ALBUQUERQUE — When the United Soccer League announced its 459-game 2022 USL Championship schedule, it boasted of a regular-season slate that featured 83 percent of its games on the weekends.
A chilly midweek school night in late March at windy Isotopes Park was one of the rare exceptions.
A crowd of 7,731 braved the mid-50s elements that came with gusty winds and dusty skies to watch the New Mexico United blow yet another late-game lead. Just three minutes away from securing its third win of the young season, the United instead surrendered an equalizing goal in stoppage time to a team it controlled most of the way.
The 2-2 tie against Oakland Roots SC keeps New Mexico (2-0-2) undefeated. It also left the players mumbling about lost opportunities that could have left them 4-0 with 12 points through the first month of the USL Championship slate.
Oakland’s Tarek Morad headed in an entry pass from Jesus Enriquez in the 91st minute to stun the crowd and short-circuit what looked like a solid come-from-behind win.
The United trailed 1-0 just eight minutes into the game when Oakland’s Charlie Dennis hit a left-footed shot from the left side for an early advantage. It remained that way until stoppage time of the first half when Neco Brett tied it with a point-blank shot from just outside the pipes.
With the wind picking up even more in the second half, the elements made simple downfield airborne passes an adventure, as the ball would often change directions or fall straight to the pitch after elevating.
The United got the go-ahead goal in the 69th minute when Albuquerque native Sergio Rivas headed in a pass from Sam Hamilton to give New Mexico a 2-1 advantage. It was followed less than a minute later by a yellow card issued to Oakland’s Daniel Barbir, giving the match the look and feel of a United walkover.
Two missed opportunities in the next 20 minutes kept Oakland alive, setting the stage for stoppage time when Morad did his thing.
NOTES
Young guns: The United has launched a U-23 team to compete in USL League Two, a lower-tier circuit that expanded by 10 teams this year to bring the total number of clubs to a staggering 113.
The United U-23 will begin its season May 26 at the team’s Mesa Del Sol training facility in Albuquerque. The club has committed to playing home matches around the state at places like Roswell, Farmington, Taos and even Santa Fe.
The game in Santa Fe will be June 9 against Salt City SC at a location and time to be determined. The U-23 will play Salt City again on June 11 in Taos.
Ticket booth: Wednesday’s crowd dipped the team’s home attendance average below five figures to 9,885 through three dates. The high-water mark was the season opener March 13, when 11,247 filed in to see a win against Las Vegas Lights FC.
up next: The United take a two-week break from the USL’s Championship schedule to open play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, an in-season tournament featuring more than 100 clubs from the country’s four US Soccer Federation-sanctioned professional leagues as well as a handful of amateur clubs. The format includes the USL Championship and Major League Soccer.
The United got a bye through the first round and will host Las Vegas Legends FC out of the National Premier Soccer League.
The match will be played next Tuesday at the UNM Soccer Complex. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m
Wardrobe malfunction: Oakland Roots SC usually wears all black kits on the road but had to wear their alternate uniforms for Wednesday’s match because the United traditionally wear black tops and bottoms when playing at home.
Instead, Oakland came out in green jerseys, yellow shorts and green socks. Being that they’re from the Bay Area, it was easy to draw the parallel between the on-field style and the Oakland A’s.
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