New Mexico United’s tournament run is over. A depleted Austin FC was more than enough to handle the visiting Black & Yellow in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup with a 2-0 victory at Q2 Stadium.
Much like in the match against RGV, United came out and looked uninspired. Their passes were off the mark more often than not. Defensive marking and rotations were sloppy. The miscues led to the ball being turned over either in the midfield or in the defensive half more often than United would have liked.
Austin’s pressure paid off early for the hosts as they won the first corner of the match in the 24th minute. Emiliano Rogani delivered a perfect ball into the area, just at the right height for someone to get a head onto it. That person was Rodney Redes. Redes flicked the ball toward the far post, shaking the inside of the side netting for a 1-0 lead.
Twelve minutes later, in the 36th, another miscue by United put Austin in position to score again. While trying to use a high press, United left a large gap in the midfield. That gap gave Austin an opening to play the ball over the press and turn towards goal. On a breakaway, the ball was played wide left to Adam Lundkvist. Lundkvist then pushed the action before crossing back to the middle of the area. The ball went past the United defenders and into the path of Maximiliano Urruti. Taking the ball on his right foot, Urruti slotted home in the middle of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.
United managed to close out the half without further damage to the scoreline. Their play was measurably better in the second half, earning better than 50% of the possession. It wasn’t enough though, to pull even a single goal back. In the end, United only notched two shots on target during the loss.
Player of the Match
Alex Tambakis – Despite conceding twice, Tambakis make six saves throughout the rest of the match, giving United life when the match seemed bleak. His efforts weren’t enough, however.
Up Next
The Black & Yellow return to the pitch on Saturday, May 13 when they host Monterey Bay FC. That match will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. (MT) from The Lab. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ domestically and on YouTube internationally. The radio broadcast will feature Scott Galetti and Andy Hageman with the pre-match show starting at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM, The TEAM app, and The TEAM website.