2022 New Mexico United season
New Mexico United 2022 soccer season
The 2022 New Mexico United season was the fourth season for New Mexico United in the USL Championship , the second-tier professional soccer league in the United States .The 2022 USL Championship season was set to begin on March 12, with New Mexico United set to play their first competitive game against Las Vegas Lights FC .[ 1]
Off-season and pre-season
The club concluded its 2021 season with a 3-1 win over Real Monarchs on October 30. Finishing 5th in the Mountain Division, New Mexico failed to qualify for the USL Championship playoffs . Following the conclusion of the season, Saalih Muhammad 's loan spell ended, and he returned to Oakland Roots SC .[ 2]
Six days later, on November 5 the club announced the departure of inaugural head coach Troy Lesesne after three seasons.[ 3] His successor, Zach Prince , was announced on November 15, having served as Lesesne's assistant for the past three seasons.[ 4]
In December, Justin Schmidt and Juan Pablo Guzmán left the club, with the former retiring from playing to join the US Army.[ 5] [ 6] December also saw 5 players join the club. Justin Portillo joined from Real Monarchs on December 18,[ 7] followed by the signing of Haitian youth international Carl Sainté on December 22 from Haitian side Violette AC ,[ 8] and Comorian international Alexis Souahy on December 28 from Louisville City FC .[ 9] United finished the calendar year by announcing the signings of Tabort Etaka Preston and Neco Brett on December 29 from Hartford Athletic and December 31 from Birmingham Legion FC , respectively.[ 10] [ 11]
In January, midfielder Will Seymore joined the club from Finn Harps F.C. [ 12] On January 8, New Mexico announced the signing of Raddy Ovouka from Ghanaian side Accra Hearts of Oak .[ 13] Second-choice goalkeeper Philipp Beigl left the club on January 10, moving to El Paso Locomotive .[ 14] Forward Brian Brown left the club on January 25 in a player transfer with FC Tulsa for Jerome Kiesewetter .[ 15] Isidro Martinez left the club on January 27, followed the next day by the announcement of the club's 2022 roster, which did not include Will Palmquist, David Najem , Alex Touche, Andrew Tinari , or Devon Sandoval .[ 16]
March
On March 1, the club announced the signing of goalkeeper and Albuquerque native Ford Parker from Birmingham Legion .[ 17] New Mexico United began its competitive season on March 13, winning their home and season opener 2-0 over Las Vegas Lights .[ 18] The team was unbeaten in their 4 competitive matches in March, beating El Paso Locomotive away on March 19 before consecutive home draws to Orange County SC and Oakland Roots on March 26 and 30, respectively.
Supporters with flags revel in the celebratory smoke following a goal by New Mexico United in the 1st minute of their match versus Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on 16 July 2022
The grounds crew works to repair the sod infield during a weather delay due to poor field conditions at Isotopes Park for the New Mexico United vs. LA Galaxy II match on 5 October 2022
Club roster
As of April 23, 2022 [ 19]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No.
Name
Nationality
Position(s)
Date of birth (age)
Season signed
Previous club
Apps. [ note 1]
Goals [ note 2]
Goalkeepers
1
Alex Tambakis
GK
(1992-12-08 ) December 8, 1992 (age 31)
2021
North Carolina FC
35
0
12
Ford Parker
GK
(1996-08-16 ) August 16, 1996 (age 28)
2022
Birmingham Legion FC
2
0
24
Cody Mizell
GK
(1991-09-30 ) September 30, 1991 (age 32)
2022[ A]
New York City FC
58
0
Defenders
3
Austin Yearwood
LB
(1994-08-12 ) August 12, 1994 (age 30)
2019
Richmond Kickers
73
1
5
Josh Suggs
LB /CB
(1989-04-24 ) April 24, 1989 (age 35)
2019
Colorado Springs Switchbacks
76
4
6
Alexis Souahy
CB
(1995-01-13 ) January 13, 1995 (age 29)
2022
Louisville City FC
6
0
15
Rashid Tetteh
CB
(1995-07-14 ) July 14, 1995 (age 29)
2019
High Point Panthers
69
0
22
Kalen Ryden
CB /LB
(1991-01-29 ) January 29, 1991 (age 33)
2020
Real Monarchs
47
2
26
Raddy Ovouka
LB
(1999-12-07 ) December 7, 1999 (age 24)
2022
Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. (on loan)
4
1
Midfielders
4
Sam Hamilton
DM /CB
(1995-07-26 ) July 26, 1995 (age 29)
2019
Colorado Rapids
57
2
11
Sergio Rivas
AM
(1997-10-03 ) October 3, 1997 (age 26)
2021
Reno 1868
35
6
16
Will Seymore
CM
(1992-02-29 ) February 29, 1992 (age 32)
2022
Finn Harps F.C.
