May Day! United looks to right its ship at Isotopes Park

Saturday, 7 p.m., Radio: 101.7 FM; TV: KASY (English), Estrella (Spanish); Streaming: KRQE.com, ESPN+

The USS New Mexico United has been rocked by stormy seas of late.

After sailing to an 8-4-1 record and holding first place in the USL Championship's Western Conference at the end of June, United has seemingly been battered by everything from squalls to random icebergs. NMU finds itself floundering in a club-record four-game losing streak and has conceded a club-record nine goals over its last two outings.

New Mexico has slipped to fifth place in the conference standings and enters Saturday's home match against Las Vegas Lights FC just three points ahead of the ninth- and 10th-place clubs. If ever there was a time to call for all hands on deck, this would seem to be it.

NMU coach Dennis Sanchez effectively did just that at his club's weekly media conference. For the first time in more than a month, United is docked at nearby Tingley Beach and will play in front of its home fans at Isotopes Park. (United leads the USLC in home attendance at 9,981 fans per game).

"There's no better way to get back on track than by playing at home," Sanchez said. " ... I'm not naïve. I know we're going through a difficult stretch, but we're feeling the love and support from our fans more than ever. They're what makes this club so special and we look forward to coming out and playing for them."

Sanchez is well aware of United's recent struggles but remains a "glass-half-full guy." There are reasons for optimism. New Mexico has eight of its final 13 matches at home and enters Saturday just three points out of third place and five behind second-place Sacramento, which visits Isotopes Park on Aug. 30.

United also has a prime opportunity to right the ship Saturday against Las Vegas — a club that's taken on its own share of water in recent months. Lights FC is 0-5-1 in its last six games and recently hired Devin Rensing as its new head coach. He's the club's third coach since Sanchez departed Las Vegas for New Mexico during the offseason.

"Lots of changes," Sanchez said of his former club. "They're on their third coach and there's been a lot of player movement since we saw them. (United won 3-2 on March 15 in Las Vegas). But they still have a core of guys who've been successful and there's usually a natural spike with a new head coach. We're not about to underestimate anyone."

United cannot afford to look past Las Vegas, having absorbed a 4-0 beating from then-struggling Hartford on July 30. After Saturday's match, New Mexico faces three straight USLC contenders in Louisville, Sacramento and San Antonio, but midfielder Ousman Jabang does not believe United will get caught looking ahead.

"This league is interesting," Jabang said. "Honestly, any team can beat any other and you have to approach every game with the same mentality. I feel like we're too good to get caught in trap games. We've gotten ourselves into this situation and it's up to us to get ourselves out."

Forward Greg Hurst, who scored in last week's 5-2 loss to conference-leading FC Tulsa, believes United is close to turning the tide.

"Very close," Hurst said. "This club has shown all year the quality's there. We just have to find that balance play more consistently over the course of a match. Playing at home this week is huge because if we can get those three points, we'll start building back to where we want to be."

Sanchez agreed.

"We need to evolve in our game management and close things out to get three points," he said. "Where we are now in the standings, we need to turn strong performances into three points. For this club, playoffs remain the absolute minimum standard and we're here to win trophies. We've got the talent, character and experience to turn things back in a positive direction. It's time to do that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Las Vegas (5-10-4): Whether or not they'll see action is anyone's guess, but Lights players McKinze Gaines and Anthony Herbert were sporting New Mexico uniforms the last time United played at Isotopes Park. Both departed for Las Vegas as part of the late-July shakeup that brought Valentin Noel to United. Herbert started for Las Vegas in a 6-0 loss to El Paso, but neither he nor Gaines were active for last week's 1-1 draw with San Antonio — Devin Rensing's first game as Lights FC's head coach. Gaines and Herbert both had memorable moments with United before the trade. It's been a whirlwind season for Las Vegas, but two core players have stood out. Forward Johnny Rodriguez (7 goals, 33 shots) is the top finisher, while goalkeeper Riako Arozarena (43 saves, 7 clean sheets) has given United fits at times.

New Mexico (8-8-1): United's lineup has been in flux as coach Dennis Sanchez looks for a spark. NMU's attack had its moments in the first half of last week's match at Tulsa, with Greg Hurst netting his first goal since returning from injury and newcomer Valentin Noel creating opportunities. But Tulsa grabbed a quick lead in the second half, packed in its defense and largely shut United down until the closing minutes of a 5-2 Tulsa win. Further juggling could be in store as New Mexico looks to snap a four-game skid. Las Vegas has conceded 35 goals in USL Championship play this season — tied for most in the league — and Noel knows where to attack his former teammates, so look for NMU to come out firing. Goalkeepers Alex Tambakis and Kris Shakes combined to allow nine goals in NMU's last two games and need to regain their previous swagger.

GOAL KICKS: United's recent struggles have coincided with a road-heavy schedule as NMU has played at home just once since June 28. New Mexico has eight of its final 13 matches at Isotopes Park, where it has gone 4-2-1 in USLC play this season. Las Vegas has just one road win (April 26 at Orange County) in 2025 but undoubtedly has fond memories of Albuquerque. Lights FC was 2-0-0 at Isotopes Park last season, including a 1-0 playoff victory in the Western Conference semifinals.