Full name | New Mexico United | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Black and Yellow, The Kings of Chaos, Roadrunners | |||
Founded | June 6, 2018 | |||
Stadium | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park | |||
Capacity | 13,500 | |||
Owner | Peter Trevisani | |||
Head coach | Vacant | |||
League | USL Championship | |||
2024 | 1st, Western Conference Playoffs: Conference Semifinals | |||
Website | newmexicoutd.com | |||
New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded June 6, 2018, the team currently plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. The team is owned by Peter Trevisani, with head coach Eric Quill, and play their home games at Isotopes Park which has a capacity of around 13,500 people.
The state of New Mexico gained its first professional soccer team in the 1990s, the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League and later the USISL. [1] [2] The team was runner-up for the league title in 1995 and attracted an average home attendance of 3,854, but was folded by its owners in 1996. [3] The Chiles was replaced the following season by the Albuquerque Geckos, who entered USISL's Division 3 with new owners and played at a new soccer stadium shared with the collegiate New Mexico Lobos. [4] [5] The Geckos won the Division 3 championship and were promoted to the second division A-League in 1998, [6] but struggled to win matches and were unable to pay players and creditors. [7] The team had an average attendance of 1,200 and announced their move to Sacramento, California in October 1998. [8] [9]
A semi-professional team, the Albuquerque Sol, was established in 2014 to capitalize on the area's interest in soccer. The team's owners stated that their goal was to earn a USL expansion team within a few years and eventually move to Major League Soccer (MLS). [10] The Sol commissioned a study in 2016 to analyze a potential downtown soccer-specific stadium with 10,000 seats to support a USL expansion in 2018 and a MLS expansion by 2024. [11] The stadium study identified three potential locations in downtown Albuquerque for a stadium, which would cost $24–45 million. [12]
On June 6, 2018, the USL announced an expansion club from Albuquerque that would begin play in March 2019. [13] The club announced its name, New Mexico United, and colors on October 9, 2018, following fan suggestions that generated 226 total names. [14] [15]
The team played its opening match on March 9, 2019, with 12,896 fans in attendance at Isotopes Park. Devon Sandoval scored the team's first-ever goal in a 1–1 draw against Fresno FC. [16] New Mexico United enjoyed popular success in its inaugural season, leading the USL Championship in average attendance and selling out Isotopes Park with 15,023 spectators on May 5, 2019. [17] [18] In the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, the team defeated two MLS clubs (the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas) before losing in the quarterfinals to Minnesota United FC; for the match in Minnesota, the club organized a charter flight from Albuquerque that carried 180 away fans. [17] [19]
In March 2020, the USL Championship postponed the 2020 season with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, after New Mexico United had played one game. [20] The season restarted in July 2020 with a modified format, placing teams into eight smaller regional groups. The club was placed in Group C with Four Corners opponents Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Real Monarchs, and nearby El Paso Locomotive FC. Due to statewide health orders and quarantine requirements, New Mexico United played all 15 of their regular season matches and both of their playoff matches away from home, earning the local nickname the "Road Warriors." [21] The team ended the regular season with a record of 8 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses; a sixteenth planned match against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros was postponed, and eventually cancelled, due to cases of COVID-19 in the Rio Grande Valley organization. [22]
The club qualified for the USL Championship Playoffs by coming second in their group. In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, they defeated San Antonio FC in extra time, with Chris Wehan scoring the winning goal in the 101st minute. In the Conference Semifinal, the club lost to El Paso Locomotive 3-5 on penalties, after drawing 1-1 at the end of extra time. [23] [24]
In March 2020, the club launched the Somos Unidos Foundation, a charitable nonprofit arm of the New Mexico United organization. [25]
In May 2021, New Mexico United began its competitive season with a 1-0 loss away to Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. On August 21, then 17-year-old Cristian Nava became the first New Mexico United Academy player to sign a professional contract with the club. [26]
