Versión en español se encuentra en Fronterizo News.
New Mexico United hosted FC Juarez on June 19th at 7:00 PM at the Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, marking the start of a new long-term collaboration.
The local team struggled against the Mexican side, which didn’t hold back despite the friendly nature of the match. New Mexico United lost 2-4, with both teams having their moments, but the visitors ultimately dominated the game.
As it turned out, the crowd of attendees enjoyed an extended show that included everything from players being ejected because of red cards to pushing and shoveling and a lot more.
Juárez made their mark on the scoreboard with Saldivar scoring twice, at minutes 13 and 41, García adding a goal at minute 44, and Castro netting the final goal at minute 85.
Two goals came in the second half for the locals, one from a penalty kick by Marco Micaletto and the other from Kalen Ryden’s header.
The Bravos also missed a penalty kick in the final minutes of the game, but luckily for them, it didn’t affect the outcome.
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The New Mexican squad at least faced a real competitive challenge ahead of returning to their regular season.
They currently lead the Western Conference in the USL Championship, which also includes another team from the area, El Paso Locomotive, currently in last place out of 12 teams.
FC Juárez has previously expressed interest in showcasing their efforts through this friendly plan, aiming to introduce their professional Mexican team to the Southwest of North America. They hope to gain fans from the area, which lacks other professional sports teams within approximately a 500-mile radius from the border.
Juárez will also host another friendly in El Paso, Texas, where they are set to face Mexican giants América on June 23rd at UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium.