
we think is going to be historyof Tomorrow night. It's gonna be awesome.

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Seven o'clock is when that game kicksoff. They're doing a big tailgate
there before that as well with thesupporter clubs including Omaha Parliament. I am
going to be there with my buddieswho've never been to a Union Omaha match.
We're going there together right after Iget off the show, and it's
going to be fantastic. Marty Cordero, thanks so much for the time,
my friend, and I'll see yousoon. Emory. Thanks, really appreciate
it, and we appreciate all supportfrom the kfab listeners. Yeah, absolutely

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really appreciate Marty as well. We'llcome back wrap up the hour News Radio
eleven ten Kfab