The New Mexico United crest is a simple yellow shield with four black lines that represent the Zia symbol, found on the state flag and used with permission from the Zia people. [15] The crest also has a black diamond with the number "18", representing the year the club was founded. [14] The yellow-and-black color scheme was colored to reference the state flag while differentiating itself from other local clubs. [14] [15]
Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2019 | Adidas | Meow Wolf (home) [27] KraneShares (away) [27] |
2020 | Puma [28] | |
2021–2023 | Meow Wolf [29] New Mexico True [30] Electric Playhouse (third) [31] | |
2024–present | Meow Wolf (home) Sandia Resort and Casino (away) |
The club plays at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, known as only Isotopes Park in 2019 and nicknamed The Lab, a baseball stadium that is primarily home to the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League. New Mexico United will play at the facility until a soccer-specific stadium is built. [32] The Isotopes will remain the primary tenant and the USL team will schedule its home games during away games for the Isotopes. [33] The stadium seats 13,500 spectators for baseball games. [32]
In February 2020, New Mexico United announced that it would develop a home stadium and community culture center after being awarded $4.1 million in capital outlay funds by the state legislature. [34] A public poll of Albuquerque residents conducted in January 2021 found strong support for the construction of the stadium and culture center complex. [35]
On July 25, 2021, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced a stadium financing plan that would involve selling $50 million in public bonds to fund part of the $65–75 million construction cost. [36] [37] The team agreed to commit $10 million in upfront costs, and another $22 million in rent over the next 25 years. [38] The plan was forwarded to the City Council, which agreed to put it to a public vote on November 2. [39] The ballot measure was rejected by a 2–1 margin. [40]
On August 20, 2024, the Albuquerque City Council approved the construction of the new home stadium to be located at the Balloon Fiesta Park.
New Mexico United has rivalries with El Paso Locomotive FC, with whom they contest the Derby Del Camino Real, and Phoenix Rising FC. [41]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Title | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach | Eric Quill |
Sporting Director | Itamar Keinan |
First Team Assistant Coach and Director of Goalkeepers | Nate Walzer |
First Team Assistant Coach | Luke Sanford |
First Team Assistant Coach | Matt Watson |
Head Athletic Trainer and Director of Sports Medicine | Carlos Olivas |
Academy Head Coach | David Estrada |
Head Academy Scout | Lucien Starzynski |
Last updated: January 22, 2024
Source: New Mexico United
Title | Name |
---|---|
Owner and CEO | Peter Trevisani |
President | Ron Patel |
Vice President, Media & Impact | David Wiese-Carl |
Vice-President, Business Development & Facilities | Clint Gray |
Chief Administrative Officer | Desiree Kim |
Executive Director of the Somos Unidos Foundation, Community Coordinator | Linnea Romero |
Last updated: January 22, 2024
Source: New Mexico United
The club's majority owner and team president is New Mexico resident, Peter Trevisani. The club's other owners have ties to New Mexico and include investor Ian McKinnon, TEAM8, Ed Garcia, Ben Spencer, and Jason Harrington. [32]
Season | Results | League Pos | Top Scorer 1 | Club Captain | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts 2 | Player | G | |||
2019 | 40 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 69 | 71 | 54 | 10th, Western | Kevaughn Frater | 17 | Josh Suggs [43] [44] [45] |
2020 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 18 | 31 | 2nd, Group C | Chris Wehan | 7 | |
2021 | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 44 | 40 | 46 | 5th, Mountain | Chris Wehan | 10 | |
2022 | 37 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 54 | 44 | 54 | 5th, Western | Justin Portillo | 8 | |
2023 | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 59 | 53 | 52 | 8th, Western | Amando Moreno | 10 | Sam Hamilton |
2024 | 40 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 59 | 52 | 71 | 1st, Western | Greg Hurst | 13 | Kalen Ryden |
All-time results 3 | All-time records | ||||||||||
— | 204 | 85 | 53 | 66 | 310 | 278 | 308 | — | Chris Wehan | 39 | — |
^ 1. Top Scorer includes all competitive matches.
^ 2. Points assigns the same point values to knockout matches as the same result would receive in the league.
