ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico United has spent much of the summer steadily building momentum. Now, after a record-setting comeback on the California coast, the Black & Yellow have put together the longest unbeaten run in club history and have their sights set on the top of the USL Championship's Western Conference.
United extended its unbeaten streak in league play to 10 matches Saturday, Aug. 8, with a remarkable 52 road victory over Monterey Bay FC in Seaside, California.
The victory came only one week after United defeated regional rival Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 1-0 at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, giving New Mexico consecutive wins in dramatically different ways.
Against Colorado Springs, United relied on patience and defense.
Against Monterey Bay, it unleashed an offensive barrage.
Together, the performances illustrate why Head Coach Dennis Sanchez believes his club has developed into a legitimate contender as the second half of the season unfolds.
'We're an ambitious team, we're an ambitious club,' Sanchez said following the Colorado Springs victory. 'Our sights are very much set on securing the first spot in the Western Conference.'
That ambition is backed by a summer in which United has become increasingly difficult to beat.
Defense Fuels the Run
New Mexico's transformation has been particularly evident defensively.
The Black & Yellow allowed just seven goals in USL Championship play from May 6 through their Aug. 1 victory over Colorado Springs, a stretch highlighted by goalkeeper Kris Shakes and a back line that has repeatedly delivered under pressure.
Against the Switchbacks, former University of New Mexico defender Maliek Howell provided the decisive moment.
Howell, who once sat in the stands at Isotopes Park watching United as a college player, scored his first professional goal in the 51st minute to give New Mexico the 1-0 victory. The goal completed a memorable moment for Howell, who remains in Albuquerque this season after previously playing for the Lobos.
Colorado Springs pressured United throughout the match, but New Mexico's defense refused to break. Shakes finished with six saves and recorded his seventh clean sheet of 2026— already two more than he recorded during the entire 2025 season.
'I'm not too focused on myself,' Shakes said afterward. 'Obviously it's the whole team, right? Without them it's impossible for me to get a clean sheet by myself.'
Defender Chris Gloster pointed toward the team's mentality as another reason for the sustained success.
'We try to stay humble. We stay grounded,' Gloster said. 'We know there are reasons why we've been on this win streak, and we try to stick to those foundations.'
A Comeback for the Record Books
One week later, those foundations were tested in an entirely different fashion.
United traveled to Monterey Bay looking for something it had never accomplished: a victory in Seaside.
New Mexico entered the match winless in five previous trips there, with an 0-32 record. For a while, that history appeared ready to continue.
Monterey Bay took a 21 advantage early in the second half, forcing United to chase the match on the road.
What followed became one of the most explosive comebacks in New Mexico United history.
Greg Hurst started it in the 74th minute, scoring from outside the penalty area to level the match. Four minutes later, Valentin Noël scored his second goal of the night to put United ahead.
Then the floodgates opened.
Dayonn Harris added another goal in the 87th minute before Niall Reid-Stephen scored in first-half stoppage time to complete the 5-2 victory.
The comeback established several club records. United's four unanswered goals were the most the club has scored after trailing in a match, surpassing the previous mark of three established against San Antonio FC in 2021. Five goals also represented the most New Mexico United has ever scored in a road match and tied into one of the highestscoring league performances in club history. Only United's seven-goal performance against Phoenix Rising FC in May 2022 produced more. Most importantly, the victory extended United's official unbeaten streak to 10 matches, breaking the previous club record of nine established during the 2025 season. The club does not include international friendlies when calculating the streak, meaning July's 3-3 exhibition draw against Liga MX side Atlante FC is not part of the official record.
Contributions Coming From Everywhere
Perhaps the most encouraging development for New Mexico has been how many different players have contributed during the run.
Hurst, Noël and Harris have provided consistent attacking threats, while players including Reid-Stephen, Joseph Melto, Zico Bailey and Cristian Nava have delivered important goals. Howell's winner against Colorado Springs demonstrated that contributions are coming from the defensive group as well.
United has also continued building a pathway between its academy and first team.
Before the Aug. 1 match, the club announced that goalkeeper Edwin Ortiz had signed an academy contract, making him eligible for first-team selection. Ortiz joined Winston Starr and Fabian Mata among local academy players recently given opportunities within the first-team environment.
The development comes as United attempts to build on a 2025 campaign that carried the club to its first Western Conference Final. That season ended against FC Tulsa.
United will not have to wait long for another matchup.
Conference Final Rematch Comes to Albuquerque
New Mexico returns home Saturday, Aug. 15, for Indigenous Peoples Night against FC Tulsa at Isotopes Park.
The matchup carries additional significance after Tulsa ended United's historic postseason run with a 3-0 victory in the 2025 Western Conference Final.
This time, the circumstances are different.
United enters the meeting in the midst of the longest unbeaten run in club history, with a defense that has emerged as one of its greatest strengths and an attack coming off a five-goal road performance.
Another crowd of more than 10,000 supporters is expected at The Lab.
Sanchez has cautioned throughout the season that progress will not always come through perfect performances. After the narrow Colorado Springs victory, he said winning while recognizing areas that still need improvement is part of becoming a stronger team.
'Sometimes it's not going to be perfect,' Sanchez said. 'It's much better to learn and win than learn and lose.'
With the Western Conference race entering its decisive stretch and last year's postseason heartbreak returning to Albuquerque in the form of FC Tulsa, New Mexico United has moved beyond simply trying to find its identity.
The Black & Yellow are chasing first place, and for the first time in club history, they will enter that chase unbeaten in 10 consecutive league matches.