New Mexico United swept the field against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds achieving a 1-0 victory in their Mar. 9 season opener. The match could be a sign for a successful season to come.
The win avenges last season’s Sep. 23 loss to Riverhounds which allowed the Riverhounds to attain the USL championship’s best record in 2023 dubbed the Player’s Shield. United’s victory over the top team could point to a successful season, Greg Hurst said — a United forward.
“I think it's a big statement. Obviously Pittsburgh were rowing (doing well) last year, and had a great run in the championship. There's a real statement that we came out here at the home opener and got one past them,” Hurst said.
United’s goal was scored by Hurst who received an assist from teammate Cristian Nava. In the final seconds of the goal, Hurst said he struggled with balance and got his feet mixed up leading to one of the most rewarding goals of his career. In scoring the goal, Hurst navigated past the Riverhound goalkeeper, placing the ball into the net just yards from the goal at the 44-minute mark.
“I don't think I've had that much excitement before in my life, just knowing there's gonna be so many fans here and people who are supporters. I was excited about this game,” Hurst said.
United’s Head Coach Eric Quill was pleased with the match and said that United beat “the best defensive team over the course of the last five years.”
Riverhounds had early success in the game with a shot on goal at the three-minute mark. United still has room to improve according to Quill.
“I would have liked to see us get the second goal in the second half, but we knew they were gonna bring pressure,” Quill said. “I think we just don't have the legs for 90 minutes yet. The quality kind of drops off as the legs get tired.”
United controlled the game with a possession of 66%. United also had a slight advantage on winning duels with a success rate of 55%. Hurst credited the players’ comfortability in their roles in achieving greater possession.
“We have so many good players that can play a variety of possessions, so when people get dragged into different spots, they're comfortable there and they know what to do all the time. I think it's good to have that dynamic ability and we showed that in the first half especially,” Hurst said.
Quill’s goal is to continue United’s fierce control over the ball throughout the season.
“We commit because that's the philosophy of the game. We want to dominate the ball, we want to move the opponent around, we want to wear them out. But we need to be killers in front of the goal and not not let teams hang around. We've seen in this league a lot, if you hang around long enough, you get punished in the end,” Quill said.
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United’s assertive playstyle was seen in their season opener with their accumulated yellow cards. United received five yellow cards versus Riverhounds’ two yellow cards during the game.
The attitude of the game could also be seen in the high amount of fouls given. United received 18 fouls while Riverhounds attained 19 fouls.
United’s victory starts the team with a 1-0-0 record. In the Western conference, Oakland Roots and Memphis also won their season openers. United is set to play Rhode Island Saturday, March 16 in an away game with their next home game being against rival El Paso Locomotive on Saturday, April 6.
“I just wanted this to be magical. On game-day the weather's beautiful, there’s a massive crowd and we want them to come back. They mean everything to us. That's the only reason we're here is for the fans and I want them to be proud of New Mexico United and the brand we play” Quill said.
Nate Bernard is a beat reporter with the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo
