United gets long-awaited shot at defending USL champs Colorado Springs

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

New Mexico United fans have been waiting a while for this one.

After three straight weekends on the road, United returns home Saturday to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Isotopes Park. The Switchbacks are defending USLC champions, and United has been looking forward to getting a shot at the champs.

NMU was scheduled to battle Colorado Springs on April 5 at Weidner Field, but snowy conditions in Colorado forced that meeting to be postponed until September. Snow is not expected Saturday in Albuquerque, and United coach Dennis Sanchez says his team is eager to finally take on the Switchbacks.

"I don't have to hype anybody up for this one," Sanchez said.

New Mexico (7-3-0) is off to a considerably better start than the Switchbacks (2-4-5) this season, sitting atop the USLC Western Conference standings and returning from a successful-if-tiring stretch on the road. United went 2-0-1 against Orange County, Oakland and Phoenix, scoring nine combined goals and building momentum for Saturday's showdown.

"We're feeling good," forward Marlon Vargas said. "It's very difficult going on the road three straight weeks, but coming away from that with seven points we should feel very confident. We're definitely looking forward to coming home and keeping it going in front of our fans."

It wasn't quite a perfect road trip for New Mexico, which ended up settling for a draw in Phoenix and losing a penalty shootout in a Jagermeister Cup group contest. As a result, Rising FC claimed two points in the Group 2 standings while United notched only one.

Still, Sanchez and his players are keeping things in perspective. NMU is in first place despite dealing with absences and lingering injuries that have required Sanchez to tinker with his lineup on almost a weekly basis.

Forwards Greg Hurst and Dayonn Harris, midfielder Sergio Rivas and defender Tony Herbert have been out with injuries for more than a month and are unlikely to play Saturday.

"I think we're heading in a positive direction with those guys," Sanchez said. "Fortunately, we have the kind of roster depth that we've been able to go through this stretch with three or four really key contributors out. I think that says a lot about this club."

Colorado Springs, meanwhile, has struggled through the first third of the USLC season, managing just two wins in its first 11 league matches and hovering just below the Western Conference playoff line. But Sanchez doesn't put too much stock in the Switchbacks' early results.

"Colorado Springs has some new players but they have a lot of the same mentality from last year," he said. "They started slow, picked it up later in the season and ended up winning the whole thing. We're on top of the table right now and I'm sure they'll come here looking to make a statement. We're expecting a difficult match and we're glad to be back in front of our supporters."

RECORD TERRITORY? NMU goalkeeper Alex Tambakis, the USL Championship's career saves leader with 638, can claim another league record by posting a clean sheet Saturday night. Tambakis has 57 career clean sheets (five this season), one short of the total posted by now-retired goalkeeper Evan Newton.

"Records are something I might think about after the game," Tambakis said. "In the moment, I don't think about that. At the same time, the clean sheet record is a big one. It will be special if it happens, especially at home."

Tambakis has been outstanding at Isotopes Park this season, conceding just one goal in three-plus matches. After playing just one home match in May, New Mexico will play four of five at the Lab in June, including an international friendly against FC Juarez on June 25.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colorado Springs (2-4-5): The defending USLC champs are off to a slow start, but they remain a talented and dangerous bunch. Much like New Mexico, the Switchbacks share the ball well on offense. Eight players have scored USLC goals, paced by forward Justin Dhillon (5 goals, 1 assist, 12 shots). Colorado Springs has a number of new faces, including midfielder Marco Micaletto, who played for United in 2024. Micaletto is off to a strong start for the Switchbacks (3 goals, 9 shots, 11 chances created) after posting 4 assists and 40 chances created but no USLC goals last season. Colorado Springs has not been as strong defensively, conceding 18 goals (third most in the league) behind goalkeepers Christian Herrera and Abraham Romero. Herrera posted a clean sheet in last week's 1-0 Jagermeister Cup win over El Paso.

New Mexico (7-3-0): United's defense will look to get back on track after springing a few leaks in last week's 3-3 Jagermeister Cup draw in Phoenix. NMU has conceded 14 goals over all competitions this season, five of them scored by Rising FC. Still, NMU has a league-best six clean sheets and ranks third best in USLC play with nine goals allowed. Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis needs just one more shutout to tie Evan Newton's career record (58). United continues to dominate possession, ranking first in the USLC in passes (5,123) and passing accuracy (86%) and its attack has begun to click recently. NMU has scored nine goals in its last three games with Mukwelle Akale, Luiz Fernando and McKinze Gaines effectively forcing the action. Ten players have scored goals for United in 10 USL Championship games.

GOAL KICKS: Isotopes Park has been a house of horrors for Colorado Springs over the years. The Switchbacks are 0-6-0 at the Lab, where they've been outscored 14-5. Oddly, United's only "home" loss to the Switchbacks came during the 2020 pandemic season when NMU played as the host team at the Colorado Springs' original Weidner Field and fell 2-1. ... Defenders Talen Maples (NMU) and Matt Mahoney (Colorado Springs) have played every minute for their respective teams this season and rank second and third in total passes with 793 and 783, respectively.