New Mexico United (10 wins, 10 draws, 9 losses) currently sits in 8th spot in the Western Conference table, with 40 points from 29 games. That’s 31 points less than Rising (22 wins 5 draws, 3 losses), who have played a game more.
New Mexico doesn’t lose too many games at Isotopes Park, although two of the three they have lost were fairly recent.
New Mexico is fairly consistent at scoring throughout the first 60 minutes of home matches, but unusually are least likely to score at the end of games.
Very few teams break through the New Mexico defense early at Isotopes Park. United’s most vulnerable spell comes shortly after the half-time break.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
This will be the third meeting between the two sides this season, and the first to take place in Albuquerque. Both of the previous matches ended as draws, although New Mexico did win the U.S. Open Cup game on a penalty shootout.
The first match between the two teams wasn’t short of drama. New Mexico managed to pick up six yellow cards and concede two penalties as the sides drew 3-3 at Casino Arizona Field.
The second – an Open Cup second round match – also saw the visitors concede a penalty. However, with the scores level at 2-2 after 120 minutes, New Mexico took a 4-3 victory on kicks from the penalty mark.
In both matches, Rising held the upper hand in possession and in the aerial game. The hosts also got off more shots – both on and off target.
One category New Mexico does hold the advantage in? Fouls conceded – a category they led by a combined score of 42-27 over the two games.
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico’s last game was at Isotopes Park against Reno 1868 on September 20. The visitors won 3-1.
Cody Mizell is New Mexico’s first choice goalkeepeer. He’s played every league minute of the team’s inaugural season, and is the only player to have done so. He is used to picking the ball out of the net, though, with just three clean sheets in 29 appearances this season. Mizell’s previous clubs include Charlotte Independence and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, as well as Icelandic side Knattspyrnufélagið Fram.
South African Ethen Sampson played as a full-back against Reno. This is his second spell in North America, having previously featured at the Whitecaps before returning home to play for Ubuntu Cape Town. He’s been in and out of the squad this season, making just ten appearances to date. All of them, except one, have been starts.
Manny Padilla started on the opposite side of defense against Reno. He’s a stronger tackler than Sampson, and has won the most tackles \on the team (33 – a 67.3% success rate). The trade-off is that he’s not quite as accurate a passer (77.6%). Nevertheless, he is still joint-leader for assists on the team (5). Padilla previously played for RGV, as well as two PDL sides.
Rashid Tetteh started at center-back against Reno. He’s a frequent starter for the club, featuring in 24 games this year. This is Tetteh’s first professional season, although he played with both the Carolina Dynamo and Des Moines Menace while at High Point University. He’s looked solid challenging for the ball, and is adept at playing out of the back (86.1% passing accuracy). He also knows when to clear the ball out of danger, ranking second on the team with 92 clearances.
The player with the most clearances was his partner, Justin Schmidt. He’s petty solid at winning the ball on the ground (60.6%), and has won the most aerial duels of anyone on the team (86 – a 62.8% success rate). Schmidt is no stranger to the Western Conference. He was drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2017, and featured for Monarchs before signing for Sacramento ahead of the 2019 season.
Ex-Rising loanee Sam Hamilton started in midfield for United on September 20. Hamilton was picked up by New Mexico in November after being released by Colorado Rapids. He’d previously enjoyed two loan spells with Switchbacks, as well as his time in Phoenix. Hamilton’s a key link between the defense and midfield, and boasts an impressive 89.2% passing accuracy. He’s yet to record an assist this season, but did score against El Paso in May. It’ll be interesting to see how he matches up against his former Rising midfield partner, Kevon Lambert, tonight.
Toni Soler replaced Hamilton with around 15 minutes to play against Reno. Soler rose up through the ranks at Villarreal (Spain), but never broke into the first team. After several seasons in Spain’s lower leagues, he jetted off to the States to play in college. This is the 27-year-old’s first professional club since completing his studies, and he’s yet to establish himself in the starting lineup. However, Soler has still made 13 appearances this year. Intriguingly, he’s almost four times as likely to give up a free kick as he is to win one.
Juan Guzmán lined up in midfield against Reno. He leads the team in both passing accuracy (91.7%) and passes per 90 minutes (68.5%), combining with Hamilton to form the spine of the team. Guzmán is not the best at winning the ball back though, and has won just 44.6% of duels. He previously played for Oklahoma City and Louisville, as well as Patriotas in his native Colombia.
Chris Wehan played in an attacking midfield role against Reno. He’s played well in front of goal, finding the net five times since late July. Altogether, he has eight goals this year, as well as five assists. Wehan spent the last two years with San Jose and Reno, while also featuring for Seattle Sounders and Orange County youth teams.
New Mexico’s other consistent threat this season is Santi Moar. The Spaniard has 11 goals to date and four assists. The good news for Rising? Moar is suspended after picking up his seventh yellow card against Reno. This is Moar’s third season in USL, having spent two seasons with Bethlehem Steel.
David Estrada started on the opposite wing to Moar last time out. Born in the Mexican city of Morelia, he moved to California as an infant and played in college at UCLA. Estrada spent four seasons in MLS with Seattle and DC, but has been in USL since signing for Sacramento in 2015. Despite featuring in all but three of New Mexico’s games this season, he has little to show for it with just two goals and two assists.
Kevaughn Frater replaced Estrada in the second half against Reno. Frater is enjoying a solid season in Albuquerque, after struggling last year as Chris Cortez’s backup at Rising. He leads New Mexico with 14 league goals – the best haul of his career. Frater needs to be careful though, as he sits just one yellow card away from his third accumulation suspension of the season.
Devon Sandoval started the last match as New Mexico’s lone striker. He’s had a decent season, bagging nine goals. Sandoval is most lethal with his right foot (6 goals), but also has one with his left and two with his head. He’s picked up three assists, too. Sandoval spent four seasons in Real Salt Lake’s setup, before featuring with the San Francisco Deltas and Atlanta United 2.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Michael Radchuk has the whistle for tonight’s game. He’s an experienced referee, with over 50 USL matches dating back to 2015. In fact, his first game back in USL was a match between his local side, Orange County Blues, and Arizona United.
The only Rising encounter he’s taken charge of this year was between the successor sides of both of those clubs, as Orange County defeated Phoenix 2-1 at Championship Soccer Stadium.
From the Ashes Prediction: Derby games can be hard to predict, but the large traveling Rising contingent will be hoping to see the opposition resemble this tonight:
Rising to sneak it by a goal.
Post-match interviews will be available at @ojevans18.