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USL New Mexico United

New Mexico United Signs Tommy Madden and Manny Padilla

March 7, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
New Mexico United News Release


New Mexico United announced today the professional soccer team's latest player signings, under the guidance of Head Coach Troy Lesesne. Tommy Madden and Manny Padilla join New Mexico United's roster for its 2019 opening season. New Mexico United's first official game will take place on March 9 against Fresno FC at Isotopes Park.

Madden and Padilla are the most recent players to sign with the team, joining 20 recently signed New Mexico United players, including four New Mexicans, Josh Goss, Devon Sandoval, Justin Schmidt and Josh Suggs, as well as former Lobo Chris Wehan, Ken Akamatsu, Ben Beaury, Daniel Bruce, David Estrada, Juan Guzman, Sam Hamilton, Cody Mizell, Santi Moar, Saalih Muhammed, Ethen Sampson, Justin Schmidt, Toni Soler, Rashid Tetteh, Ryan Williams, and Austin Yearwood. All player signings are pending United Soccer League (USL) and federation approval.

"I am extremely grateful and excited to be joining New Mexico United. It is my first professional contract and I cannot think of a better place to begin my pro career," said Madden. "The culture Troy and the coaching staff are building makes me very confident that we can accomplish great things this year and I am happy to help the team achieve our goals."

Tommy Madden, midfielder, originally from Baltimore, MD, was drafted 38th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City SC and is currently the youngest player on the New Mexico United roster. Madden most recently played at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, making 72 appearances, 58 starts, 7 goals, and 9 assists. During his college career, he received titles including Preseason All-Conference USA and Team MVP, Conference USA Regular Season and Conference-USA All-Tournament Team, as well as First-Team All-Conference USA.

"Tommy is the second player that is joining us from UNC Charlotte. I had the chance to watch Tommy a lot during his time in college and the first thing that stands out about him is overall competitiveness," said Lesesne. "Every time out, Tommy wants to be the best and he's going to try and prove a point no matter who he's competing against. He also has a calmness and composure on the ball that is vital when you're playing in the center of midfield. The combination of these attributes made it an easy decision for us to sign Tommy."

For more information on Tommy Madden, visit our Roster Page.

"I'm very grateful and honored for the opportunity given to be part of this team as it'll be a historic season, as the first pro season," said Padilla. "I am looking forward to giving my all on and off the field this season for the team."

Manny Padilla, defender, hails from Compton, CA and most recently played for USL Rio Grande Valley FC in 2018 with 19 appearances, 14 starts and a 73.7% success rate on tackles. Prior to that, Padilla played for the MLS Houston Dynamo, after being drafted 89th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. With the Dynamo, he made 1 appearance and was a 2018 Open Cup Champion.

In 2017, Padilla played with San Francisco City FC (USL League 2) with 11 appearances and 2 goals. In 2016, Padilla played with FC Golden State Force (USL League 2). Padilla's 4-year college career at University of San Francisco saw him make 68 appearances, 66 starts, 14 assists, and twice All-WCC Honorable Mention.

"Manny is a player that we scouted early in our player recruitment process because of his ability as an outside back to see dangerous passes forward," said Lesesne. "Many players in his position look to play safe, but Manny is comfortable with taking risks and we like players with this mindset. We hope to provide an environment that highlights this attribute while helping him develop in some of the other areas of his game."

For more information on Manny Padilla, visit our Roster Page.

Season tickets for the New Mexico United inaugural soccer season are available now at www.newmexicoutd.com/tickets.

New Mexico United Official Meow Wolf home jerseys and Kraneshares away jerseys are available at shop.newmexicoutd.com .


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