New Mexico United Advances to Western Conference Semifinals with 2-0 Victory Over San Antonio FC
USL New Mexico United

New Mexico United Advances to Western Conference Semifinals with 2-0 Victory Over San Antonio FC

Published on November 1, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
New Mexico United News Release


Albuquerque, NM- In front of a raucous crowd of almost 9,000 fans at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, New Mexico United rose to the occasion with a commanding 2-0 win over San Antonio FC in the USL Championship Quarterfinals, securing their place in the Western Conference Semifinals and extending their postseason run.

From the opening whistle, United came out on the attack. Just five minutes in, Valentin Noël nearly opened the scoring with a thunderous strike off the crossbar that ignited the home crowd. United's relentless pressure paid off moments later, when Mukwelle Akale pounced on a rebound to slot home the opener. With that goal, Akale became United's all-time playoff goals leader with two to his name.

United pushed to extend their lead before halftime, generating multiple quality chances in the 36th minute. On the other end, goalkeeper Kris Shakes came up big in the 39th minute, making a crucial save to preserve the 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

The second half saw more of the same from United, as they controlled possession and dictated the pace. In the 58th minute, Noël doubled the lead with a composed finish following a perfectly placed pass from Kipp Keller. Shakes continued his standout performance in the 72nd minute, denying a San Antonio free kick to secure the clean sheet in his first playoff start.

As the final whistle blew, the Black & Yellow celebrated a complete team performance - one defined by energy, defensive discipline, and clinical finishing - in front of a jubilant home crowd.

Stats Summary: NM/SAFC

Shots: 13/6

Shots on Goal: 6/5

Saves: 4/4

Corners Won: 0/3

Fouls: 12/19

Misconduct Summary:

NM: Gedion Zelalem (Yellow Card - 33')

NM: Dayton Harris (Yellow Card - 71')

SAFC: Jorge Hernández(Yellow Card - 75')

What's Next:

With the victory, New Mexico United advances to the Western Conference Semifinals of the USL Championship Playoffs. Following a statement performance at home, the Black & Yellow will look to carry their momentum forward, keep their postseason dreams alive, and continue their push toward a Western Conference Final berth.

QUOTE SHEET

Head Coach Dennis Sanchez

RE: Overall thoughts on tonight's playoff victory

I'm proud of the guys. First off, we have to cherish these moments. It's not easy to make the playoffs, it's not easy to get a home game and to play in front of our crowd tonight is a fantastic feeling. We felt it right from the start. Just really proud of the guys, I think that there were some things that we talked about throughout the week. Emotional control, fast start, knowing who San Antonio is and really the weight of the game and what the game meant. I thought the guys handled it well, I thought we came out really, really well. Probably could have had even more in the first half, but the first goal that we scored is really a small sample size of who we are as a group, a very collective goal. And then in saying that, the playoffs and each game is going to give us something different. And there's moments tonight where we had to suffer ... but we did what we needed to do and secured a shutout and more importantly secured another really strong team performance and win.

RE: Current team form

We're fortunate to be in a position where we found we've been in good rhythm, we're healthy, so that also provides a level of consistency from week to week. Guys have been sharp, they're enjoying the moments. I think we have a good mix in the locker room of guys that have experienced playoffs, which is really important as well. The biggest thing this past week was just honestly keeping it the same as it has been all season long and trusting our process, believing in each other. I think most importantly, you want to go into these playoffs with no regrets after and give everything you have.

I think last year was a really valuable experience for myself as a coach. Obviously working with Val as well, we knew the importance of bringing him in. I could have told you at some point in the playoffs that Val was going to do something like that. I think there's more for it there, but I think just more importantly again, really, really strong collective performance tonight from the entire team.

Kris Shakes

RE: Win at home

Yeah, I mean, there's nothing like it, right? Playing in front of familia. All the boys fought hard tonight. We've been talking about this all weekend. It feels amazing to finally get it done at home.

RE: Obtaining a cleansheet

I was definitely feeling good. Grateful to get the clean sheet. Shout out to everyone that plays in the defense. Kalen, Talen, Kipp, and Glossy. Jaylin came back there at the end of the game, Will, too. Defense wins championships, right? So we're just going to keep harping on that. And it's not just me tonight, but it's all the boys that fought for it.

RE: Team form

The boys are definitely playing dangerous. I don't even know how many matches we're undefeated, but we're not really worried about that. We know every game is on us to dictate it and it feels good. Like I said, the job's not finished, and we gotta keep pushing.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from November 1, 2025


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