New Mexico United is in the playoffs and it didn’t take them waiting for other results or coming down to the last week of the season. They’re in no matter what else happens this season. But the journey to the playoffs isn’t done. United is still in search of the chance to host a playoff match for the first time in club history. The first of the dominos to make that happen fell earlier on Saturday when Hartford Athletic defeated Oakland Roots. Some other things still need to go United’s way, including a win for the Black & Yellow over Loudoun United on Sunday.
Loudoun also has plenty to play for this weekend. As it stands, they come into the weekend on the verge of slipping out of the playoff picture. The win by Hartford didn’t help as they are now level on points with Loudoun. The odds are against the former DC United feeder club as they head West. They’ve only won twice on the road this season, and heading into The Lab will prove to be one of the tougher challenges for them.
Essentially a Jekkyl and Hyde club, they’ve averaged just over a goal per match away from home and conceded 20 goals. They’ve certainly proven that they’re a talented club, they just can’t get the results they need away from Leesburg. The stats are of some concern since the club has relied on veteran goalkeeper Hugo Faroux in every match. As with most clubs that come into Albuquerque, Loudoun will likely look to stack the box and beat United on a counter.
Player to Watch
Florian Valot – The French midfielder has been a consistent contributor for Loudoun this season. He has nine goal contributions in 26 appearances and will be someone that United will need to keep track of.
New Mexico knows that the job isn’t done. Despite locking up their fifth playoff appearance in six seasons, they still have goals they want to accomplish. Next on the list is securing a home playoff match. In order to do that, there are a series of events that need to occur this weekend. Even without all of them happening, United could be ever closer to hosting for the first time.
If United beats Loudoun AND
- Roots fail to win against Hartford
- Las Vegas fails to win against Sacramento
- Phoenix fails to win against San Antonio
Then United will be assured a home playoff match. The work doesn’t stop there, however. The ultimate goal would be another 12 points to secure the top seed in the West. Doing so would guarantee United home field throughout the Western bracket. As the season nears the end, United is looking to try and get healthy and make sure they don’t have any players go into the playoffs on a suspension. The introduction of Marlon Vargas will certainly help with that and provide a few spare minutes that Eric Quill can rest a few players.
Player to Watch
Daniel Bruce – After sitting for much of the match on Wednesday, Bruce should get a significant share of the minutes on Sunday against Loudoun. This gives United a chance to keep Greg Hurst fresh for the impending match against Sacramento and give United a dynamic forward that can create issues for Loudoun.
Sunday’s match is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. (MT). Coverage of the match can be seen on ESPN+ domestically and on YouTube for international viewers.