No mercy: United looks to set pace versus struggling Miami FC

Sep. 5—Friday, 7 p.m., 101.7 FM, ESPN+ (streaming), Estrella TV

Trap game? This one certainly qualifies.

New Mexico United hosts Miami FC at Isotopes Park on Friday in what amounts to a should-win contest for the home team.

United (15-7-3) leads the USL Championship Western Conference standings by seven points over second-place Sacramento and is 8-2-2 at home. Miami (3-21-2) sits in last place in the Eastern Conference standings and has not won a road match all season (0-10-1).

Easy money, right?

New Mexico coach Eric Quill knows better than to start pencilling his team in for an automatic three points. He's making sure United's players are equally focused.

"My expectation is heavy for our guys and they know that," Quill said Thursday. "These kind of games test your character more than playing a first-place team. We're coming off a loss and it's getting near the end of the season when performances really matter. We've got to go get three points (Friday) night."

With that goal in mind, NMU spent much of this week working on efficiency around the goal. United scored just once on its recent two-game road trip and Quill wants to see his club's attack firing on all cylinders against a Miami defense that has surrendered a league-high 62 goals this season.

"I thought we defended pretty well against Oakland," Quill said of last week's 1-0 loss in Northern California. "We just didn't punish them when we got in front to the goal. We want to take the same level of defending into this one and we worked all week on finishing around the goal. That's been a big focus."

Miami's only team objective this week is to fend off becoming the first team eliminated from USLC playoff contention. To its credit, Miami kept its extremely dim hopes alive last week with a 1-0 home win over Monterey Bay. It snapped a nine-game losing streak and ended a 17-game winless stretch that dated back to April 27.

Quill does not want his team to get caught looking ahead.

"Teams like (Miami) don't have a lot of pressure on them, no one expects much and they have a sense of freedom that's a dangerous weapon," he said. "They've been known for scoring early and we don't want to end up chasing the game. We need to set the pace and play on our terms."

Defender Abdi Mohamed is confident United will come out firing at the Lab on Friday night.

"I don't think we change our approach or really look at where (Miami) is in the table," he said. "We take them like any other team that comes to New Mexico to play us. We stand shoulder to shoulder and come out fighting,"

STEPPING UP: United added to its front line depth Friday, officially signing forward Derek Lozano to an academy contract. Lozano, a Santa Fe native, remains on NMU's academy roster but is also eligible to play in first-team matches.

Lozano, who played for Colorado Rapids academy before joining United's program, appeared with the first team in an international friendly earlier this season. He drew a penalty that NMU converted into a goal.

"I think getting in versus FC Juarez made me hungry for more of that," Lozano said. "I still have a lot to work on, not a finished product, but it's exciting. It feels like my hard work is paying off."

Lozano became the 12th player from United's academy to sign a first-team contract.

"Derek's got a great mentality, he's a fighter and he doesn't quit on plays," Quill said. "... He's got the speed to get in behind and he's got a lot of intangibles that translate into the professional game. That's why we made the move. Derek's worked hard for this and he deserves to be rewarded."

Players to watch

Miami (3-21-2): From a team standpoint, it's been an exceptionally tough year for Miami in nearly every regard. Defense is the most gaping hole as the club's three goalkeepers have been under the gun. The good news: primary goalkeeper Daniel Gagliardi and his two supporting keepers have combined to make 100 saves. (New Mexico has made 65). The bad news: Miami has faced 166 shots and conceded 62 goals. That's 20 more goals allowed than any other team. Miami has also struggled mightily on the road, where it is 0-10-1 this season. Still, there have been bright spots. Individually, forward Frank Lopez is having a strong campaign (7 goals, 3 assists, 37 shots, 23 chances created), as is midfielder Allen Gavilanes (5 goals, 2 assists, 34 shots 26 chances created). Miami is also coming off a 1-0 home victory over Monterey Bay.

New Mexico (15-7-3): After splitting a pair of 1-0 decisions on its road trip to Colorado Springs and Oakland, United will be looking to regain its scoring punch against a leaky Miami back line. NMU netted nine goals over a three-game span prior to its recent trip but has gone 172 minutes since its last tally and needs to regain its finishing touch. Five-goal scorer Daniel Bruce remains out Friday with leg issues, meaning United's other top scoring threats must rise to the occasion. Greg Hurst continues to lead the club with nine goals but he's been held in check of late. Hurst's last goal came Aug. 11 at Indy Eleven and he hasn't scored at home since May 25. New Mexico has four players with three USLC goals apiece: Harry Swartz, Sergio Rivas, Jacobo Reyes and Mukwelle Akale. Look for one or more of them to step up in Bruce's absence.

NOTEWORTHY: New Mexico cannot clinch a postseason berth with a win Friday but it can move to the brink of clinching. A win would give NMU 51 points, matching its franchise best for a season. Eighth- and ninth-place Orange County and Monterey Bay and 10th-place San Antonio could still reach 52 points in the unlikely event that any of them runs the table. Orange County is idle this week and cannot be eliminated. United remains at 99% odds to make the playoffs. Miami stands at less than 1% and could be eliminated with a loss this week.