The scouting report is thin for expansion club’s first-ever match
New Mexico United coach Eric Quill does not love the idea of flying by the seat of his pants.
Nonetheless, NMU will be doing at least some of that Saturday when it visits Rhode Island FC for the club’s first-ever match.
New Mexico (1-0) will be at something of a disadvantage when it rolls into sold-out Beirne Stadium. Not only does the venue figure to be energized for the expansion franchise’s first USL Championship contest, but the hosts will have a compiled a scouting report on NMU. Such was not possible for Quill and his staff.
“It’s not ideal,” he conceded Friday. “We’ve put together some footage from (Rhode Island’s) preseason games and looked at different things on some of their players. We’ve done the best we can to assume what their starting lineup will look like and we’ll just go from there.”
Rhode Island is one of six USLC clubs that did not open last week, a situation that figures to have both plusses and minuses. RIFC remains a mystery to opponents but it also has yet to develop any regular-season chemistry. Quill hopes to use the latter to United’s advantage.
“We’re hoping to get off on our front foot and put some pressure on them right away,” he said. “Once we get a feel for how they’re going to play us, we can settle into our form a little more.”
Rhode Island does have its share of established players, including some from San Diego Loyal, which folded after the 2023 season. That includes goalkeeper and recently named team captain Koke Vegas.
But RIFC invested in what figures to be a dangerous front line, including USLC Golden Boot winner Albert Dikwa, who scored 20 goals for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC last season.
Containing Rhode Island’s attacking group is high on Quill’s priority list.
“They went and got some firepower,” he said. “It’s a pretty athletic front group and speed is what stands out the most. We don’t want to give them too much space behind our back line and have them beat us over the top.”
United also flashed improved attacking speed in last week’s 1-0 win over Pittsburgh. Greg Hurst, Mukwelle Akale, Dayonn Harris and Jacobo Reyes were able to find open space on numerous occasions, and Quill will be hoping for more of the same.
“We want to utilize our pace up front,” he said, “and do to them what they’ll try to do to us.”
Still, facing what figures to be a motivated foe in an energized environment, United will need a patient approach and — like it or not — an ability to adjust on the fly.