Niall Logue was in the right place at the right time. The end result, however, was far from ideal.
FC Tucson's defender slid in to block a kick headed for the net, only to deflect it past his own goalie and give Omaha Union a second-half lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
The Men in Black lost Saturday's home opener by a final of 2-1 at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson's first professional sporting event since mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports leagues worldwide. The match was played in an empty stadium. FC Tucson's fans congregated downtown as part of a drive-in watch party held at El Toro Flicks.
Young fans sit atop a truck during the premiere FC Tucson drive in watch party at El Toro Flicks located at 198 S Granada Avenue, on Aug. 8, 2020.
Saturday continued a bad habit for FC Tucson (1-2-0).聽
鈥淎gain, we didn鈥檛 start a second half well,鈥 coach John Galas said, referencing last week鈥檚 1-0 loss to Chattanooga. 鈥淚t鈥檚 stuff that we鈥檝e talked about, we鈥檝e done our work on it and we shot ourselves in the foot.鈥
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The game was scoreless at halftime, indicating an exciting finish. But FC Tucson鈥檚 opponent quelled that notion quickly.
Union Omaha controlled the tempo and the ball the rest of the way, scoring two goals in the first 18 minutes of the second half 鈥 one by Lucas Hauswirth and another by Ethan Decker. Hauswirth, a former FC Tucson player, initially booted the ball that Logue deflected, resulting in the first goal.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if that was ironic or cruel,鈥 Galas joked.
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— USL League One (@USLLeagueOne)
Hauswirth let out a spirited celebration afterwards, though he cleared up any misconceptions about it with his former coach in the postgame handshake line.
鈥淟uke came up and gave me a big hug after the game,鈥 Galas said. 鈥淗e made it clear that the celebration wasn鈥檛 in spite of not playing here this year. He鈥檚 a great kid, I鈥檓 happy for him, personally.鈥
Union Omaha Elma N'For (15), left, and FC Tucson Elivelton Oliveira (6) collide while trying to win a midfield header in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson's Erik Virgen scored desperation goal in the 93rd minute to cut the lead in half.聽 Goalkeeper Merancio Valdez added three saves. The club鈥檚 offense produced 12 shots on net, with two of them on target.
Galas did draw positives from the night, saying the 鈥渞esponse was good鈥 at the end of the game.
Union Omaha Devin Boyce (20), left, tangles with FC Tucson Esteban Calvo (5) and picks up a yellow card for persistent infringement in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
Now, a three-game road trip is on the horizon, where FC Tucson will look to break it鈥檚 two-game losing skid. First up is a match with the Richmond Kickers in Virginia next weekend.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very close to being a good team," he said. "We just have to clean up a few things."
Photos: FC Tucson falls to Union Omaha in their first home match of the 2020 season
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson goalkeeper Carlos Merancio Valdez (1) gives up the game opener, getting beat to the near post by Union Omaha's Lucas Hauswirth (2) in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020. FC Tucson ended up falling 2-1.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
Union Omaha Elma N'For (15), left, and FC Tucson Elivelton Oliveira (6) collide while trying to win a midfield header in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
Union Omaha Devin Boyce (20), left, tangles with FC Tucson Esteban Calvo (5) and picks up a yellow card for persistent infringement in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Roberto Alarcon (7) dribbles out of the reach of Union Omaha's Ethan Vanacore-Decker (7) on a run through the midfield in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Raheem Sommersall (44) gets clipped from behind by Union Omaha's Devin Boyce (20) in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
Union Omaha's Elma N'For (15) takes a ball to the head while holding off FC Tucson's Derrick Silva (33) in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Shak Adams (77) dribbles into the box against Union Omaha's Devin Boyce (20) in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
Union Omaha's Sebasti谩n Contreras (10) takes a knee with the players from both teams during the national anthem before the USL League One game against FC Tucson at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Charlie Dennis (10), right, can't quite make the tackle from behind against Union Omaha's John Scearce (17) in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Niall Logue (20), left, out jumps Union Omaha's Ethan Vanacore-Decker (7) to win a defensive header in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Joshua Coan (11) flies in for a futile attempt to win the ball from Union Omaha's Evan Conway (11) in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Roberto Alarcon (7) attempts to come in from behind and poke the ball from Union Omaha's Sebasti谩n Contreras (10) in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson's Raheem Sommersall (44) threads his way past Union Omaha's Evan Conway (11), left, and Devin Boyce (20) in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
FC Tucson vs Union Omaha
FC Tucson Ramone Howell (95) gets in some pre-game ball control work as the team gets ready to go up against Union Omaha in their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., August 8, 2020.
