Physical matchup: United prepared for postseason battle

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

Drama? The stage will be set for a full helping of it Saturday at Isotopes Park.

New Mexico United and San Antonio FC, two USL Championship Western Conference rivals with a history of dramatic battles, will square off in a first-round playoff matchup. Fans should probably plan to stay to the final whistle.

Saturday's match will be the fourth between third-seeded New Mexico and No. 6 San Antonio this season. United has had the better of things with two wins and a draw, but none of those contests proved lacking in drama. Consider:

June 21: After visiting San Antonio ties things with a second-half goal, Luiz Fernando and Marlon Vargas connect two minutes apart in stoppage time. NMU 4, SAFC 2

July 26: Juan Agudelo scores twice to give host San Antonio a 2-0 lead in Jägermeister Cup play. In stoppage time, Valentin Noel and Dayonn Harris score to force a 2-2 draw. NMU wins the ensuing penalty shootout 3-0.

Sept. 6: Luther Archiméde scores in the 67th minute and visiting United pulls out a physical 1-0 win to snap a seven-game winless stretch.

Four stoppage-time goals and a hard-fought 1-0 decision delivered plenty of excitement in the teams' previous three meetings. United coach Dennis Sanchez also felt those contests were particularly big for his team's mind set.

"I actually thought two of them were turning points for us," Sanchez said. "The first one, coming back with two goals after we let a lead get away, really started to build our belief and confidence. The last one, grinding out a 1-0 win on the road when we'd been struggling, got us back on a positive path."

What should fans expect from round four?

United has not lost since August and starts the postseason in better form, while San Antonio needed a win over El Paso last week to squeak into the playoff bracket. SAFC broke through with a five-goal performance after being shut out five straight times in an 0-4-1 skid.

Nonetheless, San Antonio's solid defense and physical style tend to play well in postseason and Sanchez has his team prepared for yet another dramatic match.

"San Antonio earned the right to be here and we have to be ready for what they bring," he said. "It's playoff soccer now and this game is not going to be easy. It will be difficult, but we're prepared."

Goalkeeper Kris Shakes agreed.

"San Antonio has a physical mentality and we know they'll pressure us," Shakes said. "But pressure makes diamonds and we've been working the whole year for this opportunity. Time to take advantage of it."

Physical indeed. SAFC finished the regular season with 472 fouls conceded and a league-high 94 yellow cards. (New Mexico finished with 422 fouls and 83 cautions).

Midfielder Valentin Noel, who joined NMU just in time for its Jägermeister Cup match against SAFC, believes United will be up to the physical challenge San Antonio presents.

"They're a strong team," he said, "so how we play with the ball and keep it is going to be key. We have to play even stronger with the ball, keep them in their end and make them suffer as much as possible."

Physical play and suffering aside, Sanchez and his players insisted that playoff drama and intensity can still be fun.

"Preparation is the same," midfielder Sergio Rivas said, "but the approach needs to be different. It's a playoff game, the excitement and intensity are at a higher level, but it's also fun. Not every player gets to do this, so you have to remember to enjoy it."

NOTE: Fans are advised to arrive early as several UNM parking lots around Isotopes Park will not be available due to other events scheduled for Saturday. The Stadium West and Pit West lots are among those that will be unavailable. Parking areas around the CNM campus will be open.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

San Antonio (11-12-7, Western Conference No. 6 seed): SAFC ended a dismal fall stretch in the nick of time, dumping El Paso 5-2 last week to secure a playoff spot. Prior to that, San Antonio had been shut out five straight times and was flirting with missing the postseason after leading the Western Conference earlier in the campaign. Injuries have bogged SAFC down at times but coach Carlos Llamosa's club remains physical and can be explosive. Jorge Hernandez (11 goals, 6 assists, 29 shots) is the go-to finisher and leads the USLC with 67 chances created. Former United midfielder Nicky Hernandez (2 goals, 2 assists, 19 chances created) also has had a solid season, and Santiago Patiño adds a threat since returning from injury. Richard Sanchez (64 saves) is the primary goalkeeper, but Daniel Namani has also seen recent action.

New Mexico (14-10-6, Western Conference No. 3 seed): Coach Dennis Sanchez has employed his bench liberally this season and comes into postseason with a relatively healthy squad. United is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3) and has lost just once since Aug. 30. The hot stretch has been an odd mix of strong offensive and defensive performances that includes a pair of 3-3 draws, but New Mexico's attack has been much improved since sputtering through a seven-game winless slump in July and August. Greg Hurst and Talen Maples share the club lead with seven goals apiece, but Mukwelle Akale and Dayonn Harris have sparked NMU's recent surge with creative playmaking up front. Akale leads United with 6 assists, 44 chances created and has scored in back-to-back games. Harris has a goal and four assists in just 15 appearances.

GOAL KICKS: United and SAFC have been among the league's best at converting penalties as both are 7-for-7 this season. Maples has cashed in all seven for NMU. ... Maples also ranks second in the USLC in passes (1,931) as New Mexico finished second to Charleston in total passes. United averaged 60.9% possession overall to lead the league. ... After playing several non-Saturday games late in the season, NMU finished second in average home attendance at 9,597 per game. Sacramento (9,829) finished first with Louisville (9,540) and Indy (9,117) also averaging more than 9.000 per game.