San Diego Loyal Match Preview against New Mexico United
Credit: Jeremy Collins/ EVT Sports
New Mexico United vs. San Diego Loyal
Saturday, April 15, 6:00 p.m. PST
TV: ESPN+
It’s been a busy month for the San Diego Loyal. This will be their 4th match so far in April as the Lamar Hunt Open Cup took place a few weeks back.
The Loyal are riding a win at home last time out as they took down FC Tulsa 2-1. The match didn’t go the way the Loyal wanted for a majority of it, but the soccer gods gave them a huge break. Collin Fernandez knocked in an own-goal for Tulsa in the 94th minute to give SD a much-needed victory.
San Diego improved to (3-1-1) on the year with 10 points which is good for third place in the Western Conference. The win was huge because now the Loyal have a chance to put themselves back into first place with a win against New Mexico United. Sacramento Republic FC and San Antonio FC are tied at first with 11 points but are set to face tough opponents on Saturday, whereas, SD will have an easier matchup.
New Mexico is currently 12th in the conference as they are yet to really get started. They have played in just three matches which has resulted in one win against Miami FC.
Squad goals. pic.twitter.com/oxb8gEOaSG
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) April 10, 2023
Outside of the loss to Sacramento Republic, the Loyal have managed to score multiple goals in every match. They are 4th in the USL in goals with eight (one OG) and have allowed half as many. Evan Conway and Ronaldo Damus lead the team with two goals each and Nick Moon, Blake Bodily, Jackson “Simba” Kasanzu round it out with one each.
With New Mexico coming off consecutive losses, the Loyal need to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them. This squad can gain a ton of momentum leading into a difficult end of April. The Loyal will play three matches in seven days as the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt Open Cup will take place April 26. This is a crucial stretch of play for San Diego and a win Saturday night can lead them in the right direction.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.