Sour taste: United settles for 3-3 draw with Oakland

One point was not what New Mexico United had in mind for Sunday’s home match against Oakland Roots SC, but that was about what the home team deserved.

Oakland’s Gagi Margvelashvili hammered an open blast into the net in the 82nd minute and the Roots pulled out a 3-3 draw in front of 8,756 fans at Isotopes Park.

Par for the course with a tie, there was good news and bad news. United secured no worse than a third-place finish in the USL Championship Western Conference, moving four points clear of fourth-place El Paso with one game remaining. But NMU likely squandered its chances of overtaking second-place Sacramento. Both clubs have 45 points, but Republic has two games left and holds the tiebreaker.

United, which let a 3-1 lead slip away, was left to ponder several missed chances — no one more so than Mukwelle Akale, who scored one goal, set up another and missed the frame on a wide-open chance in the second half.

“The thing I think about most is tying the game,” Akale said. “Three goals at home should be enough to win — at least 3-2. Personally, I feel like we should have had a clean sheet. But yeah, that one I missed is going to be on my mind all week.”

United coach Dennis Sanchez expressed similar sentiments.

“Giving up three goals and letting a 3-1 lead get away at home, that’s nowhere near good enough,” he said. “We’ve scored six goals in our last two games and came away with two draws. We have to be better, or the playoffs are going to be a quick trip.”

Akale and Talen Maples scored for NMU with the third tally credited as an own goal. Oakland got two goals from red-hot Peter Wilson, who gave United’s back line fits, especially in the first half.

The teams combined to put on an action-filled show in those first 45 minutes, with three penalties and an own goal to spice things up. New Mexico struck first on an Akale bullet from the right wing in the 13th minute, but it didn’t take any fight out of the Roots, who hardly played like a side that came in eliminated from playoff contention.

Oakland’s talented attacking line gave NMU trouble throughout the half, forcing a pair of takedowns in the penalty area, both converted by Wilson. Oakland’s speedy forward increased his season total to 17 goals and stretched his scoring streak to seven straight games — one off the USLC record.

Wilson’s first tally tied the score at 1-1, but United answered with two of its own. Dayonn Harris, who assisted on Akale’s earlier goal, launched a low shot from the left wing that deflected off retreating Oakland defender Neveal Hackshaw and into the net for a 2-1 New Mexico lead.

Maples made it 3-1 in the 27th minute, converting from the penalty spot after Akale was taken down in the box. It was Maples’ sixth goal of the season, all coming on penalties.

But any thoughts of a New Mexico blowout quickly disappeared. Oakland’s Faysel Bettache fired a long shot off the crossbar, and Wilson later got behind NMU’s defense in transition and was tripped from behind. His resulting penalty zipped into the net to make it 3-2 in the the 39th minute.

“I think we took our foot off the gas with the lead,” Sanchez said. “It got to a point where every time we had the ball in the final third, I thought we were gonna score. Unfortunately, I felt the same way when the ball was on the other end.”

United did a better job controlling Wilson after halftime and had a pair of golden chances to make the score 4-2. Akale sent a one-on-one chance sailing over the crossbar on the first, and a chip by Luther Archiméde slipped just over the bar and landed on top of the net in the 81st minute.

Margvelashvili made the home team pay a minute later, capitalizing on an open look after NMU failed to clear the ball on a corner kick. United stretched its unbeaten streak to six games, but not in satisfying fashion.

New Mexico concludes the regular season Friday with a 7 p.m. home match against Rhode Island FC. The mindset for that one, Akali said, is simple.

“We have to treat it like a playoff game,” he said.