Saturday
When: 7:25 p.m.
Where: Isotopes Park, 1601 Avenida Cesar Chavez SE
TV/streaming/radio: New Mexico 50/ESPN+/FM-101.7
Records: FC Tulsa (8-5-5), New Mexico United (9-4-3)
The series: Tulsa leads 3-2-2.
Hello, friend?
New Mexico United and FC Tulsa reunite on Saturday for a match that not only has some recent interesting history, but with a stake or two involved.
Here are some things to note:
Free kicks
1. NEW SEASON, BETTER RESULT? That’s certainly the ambition for United anyway. Particularly after last year.
New Mexico and Tulsa met three times in 2025. None went in United’s favor.
There was the 5-2 drubbing it took on Aug. 9, that season. That was followed by a 1-0 loss on Sept. 13. But the neither had quite the impact of the 3-0 loss on Nov. 15. That was for the Western Conference title and a spot in the league’s championship match.
That, too, was fairly one-sided.
Tulsa’s Taylor Calheira scored in both the 39th and 57th minutes, while Jamie Webber tacked on another in the 76th. United had possession for 67% of the game, but was outshot 18-9 overall and 9-0 on goal.
Tulsa went on to lose the USL Championship final to Pittsburgh Riverhounds FC on penalties.
That was, however, last year. Saturday is the first of two scheduled meetings between the clubs in 2026. They clash in Tulsa on Sept. 30.
Just don’t count this as a rematch or revenge game for that Nov. 15 loss. The stakes aren’t the same.
2. AVOIDING THE FLIP-FLOP: The 12-club Western Conference remains congested. Breaking news, right?
The top six on the table are separated by six points or less. And right in the middle of all that is New Mexico and Tulsa. United is third in the standings with 30 points. Tulsa is right behind with 29.
A win for New Mexico, which has an 11-match unbeaten streak in all competitions and 10 against USL opponents, could move it to second place in the table after Orange County SC, which began the week with a conference-best 34 points. That, of course, would depend on what San Antonio FC (32 points) does against El Paso Locomotive FC (6th place with 28).
Another loss to Tulsa would see the Oklahoma-based club leap ahead and possibly tie San Antonio in points.
There is, of course, the scenario where United and Tulsa draw. That would provide Lexington SC (5th with 28 points) the potential to muscle its way into the top-three discussion.
It’s a lot, but certainly something to keep an eye on.
3. STINGY, STINGY: Since returning to USL Championship competition on July 4, New Mexico has played five matches and outscored its opponents 12-4. That includes the season-high five goals it put up in its comeback win at Monterey Bay FC last weekend.
Saturday could be a little different.
Neither United nor Tulsa concedes many goals. Both are tied — along with Detroit City FC and Hartford Athletic — for the second-fewest regular-season goals allowed with 17. Only Sacramento Republic FC (16) has surrendered fewer in the 23-club league.
Tulsa is also tied for second with eight regular-season clean sheets. United is tied for 13th with five.
Tulsa, however, also tends to play more defensively.
Of the club’s 25 matches — regular season, USL Cup and U.S. Open Cup — 17 have featured either a 5 (defenders)-4 (midfielders)-1 (forward) formation or a 3-4-3.
4. WELCOME TO THE GROUP? Tulsa had a busy week in the player-transaction market.
On Wednesday, the club announced the signing of midfielder William Wilson. The 24-year-old recently competed in the top division in Finland as well as Australia’s top league before that. He’s also made 14 appearances for the Kenyan national team. He’ll be available for selection for Saturday.
On Thursday, Tulsa announced it had signed defender Joel Sangwa for the remainder of the season with an option for 2027. Sangwa initially joined the club on a 25-day contract on July 5. He’s appeared in five matches since with four starts.
Tulsa then announced Friday it added defender Wilson Eisner on loan from San Diego FC. The 24-year-old made seven appearances with the MLS franchise. He’ll be available for selection Saturday, too.
Key matchup
United midfielder Valentin Noël vs. Tulsa midfielder Jamie Webber
Noël seems like the obvious choice here, especially considering he’s logged three goals and three assists over New Mexico’s last three matches. Webber has been one of Tulsa’s primary playmakers. His three regular-season goals are tied for second on the club, while his four assists lead it.
Player of the match
United forward Niall Reid-Stephen
The 24-year-old has been coming off the bench since returning from a knee injury on July 15. But Reid-Stephen did find his way back on the scoresheet last weekend. He scored in the first minute of stoppage to close out the 5-2 win. It was his first goal since June 6. We’ll see how much he contributes Saturday.
By the numbers
1: United retained its top spot in the Championship’s power rankings — for whatever that’s worth — yet again. But this will probably be a note until something in the league shifts dramatically. Tulsa rose two spots to eighth.
9: The number of yellow cards Tulsa defender Lama Batista has accumulated. That’s tied for most in the league with Miami FC’s Alessandro Milesi.
17: The percentage of shots United converts into goals. It ranks fifth in the Championship. Tula is tied for 18th at 13%.
5/20: The last time New Mexico failed to earn at least one point from a home match.
David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X @DavidGlovach.
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