New Mexico United went head-to-head against Los Angeles Football Club in the United States Open Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, July 10, ultimately losing 3-1.
Going into the game, United was seen as the underdog because LAFC plays in Major League Soccer — a league above United. On top of that, LAFC is touted as the potential winner of the U.S. open.
United had a tough challenge ahead, but one thing in their favor was the large number of fans that traveled to California to support the team.
Soon after the game started, LAFC gained a 1-0 lead when midfielder Timothy Tillman scored a goal in the sixth minute of play. Not much later, forward David Martínez scored a goal for LAFC at the 37 minute mark to extend the lead to 2-0, which remained the score until halftime.
Going into halftime, LAFC was in control. The team took 13 shots; six of them were on goal. This is in contrast with United’s five shots with only one on goal.
LAFC ended the match with eight shots on goal while United finished with four. United struggled to get to the ball: through all of the first half, they got to it late, which led to possessions ending early.
Emotions ran high for United, likely causing mistakes. Yellow cards were called on two United players: midfielder Nanan Houssou and Marco Micaletto.
When the second half started, United had a tough hill to climb to get back in the game.
United forward Greg Hurst scored a goal at the 56 minute mark. This goal was huge for United, until LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz scored a goal at the 76th minute, extending the LAFC lead to 3-1.
Bogusz’s goal was the finishing blow for United. Even with two minutes of extra time, United lost 3-1. United did not play entirely badly, LAFC just dominated the whole game.
After this loss, United is set to go back to regular season play. They are now hitting the road and gearing up for their next game as they travel to Birmingham, Alabama to face off against Legion FC on Saturday, July 20.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Rprunty05
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