7
0
18
Carl Sainté
CM
(2002-08-09 ) August 9, 2002 (age 22)
2022
Violette AC
4
1
23
Micheal Azira
CM /DM
(1987-08-22 ) August 22, 1987 (age 36)
2021
Chicago Fire FC
32
1
25
Daniel Bruce
RW /RM
(1996-05-13 ) May 13, 1996 (age 28)
2019
UNC Charlotte 49ers
76
5
33
Harry Swartz
RB /RM
(1996-03-19 ) March 19, 1996 (age 28)
2021
Hartford Athletic
19
2
43
Justin Portillo
CM /DM
(1992-09-09 ) September 9, 1992 (age 31)
2022
Real Monarchs
8
0
Forwards
7
Neco Brett
CF
(1992-03-22 ) March 22, 1992 (age 32)
2022
Birmingham Legion FC
7
4
9
Devon Sandoval
CF
(1991-06-16 ) June 16, 1991 (age 33)
2019
Atlanta United 2
82
25
10
Amando Moreno
LW/RW /AM
(1995-09-10 ) September 10, 1995 (age 28)
2020
Chicago Fire
36
11
14
Ilija Ilić
CF
(1991-04-26 ) April 26, 1991 (age 33)
2021
Indy Eleven
25
3
17
Jerome Kiesewetter
CF
(1993-02-09 ) February 9, 1993 (age 31)
2022
FC Tulsa
4
2
19
Tabort Etaka Preston
LW
(1998-06-10 ) June 10, 1998 (age 26)
2022
Hartford Athletic
8
1
41
Chris Wehan
AM /CM /LM
(1994-01-29 ) January 29, 1994 (age 30)
2021[ A]
Orange County SC
74
29
45
Cristian Nava
CF
(2003-09-02 ) September 2, 2003 (age 20)
2021
—
8
0
^ a b Also played for the club from 2019-2020
Transfers out
Pos.
No.
Player
To club
Exit date
Ref.
CB
17
Justin Schmidt
Retired
December 7, 2021
[ 5]
DM /CM
8
Juan Pablo Guzmán
Free agent
December 10, 2021
[ 6]
GK
27
Philipp Beigl
El Paso Locomotive FC [ a]
January 10, 2022
[ 14]
CF
99
Brian Brown
FC Tulsa
January 25, 2022
[ 15]
DM /CM
7
Isidro Martinez
Released[ b]
January 27, 2022
[ 20]
GK
12
Will Palmquist
Free agent[ c]
January 28, 2022
[ 16]
RB /RM /LB
6
David Najem
Free agent[ c]
January 28, 2022
[ 16]
CB
16
Alex Touche
Free agent[ d]
January 28, 2022
[ 16]
CM
20
Andrew Tinari
Free agent[ c]
January 28, 2022
[ 16]
CF
9
Devon Sandoval
Free agent[ c]
January 28, 2022
[ 16]
CF
14
Ilija Ilić
released
July 18, 2022
Transfers in
Pos.
Player
From club
Date
Ref.
