No vacation: United hopes to earn first win at Monterey Bay

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New Mexico United is looking forward to spending a pleasant Sunday on the beach.

NMU's players and coaches will spend the day getting sand in their shoes and breathing in the sea air as part of an extended stay in Monterey, California. The club opted not to come back to Albuquerque between its Saturday game on the West Coast and Wednesday's visit to Colorado Springs.

Monday will be all about preparation for Switchbacks FC, and Tuesday will be devoted to travel. But Sunday ...

"We appreciate the club allowing us to stay out there for a couple days," United coach Dennis Sanchez said. "There were a lot of logistics involved in coming back (to Albuquerque) between games. It would've been hectic and this gives us a recovery day in Monterey to see the sights, maybe go to the beach. The guys are looking forward to it."

There is one task NMU must complete before breaking out the flip flops and sunscreen, however, and it's one United has never accomplished — winning at Cardinale Stadium.

"It's a tough place to play," NMU defender Will Seymore said. "The culture they have is to be aggressive. They have a good crowd and they like to scrap. We have to impose ourselves and go get three points any which way we can. It's crunch time."

Such is the case for New Mexico and most of the other 11 clubs in the USL Championship's Western Conference. With seven games remaining, United (10-10-3, 33 points) enters the weekend tied for third place but just four points ahead of ninth-place Orange County. The top eight finishers advance to the playoffs.

"The West is tight," Sanchez said. "Every game is like a playoff game now."

After an extended slump in July and August, United has begun to recapture its form of late. In its last three matches, NMU picked up wins over San Antonio and Detroit and largely outplayed first-place Tulsa before an own goal in stoppage time led to a frustrating 1-0 defeat.

"I think San Antonio gave us the boost we needed," midfielder Ousman Jabang said. "We got some confidence back and were feeling pretty good about ourselves."

But the next three games — all in a nine-day span — are critical if NMU wants to secure its hold on a playoff spot. After facing Monterey Bay, United takes on Colorado Springs (31 points) and Lexington (32 points), both of whom are also part of the Western Conference logjam.

As one might expect, Sanchez is focused only on Monterey Bay. He even rolled out the familiar one-game-at-a-time mantra when asked about United's crucial upcoming stretch.

But United has ample reason to keep its eye on the ball in Northern California. NMU has not fared well against teams below the playoff line this season and is 0-2-1 in its previous visits to Cardinale Stadium. Monterey Bay FC (6-13-6, 24 points) also retains an outside chance to climb into the playoff hunt and figures to play with a sense of desperation.

"They're fighting for their lives," Sanchez said. "There are no easy games in this league and there's a lot of motivation for Monterey Bay."

Jabang believes New Mexico's primary task is simple, even if it's much easier said than done. United has often struggled to put enough shots on target, including against Tulsa, when only one of NMU's 11 shots was on goal.

"Yeah, goals change games," Jabang said. "We've been doing the right things, giving ourselves opportunities, just put the ball in the back of the net and we'll be all right."

MEASURING STICK: After further review (and an on-field measurement), Zico Bailey's stunning goal from beyond midfield against Detroit has been lengthened to 63 yards. It was initially estimated at 55 yards. Bailey's rocket was honored at No. 1 on ESPN's Top Plays on Sept. 10 and figures to be in the conversation for the league's Goal of the Year. Somehow it was not picked as the USLC's Goal of the Week, which is determined by online fan voting.

BETTER LATE: United's Wednesday match at Colorado Springs was originally set for April 5 but postponed due to an expected snowstorm. Conditions are expected to be more favorable Wednesday with highs forecast in the high 60s.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New Mexico (10-10-3): There are interesting plot lines to watch on both ends of the field for United. On the defensive end, Kipp Keller and Kalen Ryden missed last week's 1-0 loss to Tulsa with minor injuries after they had formed an effective center back duo. Both are considered day to day this week with Keller likely to return against Monterey Bay. Midfielder Valentin Noel was wheeled off the field on a cart against Tulsa but did not suffer a fracture and also is "day to day," NMU coach Dennis Sanchez said. Injuries are less of a factor on the front line, but United has to find effective shooting options after putting just one shot on target against Tulsa. Dayonn Harris has provided a spark since returning from ACL surgery and New Mexico has created more quality chances, but far too many shots have simply missed the mark.

Monterey Bay (6-13-6): It's been a long summer for MBFC, which has gone 1-9-2 in its last dozen USL Championship matches and has won just once since June 7. Making matters that much worse, the majority of Monterey Bay's matches have been up for grabs late, but key goals and stops have been lacking. Still, MBFC has its share of firepower and a top-flight goalkeeper in Nico Campuzano. The latter ranks second in the USLC with 72 saves in 23 appearances and kept things close in a 1-0 loss to United way back on April 23. On the attacking line, Anton Sojberg Horup leads Monterey Bay with five goals, while three other players (Paul Gindiri, Luke Ivanovic and Mayele Malango) have scored four apiece. Veteran midfielder Adrian Rebollar, who has plagued New Mexico in the past, has three goals and 21 chances created.

GOAL KICKS: Home field has been a decisive advantage when New Mexico and Monterey Bay have clashed in the past. United is 0-2-1 at Cardinale Stadium, while MBFC is 0-4-0 at Isotopes Park. ... With back-to-back road games over a four-day span, NMU will not return to Albuquerque after Saturday's match. The club will remain in Monterey until Tuesday and travel to Colorado Springs on Tuesday. United faces the Switchbacks on Wednesday before playing four of its final five matches at home.