United can secure top spot in Sacramento on Sunday (copy)

September 28 – Sunday, 6:30 p.m., 101.7 FM, ESPN2

Sacramento, California has not been a pleasant destination for New Mexico United over the years.

Sunday could be different.

United has a chance to clinch top spot in the USL Championship Western Conference when it visits Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday night. A win would give NMU (18-8-3) the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and secure home-field advantage through the conference finals.

Additionally, United has the chance to achieve one of its key goals in front of a national television audience. Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” New Mexico coach Eric Quill said. “We are facing a top team in our conference with a chance of first place. Games like this are what you play on. It’s exciting.”

United enters the game with momentum after defeating Sacramento (12-8-8) 3-1 in Albuquerque on Sept. 18. NMU also entered the weekend with a 12-point lead over second-place Colorado Springs (13 points), ahead of Republic FC with just five games remaining.

New Mexico sits above Colorado Springs in the tiebreaker and would clinch first place by three points on Sunday. Midfielder Sergio Rivas said his club would be highly motivated.

“The last 3-1 win against (Sacramento) was a big confidence boost,” he said. “We know who we are and what we can do, now we have to go out and show it.”

However, winning in Sacramento is easier said than done. New Mexico is 1-3-2 overall at Heart Health Park and has not won there since 2019. Republic FC has also knocked United out of the playoffs three times on their home court.

“We’re getting to a point where we’ve lost in the playoffs the last two years,” midfielder Harry Swartz said. “It's a tough place to play – a tough environment, just like New Mexico, with a lot of fans and a lot of intensity. But there’s a lot at stake and we’re leaving hungry.”

United won't be the only team with a lot at stake. Sacramento, one of the USLC's best defensive clubs, has lost three of its last four games and is defending its third place in the Western Conference. The top four teams play at home in the first round of the playoffs.

Oddly enough, Republic FC had no home advantage to speak of this season, posting identical 6-4-4 marks home and away. Nonetheless, NMU expects Sacramento to get its best chance on Sunday.

“We have to come in with a blue-collar attitude and play for three points,” Swartz said. “In a lot of ways, this is really like a playoff game.”

CHANGES: Having played against Sacramento just 11 days earlier, Quill said United would make some tactical changes in the rematch. He expects Republic FC to do the same.

“Sacramento is good defensively and we don’t really know what they’re going to throw at us,” Quill said. “We need to have a multi-pronged attack and be able to switch things up tactically. We’ve been working on some options this week.”

TAMBAKIS IS BACK: Goalkeeper Alexi Tambakis returned to practice this week after sitting out NMU's 1-0 win over Loudoun United FC due to a concussion. Tambakis is expected to play Sunday after backup Kris Shakes recorded his first career win last week.

According to Quill, New Mexico enters Sunday's game healthy overall, with only forwards Cristian Nava and Dayonn Harris out. Nava and Harris suffered torn ACLs earlier this season.

Players to watch

New Mexico (18-8-3): It's probably a good problem to have, but United continues to be somewhat unpredictable when it comes to which attackers will shine on any given day. Greg Hurst and Mukwelle Akale rose to the challenge in last week's 3-1 home win over Sacramento, each scoring two goals and two assists. Both have put up relatively consistent numbers for NMU, as Hurst leads the club in goals scored (11) and shots (44), while Akale leads the club in total assists (5) and chances created (35). Republic FC will target Hurst and Akale in Sunday's second leg, but United have typically found someone to fill the gap. Jacobo Reyes, who scored 4 goals on just 19 shots and created 17 chances, could be a top candidate.

Sacramento (12-8-8): Republic FC has experienced a slump of late, slipping to third place in the USLC Western Conference. Still, Sacramento is a legitimate championship contender based on its defense alone. Goaltender Danny Vitiello has kept 12 of his club's league-best 13 clean sheets and has a defense line that continues to concede the fewest goals (27) in the league, tied with Pittsburgh. The offensive was less consistent, but that is not due to a lack of weapons. Kieran Phillips and Trevor Amann have scored nine goals each, while Jack Gurr is among the USLC leaders with seven assists and 203 crosses. Former United midfielder Justin Portillo remains the top playmaker with 51 chances created. Portillo is also among the league leaders with 10 yellow cards.

NOTEWORTHY: Protecting the lead has been one of the key differences between United and Sacramento this season. NMU is 15-0-3 when scoring first this season and is undefeated in its last 23 such games dating back to last season. Republic FC dropped 17 points in games in which it scored first, setting a club record. … Sacramento defender Chibi Ukaegbu will miss Sunday after receiving a red card in Republic FC's last game.