CM /DM
Justin Portillo
Real Monarchs [ a]
December 18, 2021
[ 7]
CM
Carl Sainté
Violette AC
December 22, 2021
[ 8]
CB
Alexis Souahy
Louisville City FC [ a]
December 28, 2021
[ 9]
LW
Tabort Etaka Preston
Hartford Athletic [ a]
December 29, 2021
[ 22]
CF
Neco Brett
Birmingham Legion FC [ a]
December 31, 2021
[ 11]
CM
Will Seymore
Finn Harps F.C. [ a]
January 2, 2022
[ 23]
CF
Jerome Kiesewetter
FC Tulsa
January 25, 2022
[ 24]
GK
Ford Parker
Birmingham Legion FC [ a]
March 1, 2022
[ 17]
CF
Devon Sandoval
Free Agent
May 19, 2022
[ 25]
CF
Romario Williams
Al-Qadsia
July 14, 2022
[ 26]
FWD
Kevaughn Frater
Hapoel Nof HaGalil F.C. [ a]
August 8, 2022
[ 27]
Loans in
^ Player was loaned in for a indeterminate amount of time as an emergency goalkeeper loan
Competitions
Friendlies
In January, New Mexico United announced a series of three pre-season friendly matches in San Diego in February against San Diego Loyal SC ,[ 30] Vancouver Whitecaps FC ,[ 31] Orange County SC .[ 32] Followed by a friendly in El Paso against El Paso Locomotive , before finishing up the pre-season schedule at home versus USL League 1 expansion side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC at United's home training facility.[ 33]
Results
USL Championship
On December 21, the USL announced the competition format for the 2022 season. New Mexico United was placed into a 13-team Western Conference, and will play 34 games in the regular season; a double round robin against conference opponents with an additional 10 games against various opponents from around the league.[ 34] New Mexico United and the USL announced the full schedule on January 13.[ 35]
Conference table
Source:
USL Championship Standings Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions;
(X) Regular Season League Champion
Results summary
Overall
Home
Away
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
6
2
2
2
7
6
+1
8
1
2
1
5
4
+1
1
0
1
2
2
0
Last updated: January 11, 2021.
Source: [ 36]
Results by matchday
Position in the Western Conference Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Stadium H A H H A H A H A H A A A H H A H A H A A H H A H H A H A A A H[ A] A H Result W W D D L L — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Position 3 1 3 4 7 8 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Source:
[ 37] A = Away;
H = Home;
W = Win;
D = Draw;
L = Loss
^ Game date is not yet confirmed.
Matches
Win
Draw
Loss
Postponed
source:[ 38]
USL Championship playoffs
Results
U.S. Open Cup
New Mexico United will enter the U.S. Open Cup in the Second Round, to be played between April 5 and April 7. The Second Round draw took place on February 11, 2022, where it was announced that United would face the winner of the opening round match between Park City Red Wolves SC and Las Vegas Legends .[ 47] After defeating the Park City Red Wolves in the first round, Las Vegas Legends were defeated by United in the second. For the third round, New Mexico United were placed into the Mountain regional draw, along with fellow USL Championship member Phoenix Rising , USL League One side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC , and MLS side Real Salt Lake . Along with Northern Colorado, United declined to host in this round, so they were drawn to determine who would visit Wild Horse Pass , and who would visit Rio Tinto Stadium . As it happened, United were drawn away to Phoenix. This made their third round match their second consecutive match-up with Phoenix.[ 48]
Statistics
USL Championship
As of April 23, 2022 [ 49]
Outfield players
Goalkeepers
U.S. Open Cup
As of April 20, 2022 [ 50]
Outfield Players
Goalkeepers
Notes
^ All competitive matches; includes substitute appearances
^ Goals in all competitions
References
^ "Schedule" . uslchampionship.com . Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ Tate, Van United (August 27, 2021). "Sports Desk: Saalih Muhammad returns to NM United on loan" . KRQE . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Staff, New Mexico United (November 5, 2021). "Thank You Coach Troy" . New Mexico United . Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ Staff, United (November 15, 2021). "NEW MEXICO UNITED NAMES ZACH PRINCE HEAD COACH/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR" . New Mexico United . Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ a b Miller, Bethany (December 9, 2021). "New Mexico United's Justin Schmidt to join U.S. Army" . KOAT . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b "No one has made more appearances in our midfield than Juan Pablo Guzmán. Today, we bid a United original a heartfelt farewell. Thank you, JPG, for your heart, your drive, and three incredible seasons" . Twitter . Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ a b Hackett, Tom (December 20, 2021). "Former Monarch & RSL Midfielder Justin Portillo Finds New Home In New Mexico United" . KSL Sports . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b Jean, Douby (December 23, 2021). "Foot – Transfert : Carl Fred Sainté signe au New Mexico United" . Haiti Tempo . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b Houssamdine, Boina (December 29, 2021). "Alexis Souahy rejoint New Mexico United (USL)" . Comoros Football . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Tabort Etaka Preston Makes Move to New Mexico United" . USLChampionship.com . December 29, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b Chester, Jared (December 31, 2021). "NM United signs Jamaican Goal Scorer, Neco Brett" . KRQE . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Will Seymore Returns to US After Finn Harps Departure" . Donegal Daily . January 3, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Hearts of Oak loan defender Raddy Ovouka to American side New Mexico United for 2022" . Ghana Soccernet . January 5, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b "Locomotive FC Adds Goalkeeper Philipp Beigl to 2022 Roster" . www.eplocomotivefc.com . Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ a b Love, Ryan (February 18, 2022). "FC Tulsa prepares to take next step in 2022 USL Championship season" . 2 News Oklahoma . kjrh. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f "2022 Roster" . www.newmexicoutd.com . Retrieved January 28, 2022 .
