Heading to face the top seed in the West, New Mexico United would be up against it. FC Tulsa had held onto first place for the final few months of the season, grinding out positive results. The two sides were clear contrasts for the other, and it was the job done by Tulsa and their high press that had the biggest impact on the outcome of this match. United would fail to register a shot until the second half and ultimately fail to create much in the 3-0 loss to end their season in the Western Conference Final.
Neither FC Tulsa nor New Mexico United had ever been to a conference final prior to Saturday night. If there were any nerves about the night, neither showed it in the opening minutes of the match. United came out with no changes to the team sheet from the quarterfinal match against Orange County, but Tulsa didn’t appear concerned. There was a high energy from both, and the hosts were looking to close down United’s build-up by splitting passing lanes in United’s defensive half.
Before United could feel comfortable, they had to face down a couple of near mistakes at the back. In the 11th minute, United nearly conceded twice, but Kris Shakes came up big. The first chance came off a back pass that wasn’t handled well and was gathered by Tulsa right at the face of the goal. The initial attempt was saved, and Shakes attempted to clear it, but it was given back to Tulsa. Another shot immediately came in, but it took a deflection, and another save was made as Shakes went back to the right side of the goal.
While it may not have been nerves, United was completely lost. Tulsa was relentless in their forward press and, despite the possession stats, really controlled the match. As valiant as the effort by Shakes was in the first half, it wasn’t enough to keep Tulsa off the scoreboard. It was in the 39th that a pass out of the back led to a goal for the home side. Shakes tried to find Gedion Zelalem out of the back, but the pass just didn’t connect, and instead went straight to Tulsa. The ball was immediately played back to Jamie Webber at the top of the area.
As it was, Shakes came well off his line to try and stop the play, but Webber quickly laid the ball off. Out of position, Shakes had no chance at a recovery, leaving Kipp Keller and Kalen Ryden at the back to try and defend a shot from Taylor Calheira. Calheira, the leading scorer for Tulsa on the season, wasted no time in burying a right-footed shot into the back of the net for the lead, 1-0.
Things didn’t get better after the half. Despite finally getting their first shot of the match in the 52nd minute thanks to Zico Bailey, the glimmer of hope was dashed in the 57th when Calheira doubled the lead. One of FC Tulsa’s strengths is the ability of Travian Sousa to deliver on long throw-ins. Deep in United’s half of the pitch, Sousa threw the ball into the area, forcing Shakes to come off his line and try to punch the ball away. Missing, however, the ball wasn’t cleared far, and was chipped right back over the defenders’ heads to the goal line. Ryden tried to clear it away again, but Calheira was able to clean up the loose ball and easily slot home his second of the night, 2-0.
Sensing that things weren’t going well, Dennis Sanchez prepared four subs in the 65th minute, hoping to spark a change. He would send on Luther Archimede, Jaylin Lindsey, Sergio Rivas, and Tomas Amang to replace Greg Hurst, Mukwelle Akale, Talen Maples, and Gedion Zelalem. Within a minute, United was able to get forward, and Dayonn Harris would threaten the goal, putting the ball off the crossbar.
Webber would add a third and truly end all hope for United in the 76th minute. After another turnover in the defensive half, United was beaten to the ball by Alex Dalou. With a slick pass, he threaded the ball through for Webber as he got behind United’s defenders. Webber went low with his right-footed shot and put the ball under the reach of Shakes and into the net, 3-0.
Unable to put together any sort of an answer, United’s season ended in Tulsa as the runners-up in the Western Conference. With the win, Tulsa will host Pittsburgh in the USL Championship final next weekend.
Player of the Match
Chris Gloster – Gloster acquitted himself well on a tough night for United. Defensively, Gloster registered two tackles, four clearances, and a blocked shot to try to keep United within striking distance. Gloster’s efforts won’t go unnoticed as United now moves into the offseason.
Up Next
For FC Tulsa, they move on to the USL Championship, which will be held next Saturday, November 22 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds. For New Mexico United and Head Coach Dennis Sanchez, the offseason beckons. United will be looking at the roster and what changes Sanchez wants to make before the club heads into his second season at the helm. What’s known for sure right now is that neither Daniel Bruce or Kalen Ryden will be back after both announced their retirement this season. Beyond that, only time will tell what the 2026 roster will look like for this club.