United looks to kick frustrations versus Indy Eleven

Sep. 14—Friday, 7 p.m., 101.7 FM, ESPN+ (streaming), Estrella TV

The schedule is dwindling for New Mexico United in 2023 and players are not happy about it.

A recent funk has pushed United into desperation mode with six regular-season games remaining. The club's is facing a difficult closing slate with a margin for error that's basically none if it wants to slip into the USL Championship playoffs.

New Mexico hosts Indy Eleven on Friday with festivities planned for Hispanic Heritage Night. United is hoping for a postgame celebration but won't begin the match in a festive mood.

"We all understand where we are in the table," defender Kyle Colonna said, referring to NMU's 10th-place standing four points out of the USLC Western Conference's final playoff spot.

"With six games left, all of us have to step up a little," he added, "play with a chip on our shoulder and go get the results we want."

Coach Eric Quill conceded his team was frustrated after dropping its second straight 1-0 decision Sunday at Birmingham. But Quill said he's seen no quit in his players and he's eager to line up against a contending Indy squad that's been trending in the opposite direction.

"The guys know what's at stake," Quill said. "We've got six games left and we're still in the race. The motivation should be there for every player. (Friday) night is all about getting three points. That's it."

Forward Santi Moar said United wants to win not only to boost its playoff hopes but to reward its loyal fans.

"The fans have been the high point of the season really," Moar said. "They show up, they support us and they stay after to get autographs and give us high-fives. Believe me, we want nothing more than to get three points and, hopefully, achieve something for them over these last six games."

Here are five key factors to consider for Friday's matchup at Isotopes Park.

ADDED PUNCH: Quill has more weapons to choose from with top-scorer Amando Moreno (9 goals) and forward Shanyder Borgelin back from international duty. Both missed Sunday's match in Birmingham.

"Amanodo is obviously in great form and playing with a lot of confidence," Quill said. "We want everyone playing with that confidence. Hopefully it's contagious."

FIESTA VIBES: A colorful crowd is expected for NMU's annual Hispanic Heritage Night, with mariachis and flamenco dancers scheduled to perform. Al Hurricane, Jr. will sing the National Anthem.

RIVALRY VIBES: Longtime United fans may notice a distinct Locomotive FC flavor with Indy Eleven's roster. Former El Paso coach Mark Lowry is in his second season with Indy and he's brought a considerable number of his former players along with him. Among them are Macauley King, Bryam Rebellon and Mechack Jerome. Indy also features United fan favorite Solomon Asante, who formerly played with Phoenix Rising.

CHOPPER ASSIST: Friday's match might well have been postponed if not for a well-timed assist from KOAT's news helicopter. A pair of intense thunder showers on Wednesday left the Isotopes Park infield flooded and would not have allowed for sod to be placed for Friday's contest. The Isotopes Park ground crew and United staff called KOAT for help and the station's news helicopter hovered over the pitch, employing its rotors to blow the standing water off the infield.

"Signaling a helicopter was not on my bingo card for Wednesday," United director of communications David Wiese-Carl said, "but it was actually pretty cool."

PENALTY PINCH: Despite numerous potential opportunities, United fans have not seen their team attempt a penalty kick at Isotopes Park this season. NMU has been awarded just one in 2023 — in its season opener at Miami. Indy Eleven is 7-for-7 on penalty kicks this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Indy (11-9-8): The attack has been largely a two-headed monster for Indy Eleven, with Aodhan Quinn and Sebastian Guenzatti doing the heavy lifting. They share the team lead in goals scored (9 apiece), which accounts for more than half of the 35 goals Indy has netted this season. Each player also has a pair of assists and they've combined for 90 shots (48 by Guenzatti). Still, the veteran Quinn is arguably the straw that stirs Indy Eleven's drink. The 31-year-old has previously faced New Mexico while playing for Orange County and Phoenix and he's currently the USLC career leader in minutes played with 20,895. (United's Josh Suggs has 20,789). Indy is not a particularly high-powered offensive club but is rock solid defensively. Goalkeepers Yannik Oettl and Tim Trilk have allowed just 29 goals with 10 combined clean sheets.

New Mexico (9-13-6): With little to lose at this point, United can afford to take some chances and probably needs to if it plans to break down Indy's stout back line. NMU will have top scorer Amando Moreno (9 goals, 2 assists, 46 shots) back after he missed a match to represent El Salvador last week. Spark plug Daniel Bruce could also be in the starting 11 after entering Sunday's match at Birmingham as a substitute in his return from injury. It will be interesting to see how coach Eric Quill aligns his squad on the attacking end after suffering back-to-back 1-0 defeats. Midfielder Zico Bailey moved into an attacking role last week and provided energy up front. He accounted for two of NMU's three shots in the first half and put both on target. Goalkeeper Andrew Thomas has stopped 6 of 8 shots faced in two matches since joining the club.

NOTEWORTHY: With goalkeeper Alex Tambakis having missed three matches due to injury, defender Kalen Ryden now leads United in minutes played this season with 2,412. Ryden, who has appeared in 27 of 28 USLC matches, is one of five NMU players with more than 2,000 minutes played. The others are Justin Portillo (2,381), Tambakis (2,250), Harry Swartz (2,089) and Sergio Rivas (2029).