New Mexico United forward Tabort Etaka Preston, left is defended by Orange County SC’s Daniel Pedersen on Saturday at Isotopes Park. United hosts Oakland Roots SC on Wednesday. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
Oakland Roots SC does not have an extensive track record of any kind, much less in Albuquerque.
The second-year USL Championship franchise will make its second visit to Isotopes Park on Wednesday to take on New Mexico United. Last year’s meeting ended in a 1-1 draw.
Memorable or not, that August match proved significant to both clubs.
Roots SC came in lugging a 2-8-4 record but turned things around after its draw in New Mexico. Oakland earned a playoff berth, pulled off an upset win at El Paso and finished its debut season on an optimistic note.
For United, last season’s draw was part of a frustrating 0-2-5 winless stretch which proved costly at season’s end. NMU came up one point short of a playoff Berth.
Fast forward to 2022 and there are similarities to consider. United is off to a 2-0-1 start, its best in four seasons, while Oakland comes in at 0-3-0 with three one-goal defeats.
First-year New Mexico coach Zach Prince is not one to dwell on last season, but he’s also not about to look past Roots SC.
“Oakland is super-organized and has a very good coach (first-year mentor Juan Guerra),” Prince said. “There’s a lot of talent on that team, and their record doesn’t really reflect how they’ve played. We know we’ve got a challenge in front of us.”
Roots SC was stung by a 90th-minute goal in its last outing, a 3-2 home loss to expansion Monterey Bay. United can relate to the feeling of giving up a late goal after Orange County scored in second-half stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw Saturday in Albuquerque.
“That wasn’t OK with us at all,” Prince said. “We’ve taken some time since then to reflect on what happened, not just on the goal but prior to it. We need to do everything possible to avoid putting ourselves in that position again.”
Prince believes mindset was a primary culprit for United, which appeared to back off somewhat after Harry Swartz’s go-ahead goal in the 78th minute.
“We got a little too conservative too early,” Prince said. “I felt like we were playing defense and trying to protect the lead when we should have been pushing for another goal.”
Daniel Bruce, who assisted on Swartz’s goal, offered a similar assessment.
“In my mind, when you finally score a goal to go up 1-nil, that’s the time you need to do it again,” Bruce said after Saturday’s match. “We need to focus on the five minutes after we score, change what that looks like.”
LEADING THE PACK: New Mexico leads the USL Championship in home attendance after two matches, averaging 10,962 fans per contest. Sacramento Republic is second at 10,138, followed by Birmingham Legion at 9,277.
Wednesday’s match could impact the attendance numbers as weekday crowds have typically been smaller league wide. United will not return to Isotopes Park until April 23, when it hosts San Antonio FC. NMU will entertain Las Vegas Legends FC in a US Open Cup match Tuesday at UNM Soccer Complex at 7:30 pm
KEEPING IT CLEAN: United and Oakland Roots FC have not often been serenaded by officials’ whistles this season. New Mexico ranks second in fewest fouls conceded (28) among USLC clubs, while Oakland (32) is third.
Hartford Athletic has conceded the fewest fouls (23), while Tulsa (65) and Orange County (62) have the most. Orange County was whistled for 19 during Saturday’s match in Albuquerque, while NMU was called for six.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Oaklands (0-3-0): Roots SC is counting on some international flair to upgrade its attack this season. Ottar Magnus Karlsson (Iceland) scored two of his club’s three goals, while 
Juan Azócar (Venezuela) has a team-best five shots, and Dariusz Formella (Poland) has a goal and three shots. Oakland struggled to apply much pressure last season, ranking last in the USL Championship in both shots and chances created. Improvement has been marginal thus far as Roots SC ranks 23rd with 25 shots (7 on target) through three matches. Defense has been more of an issue in 2022 as the club has surrendered six goals without recording a save. Goalkeepers Taylor Bailey and Benny Diaz have conceded three goals apiece, facing just six combined shots on target.
New Mexico (2-0-1): New additions have made an obvious impact in terms of United’s scoring punch, but a pair of familiar faces have been heavily involved as well. Defender Harry
Swartz has a pair of goals — both on headers — with four chances created through three matches. Swartz did not score and had nine chances created in 2021, when he was limited to 12 matches because of injury in his first season with NMU. Midfielder and fan favorite Daniel Bruce also has been sharp, registering two assists and three chances created in three appearances. Midfielder Justin Portillo continues to excel in his debut season with the club. Portillo has two assists and leads the USLC with 15 chances created. Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis ranks ninth with eight saves.
NOTEWORTHY: United have been dealing with a number of relatively minor injuries as regulars Austin Yearwood, Josh Suggs and Kalen Ryden missed the club’s last two matches. All three are improving, coach Zach Prince said, and Yearwood returned to training this week. Forward Neco Brett limped off the field late in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Orange County and was suffering from muscle cramps, Prince said. … New Mexico will have a lengthy break from USLC play after Wednesday’s match. Its next league contest is April 16 at Phoenix. NMU will host Las Vegas Legends FC in a US Open Cup second-round match Tuesday at UNM Soccer Complex at 7:30 pm
Comments are closed.