New Mexico United Tryouts & Club Guide: History, Stadium, Players, and More!
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New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2018, the team plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer.
New Mexico United Youth Development System
New Mexico United Academy is the youth program of the USL Championship New Mexico United professional team. Our mission is to provide all New Mexican youth soccer players with the opportunity of competing at the highest level of youth soccer at no cost with a direct path to train and play for our first team.
A full professional contract with New Mexico United first team.
Training with New Mexico United first team.
A USL academy contract with New Mexico United first team. This contract allows players to maintain their amateur status and retain eligibility for college.
Elevated platform for exposure to collegiate programs across the country.
Integrated professional learning environment with our first team (culture, style of play, system of play, principles of play, club language).
*** Each player has their own unique path and we are committed to helping every player make the best decision for the next stage of their life.
The Academy is free for all selected players. It includes training by experienced and qualified staff, full competition and uniform, travel gear, and covers all travel, accommodation and meal costs during academy competition.
New Mexico United Academy is a member of the USL Academy League, featuring regionalized competition to limit travel demands, a clear youth-to-professional path, the USL Academy Cup (mid-season event), and an end of season play-off event.
In addition to USL Academy League competition, New Mexico United will have the flexibility to create it’s own schedule against top competition against MLS academies, international clubs, NCAA Division II/NAIA teams, UPSL teams, and USL League 2 teams.
Yes.
No. All players will retain their eligibility to play and receive scholarship at the NCAA Division I, II, III and NJCAA (Junior College) level. Academy players are permitted to play in professional matches with the New Mexico United USL Championship first team and still maintain their college eligibility. Eligibility is only effected if a player signs a full professional contract with our first team.
Players signing a USL Academy contract have the opportunity to experience the senior team level of play and compete in official USL Championship matches, while maintaining college eligibility. As more youth players are integrated into professional environments, the USL will play a key role in improving the overall level of the elite American player.
The Academy comprises players within the U-19 to U-16 categories, with a league requirement minimum and maximum number of players rostered at each age range, to ensure long-range development over short-term results.
Players are identified by our coaching and scouting staff, and in association with our network of coaches within the state of New Mexico and beyond. Players are invited to train with the academy team, after which they may be selected to join the academy roster.
Yes. Our academy coaching staff have experience coaching at the NCAA Division I and II level and have a wide network of college contacts. They are familiar with the recruitment and admissions process and can guide academy players who wish to play college soccer while earning a university degree.
The Academy trains exclusively at Mesa Del Sol Soccer facility, 5601 University Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
New Mexico United: www.newmexicoutd.com
Coaching Staff: www.newmexicoutd.com/technicalstaff
Somos Unidos Foundation: www.somosunidosfoundation.org
You can find more information online at: www.usl-academy.com/about
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History
Former Teams
In the 1990s, the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League and later the USISL became the state’s first professional soccer team. While the squad had a successful season in 1995, finishing second in the league, and drawing an average of 3,854 fans per game, its owners decided to disband the team the following year. the Geckos, who entered the USISL’s Division 3 with new owners and shared a soccer stadium with the collegiate New Mexico Lobos, took their spot. In 1998, the Geckos won the Tier 3 championship and were promoted to the second division A-League, but they failed to win games and were unable to pay players and creditors. In October 1998, the team announced that they will relocate to Sacramento, California, with an average attendance of 1,200.
The Albuquerque Sol, a semi-professional soccer team, was formed in 2014 to take advantage of the growing popularity of the sport in the city. According to the team’s owners, their ultimate ambition was to become a USL expansion team within a few years and then move to the Major League Soccer league in the United States (MLS). For the 2018 expansion of USL and for the MLS expansion in 2024, the Sol commissioned a study in 2016 on a proposed downtown soccer-specific stadium with 10,000 seats. For $24–45 million, a stadium might be built in downtown Albuquerque as part of a stadium study that identified three possible locations.
USL Franchise
An Albuquerque-based team will join the USL in March 2019, the league announced on June 6, 2018. New Mexico United was officially unveiled on October 9th, 2018 with the help of 226 fan-submitted names. On March 9, 2019, the team’s first game was played in front of 12,896 fans at Isotopes Park. A goal by Devon Sandoval in a 1–1 draw with Fresno FC was the team’s first ever. On May 5, 2019, New Mexico United sold out Isotopes Park to 15,023 fans, finishing first in the USL Championship’s average attendance. Two MLS teams (the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas) defeated the team before succumbing to Minnesota United FC in the quarterfinals of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. The squad chartered a charter flight from Albuquerque to Minnesota to transport 180 away fans to the game.
Colors and Badge
The Zia sign, seen on the state flag and adopted with permission of the Zia tribe, is represented on the New Mexico United crest, which is a basic yellow shield with four black lines. The crest also features a black diamond with the number “18,” which signifies the club’s founding year. In honor of the state flag, the yellow-and-black color scheme was designed to stand out among local clubs.
Stadium
Only Isotope Park in 2019 and dubbed “The Lab” is the moniker given to the Albuquerque, New Mexico Isotopes’ Isotopes Park, the main ballpark for the team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Until a soccer-specific stadium is completed, New Mexico United will play at the facility. To maintain the Isotopes’ status as occupants, a USL team will play at home during away games for them.
For baseball games, the stadium can hold up to 13,500 fans. Due to a public health order issued by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham about the pandemic, New Mexico United will be unable to play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in 2020. Widner Field in Colorado Springs, the home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, served as their “home field.”
Ownership
Peter Trevisani, a New Mexican, is the club’s majority owner and president. Investor Ian McKinnon, TEAM8, Ed Garcia, Ben Spencer, and Jason Harrington are among the other New Mexicans that possess a stake in the team.
