New Mexico United completed play in the inaugural Somos Unidos Cup on Sunday, drawing with MLS Academy Colorado Rapids 0-0 to complete an undefeated tournament (1-0-2) against MLS and Liga MX Academy opponents at the First Financial Training Center in Albuquerque. Monterrey Rayados took home the cup in the inaugural tournament, presented by Clark’s Pets Emporium, finishing with a 2-0-1 record.
United started the Cup with a bang – a 4-1 victory over Atlanta United Academy that saw United come back from a goal down with tallies from Denilson Velasquez, Aaron Cisneros, Jace Sais and Cole Lobitz.
“These are big teams joining us,” said Cisneros after that win. “There’s Atlanta, Monterrey, and Colorado Rapids. And we know we can compete with those teams, and with any team. We just need to come out and play the way we did today. We were playing against top players – against National Team players – and we showed that we belong.”
Saturday saw another incredible performance from New Mexico, as they came back from a goal down once more: Rayados took the lead in the 18th minute on the back of a nice through ball and a simple tap home. Going down to ten men in the first minute of the second half didn’t make things any easier for United, but the Rayados lead wouldn’t hold up, as Mikah Madrid headed home a deflected cross in the 68th minute for a 1-1 final score. Rayados would claim the additional points on the back of a 4-3 shootout tally.
The tournament’s final day again saw United standing strong against a very talented Academy side. After a full 80 minutes, there was no distance between New Mexico United and Colorado Rapids Academy. A 5-4 shootout score earned the additional points for Colorado.
When asked how proud he was of his team after going undefeated in tournament play, Sanford responded: “I was proud of them before today. They’re an amazing group. They have so much grit, resilience, and confidence in themselves and each other… We told them at halftime ‘You guys are good! Come out and play with confidence in who you are.’ I’m so extremely proud of them… I hope people are really excited to watch these guys play. It’s a lot of fun.”
More than 600 fans attended the 3-day tournament, raising money to help support the Somos Unidos Foundation, which works to make the New Mexico United Academy free for every player. On September 16th, the SUF will host its biggest fundraiser of the year: “The Ball” is a gala event with incredible items and experiences available for live and silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation’s work. More information can be found at theballnm.com.
