Peerman's Power Rankings: Stronger when United

E pluribus unum

The Latin phrase translated to English is, “out of many, one,” and the official motto of the United States could also be the unofficial motto of New Mexico United, which takes the top spot in this week’s Peerman Power Rankings. This is a team that embodies the phrase, a squad that when broken down to its individual parts would be average but as one unit may just be the best side in the United Soccer League Championship.

Take a look at the team statistics on the USLC website:

• Attacking: United is 10th in goals scored, 13th in shots on goal, tied for seventh in goal conversion rate

• Goalkeeping: United is tied for 12th in goals conceded, tied for 14th in clean sheets

• Distribution: United is fourth in passes, tied for fifth in passing accuracy

United is a pretty good passing team, slightly better than average at scoring goals and average at preventing goals. Here’s another team stat on the USLC website:

• Regular season standings: United (18-11-5) finished first in the Western Conference, third overall

The Black and Yellow doesn’t excel at any one aspect of the game other than “winning.”

E pluribus unum

The team notably doesn’t have any superstars. Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis has been consistent (starting all 33 games he’s played in) but statistically average. Defenders Talen Maples and Chris Gloster are the only two other than Tambakis who have started at least 90 percent of the games they’ve played in. Eighteen players have logged at least 10 starts. It’s hard for opponents to game plan when they don’t know who’s going to be on the pitch.

Greg Hurst leads the team in goals scored with 12 (tied for ninth most in the league), but he’s started only 75 percent of the games he’s played. Seven other players have scored at least three goals. Only three other teams in the league have at least eight players who have celebrated at least three goals on the season.

Daniel Bruce. Jacobo Reyes. Mukwelle Akale. Abdi Mohamed. Harry Swartz. Marco Micaletto. Any of these United players is a threat to put the ball into the back of the net.

In United’s 2-1 win over Phoenix Rising in the first round of the USL playoffs, it was Will Seymore who put in the tying goal and Akale with the go-ahead goal. It was Seymore’s first score of the season. Add his name to the list above.

The Black and Yellow may not have stars, but that hasn’t stopped the team from shining bright.

E pluribus unum

Nearly 11,500 fans came out to support United in its first ever home playoff match on a drizzly, cold Sunday night. They got soaked in a scoreless first half, stuck around, and rained down cheers as United came alive in the second stanza.

“I mean, this club has the best fan-base in the league,” Akale said after the match. “It’s the 12th man. Without them, tonight, we go one-zero down, the crowd doesn’t stop making noise. We hear that. We feed on it. We get that equalizer. They scream even louder. We get the winner. That’s how it works.”

With the win over Phoenix, United advances to the semifinals of the Western Conference playoffs and will host the Las Vegas Lights at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Should United win, Isotopes Park would also be the site of the conference finals.

The Black and Yellow has 12 “men” affecting the outcome. Every other team that comes into Isotopes Park has 11.

E pluribus unum

UNM cross country

How dominant was the UNM men’s team at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships on Friday? The slowest Lobo was faster any runner in a Boise State, Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, Utah State, Nevada, San Jose State or Fresno State jersey (that’s the entirety of the conference).

Habtom Samuel, the phenomenal UNM sophomore, crossed the 8K finish line first, for the second year in a row, at this year’s championships in Reno, Nevada. He was followed by conference Freshman of the Year Vincent Chirchir. Lobos Collins Kiprotich, another freshman, and Evans Kiplagat, a sophomore, were Nos. 3 and 4. And coming in fifth place was UNM sophomore Lukas Kiprop. For the first time in the history of the MW Championships, a single team scored Nos. 1-5. That’s as dominant as a cross country team can be — there is no better result.

UNM women’s team also won a MW championship, led by freshman Pamela Kosgei (named MW athlete and freshman of the year), who was the only runner to clear the 6K course in under 20 minutes. She eviscerated the competition, winning by nearly 48 seconds. UNM freshman Mercy Kirarei crossed in fourth and Lobo seniors Christina Nisoli (sixth), Natalie Bitetti (10th) and Sophia McDonnell (11th) helped power the team its 16th conference championship.

The Lobos — and specifically, Samuel and Kosgei — are the best in the Mountain West. We’ll find out if they are the fastest in the region (Nov. 15) and nationally (Nov. 23) in the coming weeks.

Youth ice hockey

Albuquerque probably isn’t going to be renamed Hockeytown, USA anytime soon, but New Mexico’s largest city was, at least for two weekends in a row, the place to be for youth ice hockey players in North America.

The OneHockey Albuquerque Wild West youth ice hockey tournament, a USA Hockey-sanctioned event, brought hundreds of hockey players in age groups ranging from 10-under to 18-under to the high desert for three days, Oct. 25-27. Games were played at the Outpost Ice Arenas and at the McDermott Athletic Center in Rio Rancho.

Then, last weekend, the North American Prospects Hockey League brought in hundreds more of the top 18U and 16U players from across the country.

The New Mexico Ice Wolves organization, which helped host and organize the events, estimates about 2,200 people (players and their families) attended, spending an estimated $1.2 million on lodging, food, transportation, shopping, entertainment and other costs while they were here.

Honorable mention

UNM quarterback Devon Dampier got up to 21.1 miles per hour in his 40-yard dash to the end zone during the Lobos’ 49-45 loss to Wyoming on Saturday. It was the fourth fastest time clocked of any player in college football this weekend. … NMSU kicker Abraham Montaño was recognized as the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on field goal attempts from 57 yards out and 53 yards out in a 34-13 loss to FIU last Tuesday. The 57-yarder tied a school record. … Albuquerque native Diego Pavia won his third straight game against head coach Hugh Freeze. As New Mexico State’s quarterback, Pavia’s teams defeated Freeze’s teams at Liberty (2022) and Auburn (2023); and Pavia’s Vanderbilt squad beat Auburn 17-7 on Saturday, the Commodores becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 in the process … 11 high school teams remain undefeated in fall prep sports (that’s two fewer than last week): Las Cruces volleyball, Hope Christian girls soccer, and the football teams from Logan, Melrose, Fort Sumner/House, Texico, Dexter, St. Michael’s, Bloomfield, La Cueva and Centennial have yet to lose a game.... Albuquerque Prep’s Bella Hines had a weekend to remember. The LSU commit scored a Grind Session (league) record 53 points in a loss on Saturday and followed that up with 50 points in a win on Sunday. … Houston Astros third baseman and Albuquerque native Alex Bregman won a Gold Glove award for fielding at his position, the first such honor of his career. … Congrats to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who despite being injured most of the season, earned the second World Series ring of his career. Although Kershaw has only tenuous connections to New Mexico, his grand uncle is one of the state’s most notable residents: Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), who discovered Pluto in 1930, lived most of his life in Las Cruces, where he was an astronomer and educator at New Mexico State University.

Peerman’s Power Rankings capture the athletes, teams and story lines that have Journal sports editor Lucas Peerman’s attention. Have a suggestion, complaint or compliment? Email lpeerman@abqjournal.com or find me on X, @LucasPeerman.