Start for Tobias Otieno as Union Omaha maintain top spot

Kenyan midfielder Tobias Otieno was trusted with a start as his Union Omaha side settled for a 1-1 draw against Forward Madison in a United Soccer League (USL) League One clash on Saturday.

Tobias has proved to be a vital cog in the Omaha wheel after an inconsistent campaign last season that was plagued by injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The former Gor Mahia midfielder joined Omaha back in January 2020 but with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, Tobias made his debut nine months later.

The 22-year-old has now started five consecutive games for Omaha with his last start from the bench coincidentally coming against Forward Madison in the reverse clash.

Omaha needed only 11 minutes to open the scoring through Devin Boyce who slotted the ball home from a tight angle after being put through on goal by Conor Doyle who pinged a long ball from his own half.

After Omaha went into the halftime break leading 1-0, head coach Jason Mims withdraw Tobias for John Murphy as he opted to go for the jugular in pursuit of three points.

Madison pulled level in the 67th minute when Connor Tobin nodded in a well-worked corner that ended with Aaron Molloy floating an inch-perfect cross that was headed in by the defender.

Despite dropping two points, Omaha still sit at the summit of the league through their advantage has been whittled down to one point as Greenville are breathing down their necks.