ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico United announced on Wednesday it had exercised contract options on goalkeepers Alex Tambakis and Kris Shakes for the 2025 USL Championhip season. The transactions are pending league and federation approval

Tambakis will return for his fifth season with the Black & Yellow having previously become the club’s all-time leader in regular season saves (296) and shutouts (26). Over four seasons he has made 121 appearances in all competitions for New Mexico and has added to a career in which he has become the USL Championship’s all-time leader in saves (614) and second in shutouts (52).

Prior to joining New Mexico, Tambakis competed in the Championship for the Charleston Battery and North Carolina FC. He has made 220 regular season appearances in the league, the most of any goalkeeper in the Championship’s history, while posting a cumulative save percentage of 65.9 percent. This past campaign, he equaled his individual single-season high with eight shutouts.

Shakes came to New Mexico after graduating from Penn State University. He made three appearances in 2024 for United in all competitions and recorded nine saves across two appearances in the USL Championship regular season. The 23-year-old recorded his first shutout against Loudoun United in September, while posting a save percentage of 69.2 percent over his two outings.