New Mexico United overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat San Antonio FC in a penalty shootout during the final round of USL Jägermeister Cup group play. Despite securing two points and finishing second in Group C, United was eliminated from the tournament. Birmingham Legion FC and Hartford Athletic advanced to the knockout rounds as the best second-place finishers.
San Antonio took an early lead in the 8th minute when former U.S. Men’s National Team forward Juan Agudelo scored past goalkeeper Alex Tambakis. United's most significant first-half opportunity came during stoppage time when forward Thomas Amang's shot was saved by San Antonio's Joseph Batrouni, maintaining a 1-0 lead for the home side at halftime.
Agudelo extended San Antonio's lead four minutes into the second half following a mistake by United captain Talen Maples. The hosts hit the post twice and forced a save from Tambakis that struck the crossbar before regulation ended. Tambakis made four crucial saves, helping New Mexico push for a comeback.
In stoppage time, debutant Valentin Noël, newly signed from Las Vegas Light FC, scored to bring New Mexico closer. Seven minutes later, winger Dayonn Harris equalized with a volley from Maples' headed cross. Harris returned to play after recovering from an ACL injury 348 days ago.
The match proceeded to penalties, where Greg Hurst scored first for New Mexico. Tambakis saved Jorge Hernandez’s attempt for San Antonio, while Mukwelle Akale converted his penalty for United. San Antonio captain Mitchell Taintor missed his shot, followed by Maples scoring again for New Mexico and Harvey Neville missing for San Antonio. The shootout concluded with a 3-0 victory for New Mexico.
Next, New Mexico United will travel to Connecticut to face Hartford Athletic on Wednesday at 6:00 PM MT. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
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