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UNION OMAHA SIGNS 17-YEAER-OLD LEXINGTON, NEBRASKA PLAYER TO FIRST-EVER ACADEMY CONTRACT

By USL-Academy.com Staff, 08/12/21, 12:00PM EDT

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Yoskar Galvan makes history becoming Union Omaha's first USL Academy contract signing


Photo courtesy of Union Omaha

PAPILLION, Neb. (Thursday, August 12, 2021) – Union Omaha announced today that the club has signed Lexington, Neb. native Yoskar ”Edu” Galvan-Mercado to its 2021 roster. The 17-year-old midfielder signed the first-ever academy contract in club history and will join the first team immediately.

Galvan-Mercado is a 2021 Lexington High School graduate who also played with Gretna’s Elite Academy. While at Lexington from 2017-2021, Galvan-Mercado was named to the 2021 Boys super-state second team and the Boys Class B all-state team.

Galvan-Mercado was one of 15 players from several Nebraska and Iowa high schools that Head Coach Jay Mims put together in the fall of 2019 for a United Soccer League (USL) Academy Cup tournament in San Antonio, Texas. This was the first-ever group to wear the Union Omaha crest and represent Nebraska at a USL event.

“Players like Yoskar do not come around often,” said Mims. “He is a special player who has such great imagination and joy when he plays but also has a competitive edge to him.  His ability to think and see the game at such a high level for being so young is very encouraging.  I am excited to help Yoskar continue to develop on and off the field over the upcoming years.”

“It’s an amazing opportunity and a blessing,” said Galvan-Mercado. “I come from three hours away from Omaha. I don’t think there’s ever been a soccer player from my town that ended up signing a pro contract, so this is a big deal for me. This opportunity came, and I took it.”

Phonetic pronunciation of last name: [GAL-VAHN – MUR-CAH-DOH]
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 121 lbs
Born:  USA
Hometown: Lexington, Nebraska

ABOUT UNION OMAHA    

Union Omaha, a member of USL League One, is the only professional soccer team in the state of Nebraska. USL League One is a United States Soccer Federation-sanctioned professional men’s soccer league that occupies the third tier of the American soccer landscape, below USL Championship (tier two) and Major League Soccer (tier one). Union Omaha plays its home matches at Werner Park in Sarpy County, also home to the Omaha Storm Chasers of Minor League Baseball. The team is led by General Manager Peter Marlette in the front office and by Head Coach Jay Mims on the field.

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