Apr. 3—New Mexico United won't be needing its cold-weather gear this weekend after all.
United's scheduled match Saturday at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC has been postponed due to expected inclement weather. The USL Championship announced Thursday that the match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Weidner Field.
Saturday's forecast for Colorado Springs calls for a high of 39 degrees with windy conditions and a chance of light snow. It would have been a drastic change for United, which played in warm, humid conditions in last week's 1-0 victory at Miami FC.
"The USL Championship is one of the hardest leagues in the world in terms of travel," NMU coach Dennis Sanchez said Wednesday. "We don't talk about the weather very much because our focus is on preparing for the opponent, their strengths and weaknesses. You just hope the field is playable and adapt to conditions as necessary."
WELCOME BACK: New Mexico United will host a (very) familiar foe to open U.S. Open Cup competition this month. El Paso Locomotive FC will return to Albuquerque for a third-round matchup April 16 at UNM Soccer Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
U.S. Soccer announced third-round pairings for the annual tournament Thursday after completing a matchup draw. New Mexico was assured of a third-round home match as one of the USLC's top eight seeds based on last season's standings.
NMU drew El Paso, which entered the tournament in round two and advanced with a 3-0 win over MLS Next Pro's Ventura County FC on Tuesday. It will be the first Open Cup meeting between United and the rival Locos, but the clubs have been frequent combatants since entering the USLC together in 2019.
New Mexico leads the regular- and postseason series 7-5-6 including a 1-0 win at Isotopes Park on April 22. The teams also meet annually in the preseason and squared off a NMU's Mesa del Sol training center in March.
U.S. Soccer sets Open Cup matchups with a draw system that includes geographically based pools in early rounds. United's pool for round three included USLC foes Phoenix and Tulsa along with El Paso. NMU has faced Phoenix three times in Open Cup competition, the most of any opponent.
Round three winners will advance to the round of 32, set for May 6-7. The Open Cup continues through the summer with the championship set for Oct. 1.
TO THE WINNERS: United goalkeeper Alex Tambakis and forward Luiz Fernando were named to the USLC's Team of the Week after playing key roles in last week's win at Miami. Tambakis delivered six saves in posting a second consecutive clean sheet, including early back-to-back stops that were nominated for the league's Save of the Week. Fernando scored the decisive goal, created three chances and won four of five duels.
Former United midfielder Marco Micaletto also was honored after scoring two goals in Colorado Springs' 3-2 win over Indy Eleven. Micaletto had just one goal for NMU in 2024.
APRIL FOOLED: United drew some chuckles earlier this week, announcing that club president Ron Patel had been signed as its third-string goalkeeper. The tongue-in-cheek April 1 press release also managed to bewilder a few fans.
United's release included a quote from Patel, who played along by suggesting he would go after backup goalkeeper Kris Shakes' job or maybe "give striker a go." The release ended by stating Patel would be available for media questions "at the local pub."
The bogus release was boldly dated April 1 and included an April Fool's Day disclaimer attached under "About New Mexico United." The latter did not appear in the online version.
"Most people got a laugh out of it," said David Wiese-Carl, NMU's vice president for media and impact, ...
