United, FC Juarez set to square off in border rivalry

Sergio Rivas won’t mind a bit if Wednesday’s international friendly at Isotopes Park turns out to be more of a border scrap.

New Mexico United hosts FC Juárez in a midweek exhibition between a respective USL Championship contender and a top-division Mexican Liga MX side. There is some history in the matchup as NMU and FC Juarez have met twice previously in the past year.

Los Bravos de Juárez got the better of an international friendly last summer in Albuquerque, heading home with a 4-2 win. United got a measure of payback in the preseason, winning 6-0 in Juárez against a Bravos side playing without many of its regulars.

Wednesday’s rubber match has meaning for Rivas, United’s veteran midfielder who was born in Mexico and grew up in Albuquerque. Rivas has long been a fan of Liga MX soccer and he’s looking forward to taking FC Juárez’s best shot.

“I sure hope they come after us with their best,” Rivas said Tuesday. “They’re a good team and they were still in season when we played them (in February). They rested some guys, but I really hope both teams come with their best for this one. A lot of our guys are excited to play this kind of team.”

This time it’s United that’s in the midst of a busy in-season week. NMU defeated San Antonio FC 4-2 in a USLC match Saturday and will host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in a Jägermeister Cup contest this weekend. FC Juárez’s summer Liga MX schedule begins on July 11.

United coach Dennis Sanchez conceded he will “be mindful of guys’ minutes” with three games in an eight-day span.

Still, Sanchez and his players do not intend to treat Wednesday’s match as an exhibition.

“We’re trying to win this match,” Sanchez said.

United will come in with momentum after its dramatic win over San Antonio. Luiz Fernando and Marlon Vargas scored stoppage-time goals to help NMU send its fans home happy.

“I thought we showed some character in that game, coming back late,” Rivas said. “It’s obviously a busy week for us but I feel like we’re ready for it. We’re going to treat this like a league match, try to keep improving and moving forward.”

BRAVOS TO WATCH: Fans will likely see liberal substitutions Wednesday, but regulars are expected to see extended minutes. Players to watch for the Bravos include forward Angel Zaldavar, winger Madson, midfielder Guilherme Castillo and defender Jesus Murillo.

Zaldavar scored two goals in FC Juárez’s 4-2 win at Isotopes Park last summer.

ATTENDANCE DIP?: United officials do not expect Wednesday’s attendance to match the 10,490 fans announced for last summer’s friendly versus FC Juárez. As of Tuesday, a crowd in the 6,000 range was expected.

Exhibition matches are not included in season-ticket packages (NMU sold 4,200 season tickets in 2025), but visiting fans are likely to account for more of the attendance drop. FC Juárez supporters made up a large percentage of last season’s crowd at Isotopes Park and international ticket sales for Wednesday’s contest are down from 2024, club officials said.

RIDING HIGH: United strengthened its hold on first place in the USL Championship Western Conference standings with Saturday’s win over San Antonio FC. It was NMU’s highest scoring output of the season and earned the club a hefty portion of the league’s weekly player honors.

Marlon Vargas, who assisted on the go-ahead goal and scored a clincher (both in stoppage time) was named USLC Player of the Week. Vargas has four goals and four assists over all competitions this year.

Three other players scored for New Mexico on Saturday and all three joined Vargas on the USLC Team of the Week. Mukwelle Akale (1 goal, 1 assist), Luiz Fernando (1 goal, 1 assist) and Jaylin Lindsey (first goal with NMU) were honored, giving NMU four of the 11 Team of the Week spots.