^ 3. All-time results includes all competitive matches.
Season | USL Championship | Play-offs | Top Scorer 1 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | G | ||
2019 | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 59 | 57 | 46 | 10th, Western | Conference Play-In Round | Kevaughn Frater | 14 |
2020 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 17 | 27 | 2nd, Group C [46] [47] | Conference Semifinal | Chris Wehan | 6 |
2021 | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 44 | 40 | 46 | 5th, Mountain | Did not qualify | Chris Wehan | 10 |
2022 | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 49 | 40 | 51 | 5th, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | Justin Portillo | 8 |
2023 | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 51 | 49 | 46 | 8th, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | Amando Moreno | 10 |
2024 | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 46 | 44 | 59 | 1st, Western | Conference Semifinals | Greg Hurst | 12 |
^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from regular season league matches only.
Season | USL Cup Playoffs 1 | Top Scorer | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Entered | Exited | Player | G | |
2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Conference Play-In Round | Devon Sandoval | 1 | |
2020 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Conference Quarterfinal | Conference Semifinal | Chris Wehan Romeo Parkes | 1 |
2021 | DNQ | |||||||||
2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | – | – |
2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | – | – |
2024 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Semifinals | Mukwelle Akale Will Seymore | 1 |
^ 1. Following statistical convention, wins in extra time are recorded as wins. Wins in penalty shootouts are recorded as draws, and shootout goals are not counted as goals for or against.
Season | U.S. Open Cup 1 | Top Scorer | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Entered | Exited | Player | G | |
2019 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 12 | Second round | Quarterfinals | Devon Sandoval Kevaughn Frater | 3 |
2020 | Cancelled 2 | |||||||||
2021 | DNQ / Cancelled 3 | |||||||||
2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | Second round | Third round | Jerome Kiesewetter | 2 |
2023 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | Second round | Round of 32 | Josh Dolling | 4 |
2024 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | Third round | Quarterfinals | Zico Bailey | 2 |
^ 1. Following statistical convention, wins in extra time are recorded as wins. Wins in penalty shootouts are recorded as draws, and shootout goals are not counted as goals for or against.
^ 2. The 2020 U.S. Open Cup was suspended on March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [48] On August 14, the 2020 edition was cancelled. [49]
^ 3. The USSF confirmed on March 29, 2021, that the previous season's Conference finalists would participate. [50] As Western Conference losing semifinalists, New Mexico United did not qualify. On July 20, 2021, the USSF cancelled the 2021 edition of the tournament. [51]
Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Matches | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Troy Lesesne | United States | August 13, 2018 | November 5, 2021 | 89 | 34 | 29 | 26 | 38.20 |
Zach Prince | United States | November 15, 2021 | June 3, 2023 | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42.31 |
Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | 12,693 (1st in USL Championship) | Did not play at home | Did not play at home |
2020 | Did not play at home | Did not play at home | Cancelled |
2021 | 7,863 (2nd in USL Championship) [52] | DNQ | Cancelled |
2022 | 10,455 (after 13 home matches) [53] | TBD | 2,128 (1 match) [54] |
Rank | Player | Nation | Years active | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chris Wehan | 2019-2020, 2021–present | 34 | |
2 | Devon Sandoval | 2019–2021 | 25 | |
3 | Kevaughn Frater | 2019 | 17 | |
4 | Santi Moar | 2019 | 12 | |
5 | Amando Moreno | 2020–present | 11 | |
6 | Neco Brett | 2021–present | 7 | |
7 | Daniel Bruce | 2019–present | 5 | |
8 | Josh Suggs | 2019–present | 4 | |
10 | David Estrada | / | 2019-2020 | 3 |
Andrew Tinari | 2020-2021 | |||
Ilija Ilić | 2021-present | |||
Rank | Player | Nation | Years active | Apps. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daniel Bruce | 2019–present | 137 | |
2 | Josh Suggs | 2019–2023 | 120 | |
3 | Devon Sandoval | 2019–2022 | 92 | |
4 | Chris Wehan | 2019-2020, 2021–present | 74 | |
5 | Juan Pablo Guzmán | 2019–2021 | 73 | |
Austin Yearwood | 2019–present | |||
7 | Rashid Tetteh | 2019–2022 | 69 | |
8 | Justin Schmidt | 2019–2021 | 60 | |
9 | Cody Mizell | 2019–2020, 2022 | 58 | |
10 | Sam Hamilton | 2019–present | 57 |
On January 23, 2020, New Mexico United announced that it will field a U23 team in the USL League Two for the 2020 season, intending for the U23 team to bridge the gap between the High Performance Youth Program and the first team. [59] The club was scheduled to compete in the Mountain Division. However, on April 30, 2020, the United Soccer League announced the cancellation of the 2020 League Two season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. [60] The U23 team did not participate in the 2021 USL League Two season. [61]
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They formerly played in USSF Division 2 and the North American Soccer League (NASL), which were also second-tier leagues. The Rowdies play their home games at Al Lang Stadium on St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront.
