Fort Lauderdale CF will host Union Omaha for its fifth fixture of the 2021 USL League One campaign on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will air live on ESPN+ and will be played at the DRV PNK Stadium.
Following an impressive 2-1 home victory over the Richmond Kickers last weekend, Fort Lauderdale will seek their second home victory of the season this weekend.
Against the Kickers, Shaan Hundal was a standout performer, scoring a brace to give the squad an important victory. Hundal has now strung together three consecutive matches with a goal, registering four total goals on the season, topping USL League One.
For their performances in the match, George Acosta, Ethan Hardin and Hundal were named to the USL League One Team of the Week.
Union Omaha will play their second match of the campaign on Friday following their 2-0 victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC. Last season, they finished second in the USL League One Standings with eight wins, three losses, and five draws.
The teams have faced each other twice prior to this weekend. Despite each game being evenly contested, Fort Lauderdale conceded late goals in both encounters to lose 2-3 at home and 1-0 away.
Harvey Neville Signs
Fort Lauderdale CF announced today that it has signed defender / midfielder Harvey Neville.
Neville, 18, is a versatile product of the Manchester United academy. He signed his first professional contract for the club in July 2020 and has featured as a right back and midfielder. Neville has made 28 official appearances across a number of youth levels for Manchester United since joining the club in 2018, most recently featuring in nine Premier League 2 matches and one EFL Trophy match during the 2020-21 season, tallying one goal and two assists. Neville has also featured in the Republic of Ireland youth set-up, notably receiving a call-up to the U-19 team in 2019 at just 17 years old.
Neville will join the team pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
Inter Miami Loanees
Inter Miami First Team players Drake Callender and Josh Penn have been loaned to Fort Lauderdale CF for the match and will be available for selection.
Callender, 23, was acquired by Inter Miami from the San Jose Earthquakes in a trade in November 2019. The goalkeeper played at the University of California, Berkeley for four years, making 54 appearances and keeping 16 clean sheets. Callender was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA All-Far West Region First Team and the All-Pac-12 First Team for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, he was named to the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and earned United Soccer Coaches NCAA All-Far West Region Third Team and All-Pac-12 Second Team honors.
Penn, 20, was selected by Inter Miami in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft with the 10th overall pick. He was a standout at Indiana University, starring in attack for the Hoosiers. The winger made 22 appearances in his only season with the team, starting in each one, and finished with six goals and two assists. Penn also made history with USL Championship club Indy Eleven, becoming the first player to sign professionally for the club after having competed for its academy, also becoming the youngest player to ever sign for the club at that time (18 years, three months and 27 days). The left-footed attacker has also played for the U.S. U-19 and U-20 men's national teams.
