ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico United began the 2026 season searching for consistency. Five months later, the Black & Yellow sit atop the USL Championship’s Western Conference.
A 0-0 road draw against Loudoun United FC on Aug. 22 extended United’s unbeaten run to 12 consecutive matches across all competitions and, combined with an Orange County SC loss, moved New Mexico into first place in the West for the first time this season. United reached the top while still holding three matches in hand.
The result in Virginia came under difficult circumstances. New Mexico played more than an hour down a man but held firm behind goalkeeper Kris Shakes, who finished with eight saves and recorded his ninth clean sheet of the season. Eight of those shutouts have come during the current unbeaten run.
“I’m not too focused on myself,” Shakes said earlier this month. “Obviously it’s the whole team, right? Without them it’s impossible for me to get a clean sheet by myself.”
That defensive consistency has become one of the defining stories of United’s summer surge.
The season did not start that way. New Mexico opened league play with losses to Oakland Roots SC and San Antonio FC and spent much of March and April integrating a reshaped roster. The club also exited the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup following a 4-0 loss to El Paso Locomotive FC.
By late spring, however, the results began to change.
United collected victories over Sacramento Republic FC, Oakland Roots, El Paso, Lexington SC, Colorado Springs and Monterey Bay while becoming increasingly difficult to score against.
The Aug. 8 victory at Monterey Bay was especially significant. Trailing 21 in the second half, New Mexico scored four unanswered goals to win 5-2. The result marked United’s first win in Seaside, set a club record for goals scored in a road match and extended what had already become the longest unbeaten run in club history.
Head Coach Dennis Sanchez has made clear that the club’s ambitions extend beyond simply qualifying for the postseason.
“We’re an ambitious team, we’re an ambitious club,” Sanchez said following the Aug. 1 victory over Colorado Springs. “Our sights are very much set on securing the first spot in the Western Conference.”
United has also made roster moves during the run. Goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg recently signed a 25-day contract, while the club announced Aug. 24 that it had mutually parted ways with veteran defender Will Seymore. Seymore appeared in 133 matches across all competitions after joining United in 2022.
New Mexico now returns home with the Western Conference lead and two matches at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park this week, facing Lexington SC before another conference matchup against San Antonio FC.
The story of United’s season has changed considerably since March. The Black & Yellow are no longer trying to climb into the Western Conference conversation.
They are leading it.