The “Burque Backline” and a Greg Hurst PK wins it for New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM– Well it winds from Chicago to LA with more than 2,000 miles along the way and for the last 100 years that very road has connected the cities of Albuquerque and Tulsa. On Saturday Night New Mexico United and FC Tulsa decided to add another exciting chapter to the story of America’s Main Street.
New Mexico United came into the match with an unpleasant streak going against FC Tulsa as they hadn’t beaten the Scissortails since a 2-1 win in August of 2023. Along with that the heartbreak of last year’s Western Conference Final loss was still fresh in the minds of not only the players from that team but also the fans. “We kind of owe (FC Tulsa) one from last year,” Forward Greg Hurst said post game, “They’ve had our number this last year or so, and I think we had to take some adrenaline and some feelings from that game last year and put it into tonight.”
So how did United break this spell of bad luck? With the same recipe that has been working all year. United’s “Burque Backline” continued their impressive showing with another clean sheet added to the clubs tally running that number up to eight this season. New Mexico’s backline has only conceded six goals since their May 20th 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Since that loss to Tampa Bay, United has gone 11 straight unbeaten (the club does not recognize mid season International Friendlies to stats) including winning seven consecutive matches in a row in league and USL play.
Greg Hurst made sure the backline’s performance was not in vain as he slotted away a 83’ minute penalty that sent the 9,467 in attendance into a frenzy. “I hope that every game here from here on out continues to feel like a playoff game,” Head Coach Dennis Sanchez said in his post game press conference, “… I think this is where the players thrive off of our fans and their energy. We have a chip on our shoulders.”
New Mexico United will now hit the road as they travel to the East Coast to take on Loudoun United FC. If United was to win that match it would mark the team’s 100th franchise win in league play. After that, the Black and Yellow will be back at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park for two matches in one week against Lexington SC and San Antonio FC. You can get your tickets at Seatgeek.com for both those matches.
