It's all United in 5-0 victory in U.S. Open Cup opener
Apr. 6—Crossing the street did not prove overly dangerous for New Mexico United on Tuesday night.
United opened U.S. Open Cup competition in impressive fashion at the University of New Mexico Soccer Complex, rolling to a 5-0 victory over Las Vegas Legends FC in a second-round match. Third-round matchups and sites will be announced Friday.
Tuesday's match was played just a few hundred yards south of United's regular home field at Isotopes Park, but there was certainly a different feel to the match. Four players got their first start with the club, including Jerome Kiesewetter, who scored a pair of goals.
Raddy Ovouka and Carl Sainte also scored in their first New Mexico start, and goalkeeper Ford Parker posted a clean sheet in his debut.
"This is step one in our Open Cup run and we feel good about it," United coach Zach Prince said. "I have no idea what the next step will be. We'll worry about that when we get there, but there were a lot of positives to take away from tonight."
United was in control throughout against the National Premier Soccer League opponent. New Mexico outshot the visitors 23-6, posted a 14-2 advantage in shots on target and controlled possession (63%) for most of the evening.
Prior to the match, Prince emphasized the importance of setting an early tone. United did just that with two goals in the first 17 minutes.
The first tally came in the seventh minute after Las Vegas goalkeeper Hector Casillas took United's Sergio Rivas down in the box. Chris Wehan buried the ensuing penalty kick to give the hosts an early lead and energize an announced crowd of 2,128.
Ten minutes later, Ovouka lofted a cross from the left wing to the back post, where Rivas headed the ball off the frame. It landed in front of Kiesewetter, who easily knocked it home for a 2-0 lead.
"I thought it was important for us to come out and make (the Legends) feel pressure," Prince said. "With the penalty and then getting another quick goal, we did a good job of that."
Las Vegas gained some footing midway through the first half and nearly cut the deficit in half. Brandon Vargas hammered a shot off a cross that slammed downward off the crossbar and was finally cleared away.
United then made it 3-0 in the 40th minute with some nifty passing in front. Daniel Bruce tapped a centering pass to Sainte, who passed to Wehan, who tapped the ball to Ovouka, who slipped it easily into an open net.
Sainte added his first goal shortly after halftime, blasting a low shot past Casillas from the top of the box.
"I'm very, very happy to score my first goal for the team," said Sainte, who appeared at his first postgame media conference even though his primary language is French. "I feel there are more to come."
New Mexico's final goal came on a Kiesewetter PK in the 86th minute, shortly after Las Vegas' Eduardo Guzman picked up a second yellow card and left the field with a resulting red.
Both teams had additional opportunities in the second half, and Parker ended up having to work to maintain his shutout. Parker's debut was necessary because goalkeeper Alex Tambakis suffered what Prince called a "lower body injury." Tambakis may miss additional time, Prince said.
UNM's playing surface was unusually quick with the grass just starting to come up, but United's players said it made for an enjoyable evening.
"It was fun playing somewhere different," midfielder Will Seymore said. "The fans were loud, good environment, fast surface. This was fun."
NEW MEXICO UNITED 5,
LAS VEGAS LEGENDS 0
Las Vegas 0 0 — 0
New Mexico 3 2 — 5
Scoring: NM, 7th, Chris Wehan (PK); NM, 17th, Jerome Kiesewetter (Sergio Rivas); NM, 40th, Raddy Ovouka (Wehan); NM, 47ht, Carl Sainte; NM, 86th, Kiesweteer (PK). Shots: NM 23, LV 6. Shots on target: NM 14, LV 2. Corners: NM 8, LV 2. Saves: NM (Ford Parker) 2; LV (Hector Casillas 9).
