Ad
Heat check: Five things to watch as United, Orange County SC set to find out which club is hotter
When healthy, the lightning-quick Moreno has been a consistent scoring threat since joining United in 2020. He leads the club with six goals scored this season and has 20 overall despite missing most of 2022 while recovering from ACL surgery. Moreno’s distinctive hairstyle makes him stand out. He has dual citizenship and has played for the United States and El Salvador national programs.
Published
Modified
From a strict Fahrenheit perspective, New Mexico United will be delighted to get a bit of a break Saturday night.
United visits Orange County SC in Irvine, California, where high temperatures have been in the high 80s to low 90s this week. That’s considerably more temperate than anywhere else NMU has played or practiced recently (Albuquerque, El Paso, Las Vegas).
But from a soccer perspective, neither United nor Orange County has any interest in cooling off. Both teams have been on extended runs, and they enter Saturday night’s contest tied for seventh place in the United Soccer League Western Conference standings with 28 points apiece, just above the playoff line.
United (8-7-4) is on a five-game unbeaten run (4-0-1), while Orange County (8-9-4) has won five of its last six. NMU coach Eric Quill said his club feels good about its run but is far from satisfied.
“Tied for seventh place is not where we want to be,” Quill said. “Every game we play we’re out to win, including this one. We need to be attacking, out on our front foot.”
Quill has been particularly pleased with his club’s defense of late. United and goalkeeper Alex Tambakis have posted three shutouts in their last four games after managing just one over their first 15 USL Championship matches this season.
“I’m happy with the way we’ve played on both sides of the ball,” he said, “but I probably take more pride in clean sheets. Sometimes goals come on great individual plays, but you have to play well as a group to put up a shutout. Our guys have been doing that.”
NMU figures to be tested by an Orange County attack that has heated up in July, netting 14 goals over its last six appearances. High-scoring forward Milan Iloski is the focal point with nine goals scored on a league-high 57 shots.
“It’s not a one-man team but we definitely have to be aware of (Iloski),” United defender Kalen Ryden said. “He finds space well on all areas of the field, so it’s not just the back line that has to keep an eye on him, it’s everyone.”
Here are five things for fans to keep an eye on during Saturday’s contest.
Ad
NO-CUT ZONE: Amando Moreno is sporting a different hairstyle these days with dark roots growing out under his dyed locks. Asked about the look, Moreno shook his head. “I can’t mess with it,” he said.
Moreno’s reluctance to change anything is understandable. He’s accounted for four goals and an assist in NMU’s last six games and was recently named to the USL Championship’s Team of the Week. Still, Moreno is not giving his hair all the credit.
“No, it’s just the style right now,” he said. “I’m not really superstitious, but, you know, when things are working ... “
HE’S NO. 2: Tambakis moved into second place on the USLC list for career shutouts, posting his 44th in last week’s 3-0 win over Sacramento.
It’s a familiar spot for Tambakis, who ranks second to retired Evan Newton (58 shutouts) in clean sheets, saves, appearances and minutes played.
STILL NO BEEZ: NMU’s Chris Wehan (lower body) was not expected to return from injury in time to face his former club Saturday, but Wehan is progressinng and said he hopes to return to the lineup soon. Wehan has not played since June 10 — one game prior to Quill’s arrival.
CENTURY MARK: Sergio Rivas’ next appearance will be his 100th in USLC play. Rivas played in 30 games for Reno 1868 from 2019-20 and has 69 appearances with United.
YELLOW LIGHT: Orange County has earned a league-high 62 yellow cards this season, while NMU has picked up 46 cautions (15th most). Overall, New Mexico has a league-low 231 fouls conceded — 13 fewer than any other team. OCSC has 273.