^ a b "Albuquerque Native Ford Parker Signs with New Mexico United" . USLChampionship.com . March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (March 13, 2022). "New Mexico United wins opener in style" . Albuquerque Journal . Retrieved March 14, 2022 .
^ "2022 Roster" . New Mexico United Roster 2022 . New Mexico United. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Forever a part of the Black & Yellow - gracias por todo, Chelo" . New Mexico United Twitter . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Rolfes, Justin (March 8, 2022). "UNION OMAHA SIGNS STAR COLLEGE DEFENDER ALEX TOUCHE" . Retrieved March 17, 2022 .
^ "Tabort Etaka Preston Makes Move to New Mexico United" . USLChampionship.com . December 29, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Will Seymore Returns to US After Finn Harps Departure" . Donegal Daily . January 3, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Love, Ryan (February 18, 2022). "FC Tulsa prepares to take next step in 2022 USL Championship season" . 2 News Oklahoma . kjrh. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (May 19, 2022). "Sandoval returns to United roster after addressing health" . Albuquerque Journal . Retrieved July 18, 2022 .
^ "New Mexico signs Jamaican standout Romario Williams" . USLChampionship.com . July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022 .
^ News Release (August 8, 2022). "United Announce the Return of Club Legend Kevaughn Frater" . Our Sports Central . Retrieved August 8, 2022 .
^ "Hearts of Oak loan defender Raddy Ovouka to American side New Mexico United for 2022" . Ghana Soccernet . January 5, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (April 15, 2022). "Mizell returns to United as a stop-gap measure" . Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2022 .
^ Spiering, Chris (February 2022). "San Diego Loyal SC 2022 Preseason Preview" . East Village Times . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "Whitecaps FC confirm 2022 preseason games" . Vancouver Whitecaps FC . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "ORANGE COUNTY SC SETS 2022 PRESEASON SCHEDULE" . Orange County Soccer .
^ United Staff (January 26, 2022). "2022 PRESEASON SCHEDULE IS HERE!" . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ USLChampionship com Staff (December 21, 2021). "USL Championship Announces 2022 Competition Format" . USL Championship . Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ Miller, Bethany (January 13, 2022). "New Mexico United releases full 2022 schedule" . KOAT . Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ "New Mexico United 2022 Schedule" . newmexicounited.com .
^ "League Standings" . uslsoccer.com .
^ "2022 USL Championship Schedule" . New Mexico United . Retrieved February 28, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (March 13, 2022). "New Mexico United wins opener in style" . Albuquerque Journal . Retrieved March 14, 2022 .
^ "USL Championship Assignments: Week 1" . Professional Referee Organization . March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (March 20, 2022). "NM United moves to 2-0 on season with win in El Paso" . Albuquerque Journal . Retrieved March 20, 2022 .
^ "USL Championship Assignments: Week 2" . Professional Referee Organization . March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (March 26, 2022). "United plays to a deflating draw with defending champs" . A . Retrieved March 27, 2022 .
^ "USL Championship Assignments: Week 3" . PRO Referees . Retrieved March 27, 2022 .
^ Sickenger, Ken (March 30, 2022). "Another agonizing draw for United" . Albuquerque Journal . Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ Pro Media. "USL Championship Assignments: Week 4 [Updated 03/31]" . Pro Referees . Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ "U.S. SOCCER RELEASES SECOND ROUND PAIRINGS AND HOST SCENARIOS FOR 2022 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP" . US Soccer.com . February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022 .
^ Sicken, Ken (April 8, 2022). "United, Phoenix to play, and then play again" . Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2022 .
^ "New Mexico United Player Stats" . www.uslchampionship.com . Retrieved April 23, 2022 .
^ "USA - New Mexico United" . www.is.soccerway.com . Retrieved April 24, 2022 .
National teams
League competitions
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Amateur Collegiate
Cup competitions
Domestic International Friendly
Youth competitions