ALBUQUERQUE, NM – If New Mexico United supporters felt a sense of déjà vu Wednesday night, they had every reason to.
For the second straight match, United built a commanding lead, looked headed for three points, and then watched victory slip through their fingers in dramatic fashion. This time, it came in an eight-goal thriller against Birmingham Legion FC that ended in a frustrating 4-4 draw.
The makeup match, rescheduled after weather postponed the original July 24th contest, appeared to be firmly in New Mexico’s control for much of the night.
After conceding an early goal, United responded with authority. Zico Bailey sparked the comeback with an equalizer in the 16th minute before Niall Reid-Stephen put New Mexico in front just three minutes later. The visitors carried a 2-1 advantage into halftime and looked increasingly dangerous after the break.
Then came what should have been the knockout punch.
Greg Hurst buried his ninth goal of the season in the 64th minute, and just two minutes later Joseph Melto added another to stretch the lead to 4-1. At that moment, New Mexico appeared to have one hand firmly on all three points.
Instead, the collapse began.
Birmingham clawed its way back with three unanswered goals, taking advantage of defensive lapses and a renewed sense of urgency. The final blow came deep into stoppage time when Ronaldo Dumas found the equalizer, his second goal of the night, stunning United and silencing hopes of a crucial road victory.
For Birmingham, it felt like a comeback for the ages.
For New Mexico, it felt like two points lost.
The draw keeps United in second place in the USL Championship Western Conference, but the result carries added frustration because it denied the club an opportunity to leapfrog first-place El Paso. Rather than gaining ground in the title race, New Mexico settles for a single point after holding a three-goal advantage with less than 30 minutes remaining.
Now the focus quickly shifts to another critical Western Conference showdown as United heads to Colorado Springs on Saturday.
The challenge for New Mexico isn’t scoring goals. Four goals on the road should win almost every time in professional soccer.
The challenge now is protecting leads.
And after letting another one get away, that’s the storyline United can’t seem to escape.
