United wins home opener 3-1 at Isotopes Park
May 16—ALBUQUERQUE — Professional soccer's 574-day drought in New Mexico ended Saturday night with 8,647 fans looking on at Isotopes Park.
The New Mexico United, remade with a roster full of fresh faces and returning veterans, beat visiting Austin, 3-1, for their first win of the United Soccer League season. The match marked New Mexico's first within the state since the end of the 2019 season.
The United (1-1-1) got goals from Sergio Rivas, Brian Brown and Amando Moreno. Rivas broke the ice in the 18th minute when he took a centering pass from the right side from Harry Swartz and headed it off the hands of Austin goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux and into the net.
Swartz's pass floated just over the head of teammate Devon Sandoval but was on-point for Rivas, who lept to head the ball in to get the United on the scoreboard first.
Austin tied it less than a minute into the second half as Nicholas Hinds beat United keeper Alex Tambakis with a ground-level shot for the equalizer. Tambakais made two saves in the game, both coming in the first half.
The decisive goals for the United came just five minutes apart in the middle of the second half. Brown's came first after he gathered a loose ball just outside the box and lofted it into an unguarded net. Fauroux came out to make a play on the ball as New Mexico's Josh Suggs raced in. The ball bounced out of Fauroux's grip as he fell to the ground just as Brown closed in.
Because keepers can't touch the ball outside the box, all Fauroux could do was watch as Brown sent a looping shot that produced a 2-1 United lead.
Five minutes later, Suggs sent a pass up the left sideline to Andrew Tinari. Tinari was all alone along the left side and sent a perfect centering pass into the box as Moreno charged full speed toward the mouth of the goal. He jumped into the air and headed the ball down past Fauroux's feet to close out the scoring in the 66th minute.
The United are on the road for their next match Friday against the Switchbacks FC in Colorado Springs, Colo. New Mexico returns to Isotopes Park on May 29 against Loudoun United FC.