Acoff, there from the club’s birth in the country’s most historic tournament, is the guiding light of this massive underdog endeavor. His presence in Omaha is also a homecoming for the forward-turned-defender, who reached the NCAA Final Four as a player for the local DI college side Creighton University. Just before his senior year, his scholarship wasn’t renewed and he returned to his native California to line up for the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“I didn’t have a senior year; I just kind of quit the game. So, because of that, I didn’t get drafted [into MLS],” said Acoff who, instead, took the unusual path of playing professional ball in Iceland. “I was like ‘no chance, I’m not about to go to Iceland – I don’t even know where it is on a map’.”
In the end, he found it. And he went. “I felt like I had nothing to lose so why not.” In his first year there, he helped second division side Knattspyrnufélagið Þróttur get promoted to the first division. His performances, playing out wide, were outstanding. After his side – nicknamed the ‘Meat Eaters’ – were relegated back down, Acoff was signed by Valur. That’s when “things started to happen.”
Based in Reykjavik, Valur is the top team in the Land of Fire and Ice. While there, Acoff “basically won everything there is to win in Iceland.” That included back-to-back first division titles, Iceland’s League Cup in 2018 and a pair of Icelandic Super Cups. He also lined up in the early stages of the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.
After a year in Finland with Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho, up near the arctic circle, and another stint in Iceland during the Covid Years, Acoff began considering a return to the States. “I was thinking about retirement because I didn’t really have any connections to soccer in the U.S. anymore.”
Back Where it all Began
That’s when Jay Mims called and asked “if I wanted to come back home,” remembered Acoff. His assistant coach at Creighton all those years ago, Mims was involved in the early stages of a new pro side in Omaha – a chance for Acoff to return to the city he loved and play pro ball for the first time in the States. And the rest is history. Mims, who’s since moved on to an executive job at USL Championship side Memphis 901, was the architect of Union Omaha’s 2022 Quarterfinal run in the Open Cup.
“I love the city and I love the fans, so it was a no-brainer,” said Acoff about his chance to finish his career in the place where he played most of his college soccer. “I love everything the organization has built up here and I love being a part of it.”
