The night may have been chilly, but the Cashman Field was hot as New Mexico United and Las Vegas Lights FC heated things up. Both clubs made mistakes at the back that led to chances for the other, but in the end it came down to a last second corner for United, that gave them their first win of the season, 2-3.
The first half of the match between New Mexico United and Las Vegas Lights gave both clubs a chance to showcase their gameplan for the evening. United pressed high on defense, while Lights sat back and invited pressure. United played out of the back offensively, but was given ample time to make decisions unlike in week one against Sacramento.
Both sides eased their way into the match and neither found an opportunity to shoot inside the first fifteen minutes. Once they broached that barrier, all bets were off. The match opened up and even became chippy before the half was done.
Despite there not being any goals, United had to feel lucky to escape the half without falling behind. In the 37th minute, Tony Herbert committed a foul against Johnny Rodriguez as he was played into the attacking third. As the two tangled, Herbert appeared to pull Rodriguez down just outside the eighteen yard box. Although he was the last defender, and Rodriguez looked to be in on goal, the referee did not give Herbert a red card, which would have been the second within two weeks for United.
It was after halftime that the deadlock was broken. Just like in last week’s match for Lights FC, it was a mistake in the defensive third that caused it. This time it went against the Lights. As Nicholas Ammeter tried to play the ball off of his line in the 52nd minute, the defender in front of him made a poor flick, leaving the ball for Sergio Rivas. Rivas shot from a tight angle and as the ball came back out, McKinze Gaines was able to gather it and slot home for his first goal with United and the lead, 0-1.
The press from United would continue to create issues for the Lights and resulted in another goal in the 67th. Christopher Pearson came down with the ball after a United attack, but seemed unsettled near his own penalty mark. With the ball stuck under his feet, Marlon Vargas and Greg Hurst bore down on him and took the ball away. A quick pass left Hurst wide open and the Scotsman picked up his second goal in as many games, extending the lead, 0-2.
Las Vegas wouldn’t go quietly into the night as they were able to find an answer in the 71st. After a handful of substitutions by the hosts, United seemed to have switched off. Valentin Noel attacked down the right channel and looked up to try and find Johnny Rodriguez. The cross from Noel fell fortuitously for the forward, who was able to slip it past Alex Tambakis and cut the score, 1-2.
United looked completely out of sorts and Las Vegas pushed hard for the equalizer. Around the 80th minute, the Lights had a number of chances to try and score, but they couldn’t quite find a quality touch inside the area despite an inordinate amount of pressure. That pressure would pay off just before that match went into stoppage time.
In the 90th minute, an over hit cross by Rory O’Driscoll fell at the feet of Joe Gyau. Backing out of the goal area, Gyau created enough space for him to get a shot off and he drilled it into the top right corner, 2-2.
Just when it looked like the match would end in a draw, United earned a last minute corner kick as Fernando tried to get played into the final third in the 4th minute of stoppage time. Marlon Vargas, who has been given set piece duties this season, stood over the near corner and looked for what he wanted to do. With a feint, he stepped back and drilled the ball towards goal and looked like it took a touch by Ammeter (before or after the ball crossed the line, we aren’t sure) and fell to Will Seymore, who tapped the ball in from inches away to secure the win for United, 2-3.
Player of the Match
Marlon Vargas – Although he’s not credited with the match winner at this time, he was invaluable to United all night long. His intensity in the press led to United’s second goal and his ball delivery on the final corner earned them the win.
Up Next
After opening the season with two consecutive road matches, United finally gets to return home for their home opener. Their opponent will be El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday, Match 22. El Paso comes to The Lab after two consecutive draws to open their season. The match will kick off at 3:00 P.M. (MT) and can be heard exclusively on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The TEAM, The TEAM apps, and the TEAM website. Adam Diehl and Andy Hageman will be on the call for the match.