Western showdown: United, Tulsa to battle for conference crown

Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Radio: 101.7 FM; TV: KASY (English), Estrella (Spanish); Streaming: KRQE.com, ESPN+

Want subplots? Saturday's USL Championship Western Conference Final has plenty.

New Mexico United takes on FC Tulsa on Saturday night with a berth in next week's league championship match at stake. Neither club has been to a conference final before, giving Saturday's showdown at ONEOK Field one extra notch on the drama meter.

It's a monster opportunity for both clubs as the winner will host Saturday's Eastern Conference Final winner, Pittsburgh or Rhode Island, in the nationally televised USL Championship Final — and United coach Dennis Sanchez and his players know it.

This game has a lot of weight," Sanchez said, "and I know there are people who've followed this club from day one that really want to lift a trophy. Having an opportunity to be at home for that moment is pretty surreal, so we're going to do everything in our power to play another game and come home and host the final."

But first things first.

Sanchez has been reluctant all season to look too far ahead and he knows better than to start now. Top-seeded Tulsa won both previous matchups with No. 3-seeded New Mexico this season and creates a number of challenges with its direct, physical style.

What's more, the Scissortails have been close to bulletproof at home, where they're riding a 13-game USLC unbeaten streak and haven't lost since a 2-1 defeat to Oakland on April 12.

United has its own run of strong form going — a club-record nine-game unbeaten tear dating back to a 1-0 loss to Tulsa on Sept. 13. Sanchez believes his club has evolved physically and mentally over the last two months and is better suited for a third meeting with the Scissortails. Still, he knows pulling off a Saturday-night upset in Oklahoma will not be easy.

"We know it's not going to be a red carpet in Tulsa," he said. "They've earned the right to host this game and they're really good at what they do. It's going to be a difficult game."

Now for a few of those subplots.

CONTROL VS. CHAOS: Stylistically, New Mexico and Tulsa are about as different as two clubs can be. United led the USLC in average possession (60.9%) and has attempted more total passes (15,783) than any other team with an 85% accuracy rate that is tied for the league's best. The other guys can't score if they don't have the ball, right?

Tulsa doesn't buy that philosophy, ranking second to last in possession (43.6%), last in total passes (9,259) and last in accuracy (69%), the latter because the Scissortails tend to let long passes fly when chances present themselves. Tulsa has one of the USLC's top defenses and doesn't mind sitting back, waiting for an opening. When it comes, the Scissortails look to strike fast.

"They love to live in chaos," Sanchez said. "We can do that, but we want to play in control. I think to do that you have to match them from a challenge and physicality standpoint, but watching their (1-0 playoff win over) Phoenix, 58 fouls, not a lot of passes completed, a lot of dead-ball situations, that is not the game we're looking for. The way we play as protagonists, we don't change for anybody else. We want to play in control."

SEASON OF CHANGE: New Mexico's run of success might have been hard to see coming in July and August, when United was struggling to score, mired in a seven-game winless streak and hovering near the Western Conference playoff line. Personnel changes certainly played a role both in NMU's cold stretch and its turnaround.

Consider: Top scorer Greg Hurst missed nearly three months due to injury. Luiz Fernando, who shared the club scoring lead at the time, departed for Vietnam. Spark plug Daniel Bruce suffered a season-ending knee injury. Defender and captain Kalen Ryden missed lengthy stretches due to injury.

More recently, Hurst and Ryden have returned. United has added key pieces in Valentin Noel, Kipp Keller and Luther Archimède. Speedy attacker Dayonn Harris returned at midseason and has since regained his disruptive form — including scoring the game-winner late in last week's 2-1 win over Orange County.

"I didn't want to go to extra time, so I'm glad I was in that position with an opportunity to win it," Harris said. "Hearing our crowd and the support from my teammates after the goal was second to none. It was deafening, the loudest I've ever heard it."

LET'S GET PHYSICAL: Tulsa features one of the USLC's tallest and most physically imposing lineups, and the Scissortails don't mind pushing opponents around. Tulsa leads the league in fouls conceded (559) and yellow cards (103). United ranked 10th in fouls (446) and third in cautions (86).

MAPLES HONORED: NMU defender Talen Maples was named to the 2025 USL Championship All-League Second Team this week. Maples led United in minutes played, ranked second in the league in total passes, second on the club in goals scored (7 in league play, 9 overall) and served as co-captain along with Ryden.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New Mexico (No. 3 seed, 16-10-6): United rides into its first Western Conference Final on a hot streak — a club-record nine matches without a loss (6-0-3). NMU's last loss was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tulsa at Isotopes Park, decided by an own goal charged to Sergio Rivas in second-half stoppage time. New Mexico's attack has been rolling since then, scoring 18 goals in nine games. Greg Hurst, Mukwelle Akale, Dayonn Harris and Valentin Noel have done most of the finishing, but NMU's midfield has been solid as well, cutting down on the turnovers that too often set up opposing transition opportunities earlier in the season. Defensively, NMU has regained some swagger since center backs Kalen Ryden and Kipp Keller returned from injuries. Talen Maples has since moved to right back, adding another physical presence to NMU's back line. United conceded a season-high five goals on its last visit to Tulsa.

Tulsa (No. 1 seed, 18-5-9): The Scissortails, like New Mexico, have been tough to beat of late — especially at home. Tulsa owns a 13-game unbeaten streak at ONEOK Field and has not allowed a goal in its last four home appearances. The defensive surge has been timely as Tulsa's attack has been relatively quiet, scoring just one goal four times in its last five games. Easily the two biggest tallies were provided by Stefan Lukic, who scored in extra time in back-to-back 1-0 playoff wins over Colorado Springs and Phoenix. Lukic is the first player in USLC history to score playoff game-winners in extra time on consecutive weeks. Tulsa also has talented finishers in Taylor Calheira (15 goals, 36 chances created and Kalil ElMedkhar (6 goals), but a stingy, physical back line protecting primary goalkeeper Johan Penaranda is Tulsa's biggest strength. The Scissortails have allowed just 30 goals all season. (United has allowed 42).

GOAL KICKS: While New Mexico finished second in USLC home attendance (9,597 per game) during the regular season, FC Tulsa ranked just 20th at 3,246 fans per home match. The Scissortails fan base has awakened in postseason, however. Tulsa drew a club record 7,917 fans for last week's playoff win over Phoenix. ... New Mexico and Tulsa are 3-3-2 in all previous meetings. Tulsa won this season's matches head-to-head matches 5-2 and 1-0 and has won three straight overall.