If New Mexico United was hoping to recreate their journey to South Carolina in 2022, they left a lot to be desired in the first half of play. The night would not improve for United and they were outplayed in a stunning 4-0 defeat at the hands of Charleston Battery.
United was looking to rebound after a late concession to Rhode Island FC and see if they could pick up more points on the road against the Battery. For the first forty-five minutes though, United looked as though they could do no right. Every few minutes, United seemed to give the ball away and put themselves in a poor position.
Touches were erratic, fouls were careless. There was no flow to the action in the first half of the match. The action became so intense, it had the resemblence of a derby.
Giveaway was certainly the word of the half and with as many opportunities as United surrendered, it wouldn’t be long before the Battery broke open the match. In the 11th minute, a giveaway would lead to a corner for the hosts. The delivery fell to Matt Myers inside the area, but his attempt on goal was stopped easily by debutant, Kris Shakes.
Minutes later though, another giveaway would put United behind. After Talen Maples tried to clear a ball unsuccesfully, the Battery were given a throw in United’s defensive third. Myers again found a clean touch on the ball while in plenty of space, but this time he squared it to Nicholas Markanich. Left alone, Markanich was able to put the ball past Shakes in the 17th minute to take the lead for the Battery, 1-0.
United struggeld to get forward throughout the first half and just when it looked like they had a chance to counter just before the end of the half, they squandered the opportunity. In the 42nd, Zico Bailey and Mukwele Akale made surgning runs into the attacking third. Akale appeared to see Bailey on the wing, but instead of playing the through ball, he slowed up play and the attack died.
United started the second half with a much better flow and within minutes had their first shot on frame for the entire match in the 48th minute. Greg Hurst drove himself into the box and shot from the right side, forcing a kick save out of Battery keeper Adam Grinwis.
In the 50th, United won a corner that fell at the back post to Dayonn Harris. Harris would get a good luck at the frame, but his shot was cleared by Aaron Molloy.
Charleston would extend their lead in the 55th thanks to a tremendous strike from Arturo Rodriguez. Under pressure in the defensive third, United would turn the ball over once again and Rodriguez was in space 20 yards out and left of goal. His right foot would send the ball flying into the far right corner of the net, 2-0 Battery.
A third goal would be found, but it once again favored Charleston. Another Maples clearance went awry as it deflected off the arm of Will Seymore just outside of the area, giving up a handball and a freekick to Battery in the 64th minute. New Battery member Aaron Molloy stood over it and drove the ball into the back of the net from 19 yards out, past a leaping Shakes, 3-0.
Markanich nearly added a fourth in the 73rd when Shakes was caught out of his net. United failed to clear the ball once again and Battery took possession in a dangerous area. From around 27 yards out, Markanich fired and if not for a great defensive effort by Seymore the ball would have undoubtedly found the back of the net.
In the dying minutes of the match, Battery did finally tack on that fourth goal. A 90th minute strike by Juan Torres deflected off the woodwork and directly to Jackson Conway. The second newcomer to score in their debut on the evening, Conway was able to calmly slot the ball beyond the reach of Shakes, 4-0.
It just wasn’t United’s night in any aspect of the game as they dropped their first match of the season by a final of 4-0.
Player of the Match
Nick Markanich – Without a doubt the standout on either side of the pitch, Markanich was difficult to deal with the entire night. Although he won’t show up on the scoreline, his contributions directly led to the Battery victory over United.
Up Next
United returns to play on Saturday, April 30 when they are again on the road. Their next match will be against Phoenix Rising with kickoff slated for 8:30 PM (MDT). Coverage will begin with Adam Diehl and Andy Hagemen on the pregame show at 7:30 on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The TEAM, The TEAM website, and The TEAM apps.