With anticipation for the first match in New Mexico United’s brief history reaching a fever pitch, the club is set to announce several more player signings before the first whistle blows on March 9. However, the core of the group has coalesced over the last eight months, and the inaugural roster has largely been set.
With an average age of 25, the club’s players fall just under the average age of 25.3 of players in the USL Championship as a whole, according to soccer statistics website Transfermarkt. 6 players have logged MLS minutes (David Estrada, Devon Sandoval, Sam Hamilton, Chris Wehan, Ethen Sampson, Justin Schmidt), while all but a few have prior USL experience.
Below are the players that currently make up the squad, per United’s website.
Forwards:
David Estrada
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 150 pounds
Age: 31
Hometown: Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Previous Club: Seattle Sounders 2 (now Tacoma Defiance, USL Championship)
College: UCLA
Kevaughn Frater
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Height: 6 feet
Weight: 174 pounds
Age: 24
Hometown: Portmore, Jamaica
Previous Club: Phoenix Rising FC (USL Championship)
College: N/A
Santiago “Santi” Moar
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 165 pounds
Age: 25
Hometown: Ordes, Spain
Previous Club: Bethlehem Steel FC (USL Championship)
College: Pfeiffer University
Devon Sandoval
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 189 pounds
Age: 27
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Previous Club: Atlanta United 2 (USL Championship)
College: San Diego State University/The University of New Mexico
Midfielders:
Ken Akamatsu
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 160 pounds
Age: 23
Hometown: Niigata, Japan
Previous Club: N/A
College: The University of Denver
Daniel Bruce
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: 150 pounds
Age: 22
Hometown: Warrington, England
Previous Club: N/A
College: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Josh Goss
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 160 pounds
Age: 24
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Previous Club: N/A
College: The University of New Mexico
Juan Pablo Guzman
Height: 5 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 155 pounds
Age: 30
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Previous Club: OKC Energy (USL Championship)
College: Liberty University
Sam Hamilton
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 175 pounds
Age: 23
Hometown: Denver, CO
Previous Club: Colorado Rapids (Loaned: CO Springs Switchbacks, USL Championship)
College: University of Denver
Saalih Muhammad
Height: 6 feet 10 inches
Weight: 176 pounds
Age: 23
Hometown: Richmond, CA
Previous Club: Penn FC (USL League One)
College: N/A
Toni Soler
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 165 pounds
Age: 26
Hometown: Valencia, Spain
Previous Club: South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL League One)
College: Tampa University/Adelphi University
Chris Wehan
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 150 pounds
Age: 25
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, CA
Previous Club: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
College: University of New Mexico
Ryan Williams
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 145 pounds
Age: 22
Hometown: Mililani, HI
Previous Club: Charlotte Eagles (USL League Two)
College: John Brown University
Defenders:
Ethen Sampson
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Weight: 165 pounds
Age: 25
Hometown: Mitchell's Plain, South Africa
Previous Club: Ubuntu Cape Town FC (National First Division)
College: N/A
Justin Schmidt
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 201 pounds
Age: 25
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Previous Club: Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
College: University of Washington
Josh Suggs
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 175 pounds
Age: 29
Hometown: Las Cruces, NM
Previous Club: Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL Championship)
College: Humboldt State University
Rashid Tetteh
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 165 pounds
Age: 23
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Previous Club: Des Moines Menace (USL League Two)
College: High Point University
Austin Yearwood
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 170 pounds
Age: 24
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Previous Club: Richmond Kickers (USL League One)
College: High Point University
Goalkeepers:
Cody Mizell
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 27
Hometown: Woodstock, GA
Previous Club: Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)
College: Clemson University
Ben Beaury
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Weight: 175 pounds
Age: 22
Hometown: Cohoes, NY
Previous Club: Charlotte Independence (USL Championship)
College: Le Moyne College
Andrew Gunn is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted by email at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @agunnwrites.