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Joshua Taylor Suggs is an American former professional soccer player who last played for New Mexico United in the USL Championship. He frequently played as either a left back or as a centre half.
Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. They won the league championship in 2023, defeating the Charleston Battery 3–2 on penalty kicks after a 1–1 draw in regulation time.
Devon Sandoval is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward.
Collin Martin is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina FC in the USL Championship. He has played for D.C. United and Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer, and for Richmond Kickers and Hartford Athletic in the United Soccer League. He came out as gay in June 2018, making him at the time the only out man in any of the big five American sports leagues or any top-division professional men's national soccer leagues.
Tyler Pasher is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship.
Ilija Ilić is a Serbian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently an assistant coach for USL League One club One Knoxville SC.
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championship and other leagues. As of 2024, the league has 12 teams who play 22 regular season games, followed by playoffs. All teams also participate in the USL Cup, adding an additional eight games, followed by knockout rounds.
El Paso Locomotive FC is an American professional soccer team based in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019.
Austin Bold FC was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circuit of the Americas at the end of the season but may have to wait until 2023, depending on the construction of their stadium. As of August 2024, the team remains inactive.
Memphis 901 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019.
Sam Gleadle is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for USL Championship side Louisville City.
The 2019 USL Championship season is the ninth season of the USL Championship and third under Division II sanctioning. This is the first season in which the league is operating under the name "USL Championship," having used the name "United Soccer League" through 2018. The season began on March 8, 2019, and concluded on October 20, 2019; with each team playing 34 matches. 36 teams competed in the 2019 USL Championship season, split into 2 conferences of 18 teams each. Louisville City FC are the two-time defending USL Cup champions.
The 2020 USL Championship season was the tenth season of the USL Championship and fourth under Division II sanctioning. This was the second season under the name "USL Championship", having used the name "United Soccer League" through 2018. Real Monarchs were the defending USL Cup champions. The 2020 season saw 35 teams participate in two conferences during the regular season.
The 2020 New Mexico United season was the second season for New Mexico United in the USL Championship (USLC), the second-tier professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. This article covers the period from November 18, 2019, the day after the 2019 USLC Playoff Final, to the conclusion of the 2020 USLC Playoff Final, scheduled for November 12–16, 2020.
The 2021 New Mexico United season was the third season for New Mexico United in the USL Championship, the second-tier professional soccer league in the United States. This article covers the period from November 1, 2020, the day after the cancellation of the 2020 USL playoff final, to the conclusion of the 2021 USL playoff final. The USL Championship 2021 season began on April 24, and New Mexico United played its first competitive match of the season on May 1.
Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Monterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021, and is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system. It began playing during the 2022 USL Championship season as a member of the league's Western Conference.
Alexander Touche is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender.
The 2022 New Mexico United season was the fourth season for New Mexico United in the USL Championship, the second-tier professional soccer league in the United States.The 2022 USL Championship season was set to begin on March 12, with New Mexico United set to play their first competitive game against Las Vegas Lights FC.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)