New Mexico United and FC Tulsa knew it would be a tough match. United was hoping to continue carrying the momentum of their win streak and cose the gap to the top of the West. Tulsa was hoping to sweep the season against United at The Lab. The sides would trade punches, but ultimately, an own goal in stoppage time cost United the chance at points in the 0-1 loss.
Brimming with confidence after back-to-back wins, New Mexico United just looked different on Meow Wolf Night. FC Tulsa did well enough in the first half and tried to keep United from playing out of the back. Instead of forcing the issue, United adjusted immediately and began looking to be play more direct through the use of long through balls, intending to play their goalscorers into dangerous areas.
Several times in the first fifteen minutes, United was able to pick out passes through the middle, looking for different options. At times Zico Bailey and Greg Hurst were each played into the area by way of inside through balls. Bailey and Dayonn Harris were both able to showcase their pace and force FC Tulsa to run at their own goal. Harris in particular played well from the right wing, sending pinpoint crosses into the box.
Unfortunately, each attempt went begging. The size of FC Tulsa’s defenders played a large part in keeping United out of the net. The other part was that United just couldn’t put the ball on frame. In the first fifteen minutes, United had five chances that were either blocked or off target.
The best chance of the half came in the 45th minute for United, when they got two bites at the apple. Sergio Rivas challenged Johan Penaranda with a screamer to the bottom right corner of the goal that the keeper was able to parry away. Hurst was the closest player to the ball, and the fastest to react, beating two FC Tulsa defenders to it before shooting just wide of the right post.
United’s chances started to dry up in the second half, but they weren’t without them. In the 54th minute, Will Seymore saw a chance to shoot from around 24 yards and put the ball on a trajectory that seemed destined for the goal. Somewhere midflight, the ball appeared to take a deflection. Even with the touch, the ball narrowly missed wide right of the goal.
The visitors would takeover for a large portion of the second half, increasing their presence in United’s defense half and better managing United trying to play out of the back. That pressure nearly led to a goal in the 81st when Valentin Noel gave the ball away on an errant pass. Stefan Lukic had a chance to shoot from the right side of the area, but the ball was blocked out and the danger was cleared.
It all fell apart after that. Minutes later, Noel would go down on the near touchline with an injury and would have to be sent off on a stretcher in the 86th minute. The immediate concern was that it was a knee or ankle injury. Due to the delays for possible injury, the center referee added a minimum of seven minutes of stoppage time.
Mukwelle Akale and Ousman Jabang would get a chance in the first minute of stoppage time. Jabang played the ball on a chip into the middle of the area where Akale had made a run. He attempted to do an overhead kick for his shot and came close, but the ball was over the net.
FC Tulsa responded with an attack in the third minute of stoppage time. They worked their way up the pitch, earning a throw on the far side, in front of the benches. Using a long throw, the ball was sent into the goal area where it took an unfortunate touch off of Sergio Rivas and trickled into the goal, giving Tulsa the lead and the winner, 0-1.
Attendance – 9,177
Player of the Match
Will Seymore – Seymore was an anchor for United against FC Tulsa. Filling in for the injured Kipp Keller and Kalen Ryden, Seymore had a stellar match defensively. He came p big on multiple occasions, delivering 7 clearances and 2 interceptions.
Up Next –
With the homestand behind them, United heads back out on the road. On Saturday, September 20, United will face Monterey Bay FC in Monterey as they hope to draw closer to clinching a playoff spot. The final few weeks of the season will be tough for United, but two wins in eight days is making things better. Coverage of the match on Saturday will begin with the pregame show starring Adam Diehl and Andy Hageman at 7 p.m. (MT). The match will kickoff at 8 p.m. (MT). Catch every minute of every play all season long on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The TEAM, The TEAM apps, and The TEAM website.