Charleston connections plentiful for United
Lesesne, Prince, Tambakis, Azira have associations
There may be something of a flashback in progress when New Mexico United hosts the Charleston Battery on Monday night.
Not only do Charleston and New Mexico sport the same primary uniform colors, black and yellow, but a significant number of United players and coaches have history with both USL Championship franchises.
NMU head coach Troy Lesesne both played and served as an assistant for the Battery. United assistant Zach Prince, midfielder Micheal Azira and goalkeeper Alex Tambakis all played for Charleston, the former two winning a league title there in 2012.
Monday night’s meeting at Isotopes Park will be the first between the Eastern Conference Battery and Western Conference United, but it won’t be just another match on the schedule for everyone involved.
“I’m thrilled that Charleston is coming to New Mexico,” Lesesne said. “That club has a special place in my heart and I’m sure Zach Prince and Micheal Azira feel the same way. I’m excited to show them what we’re building here, and the best way is to make sure we give them a difficult match.”
New Mexico (5-5-2) is coming off an exciting 3-1 home win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Friday, one in which Azira scored the goahead goal early in second-half stoppage time. Azira’s name also figures prominently in Battery history as he tallied the only goal in Charleston’s 1-0 win over Wilmington in the 2012 cham
pionship game.
The soft-spoken Azira sparked a raucous celebration among his teammates and United fans Friday night, prompting Lesesne to ask what might happen if Azira scores Monday against his former club.
“We’ll see,” Azira said with a grin.
Whether or not Azira finds the net cords, United (5-5-2, 17 points) hopes to build on the momentum of Friday’s win. New Mexico moved back into a playoff position, third place in the tightly contested Mountain Division, where the top five teams are separated by just five points.
Friday’s win was arguably the most physical match NMU has played this season, with the teams combining for nine yellow cards and one red card (shown to the Switchbacks’ Sebastian Anderson for violent conduct). United co-captain Josh Suggs said some of the physical play was by design.
“It was part of our game plan,” Suggs said. “We wanted to be more aggressive. We know other teams try to be really physical against us and we need to respond to that. I think you can expect to see that the rest of the season.”
MONDAY NIGHT FUTBOL: United will hold a pre-match grill-off as part of its promotion with Pittsburgh Steelers tight end and Eldorado High School alum Zach Gentry serving as one of the celebrity judges. The grill-off, featuring four professional chefs and one super fan, will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in the tailgate lot south of Isotopes Park. Judging will begin at 6 p.m. with “plenty of samples available,” according to a club release.
DEBUT TO REMEMBER:
Cristian Nava became the first New Mexico Academy member to appear in a first-team match Friday, checking in as a secondhalf substitution. Nava, 17, who helped Albuquerque High to a state championship in 2019, received a loud ovation from the hometown crowd as he was introduced.
“Cristian earned it,” Lesesne said after the match. “This was not a throwaway match, either. We needed three points and he came in an played well. I’m really happy and excited for Cristian to be a part of our franchise history.”