New Mexico United claimed a 1-0 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC in the Derby Del Camino Real on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 11,005 at Isotopes Park in its home opener, giving New Mexico its second consecutive victory as Greg Hurst continued his strong start to 2025 with the only goal of the game.

Here are three things we took away from the contest, which featured a series-low of just 11 combined shots between the two teams.

1. UNITED BREAKING DOWN THE BLOCK

By contrast with some of the previous editions of the Derby Del Camino Real, Saturday’s game was a far more cagey affair as Locomotive looked to sit deep defensively and make life difficult for New Mexico to find a way through. While Marlon Vargas had an early effort from distance for United, it wasn’t until past the half-hour mark that they truly threatened with the sort of passing move that could get a clear look at goal.

The interplay between Vargas and Ousman Jabang outside the penalty area created the chance, pulling a defender out of the back line to challenge Vargas, which allowed the midfielder to slip a pass through to Luiz Fernando, who maintained a good position at the top of the box. The finish was saved, but it showed the sort of route New Mexico was going to need to find in that eventually paid off.

“I honestly thought El Paso was going to come out and be a little bit more aggressive, but we had to change over time,” said United Head Coach Dennis Sanchez. “And I think we made a couple of small adjustments at halftime that allowed us to be better on the ball in certain areas. It's not easy to break down a low block. So, what we talked about was just preaching patience, having a little bit more purpose in our possession, making sure that we're still secure in transition.”

2. LOCOMOTIVE LAUNCHING QUICKLY

The plan for Locomotive with its defensive shape was to try and launch quickly when it won possession to create one-on-one opportunities on the counterattack. While the side misfired on its outlet balls and New Mexico did well defensively in the first half, resulting in the visitors recording no shots in the opening 45 minutes, Locomotive was able to produce its best chances in the opening 10 minutes after the break.

Breaking out after an attack by the hosts broke down, Beto Avila was sprung down the left side into a big opportunity that he likely took one step too far before shooting, allowing New Mexico goalkeeper Alex Tambakis to close down the angle and make a good save. A United turnover two minutes later in midfield delivered a similar chance for the visitors as Amando Moreno broke into the left channel but sent his finish wide of the right post. For the visitors, the strategy was good, but they missed out on the execution in a game that by design was going to have limited opportunities.

3. GREG HURST READS THE PLAY, DELIVERS

There are a few players in New Mexico’s lineup who’ve made good starts to the season, but none more so than Greg Hurst, who bagged the late winner for his third goal in as many games to start the season with a smart piece of positioning and crisp first-time finish.

As Mukwelle Akale was sent into space on the right side, Hurst came into the play late from a midfield position while Daniel Bruce and McKinze Gaines drove more forcefully into the penalty area, causing the El Paso back line to sag. That provided Hurst clean space just inside the penalty area, and when Akale cut centrally he provided a clear pass for the Scottish forward to power home his finish.

“I saw [Mukwelle Akale] going down the right and a lot of the boys like booking it to get in the box and I noticed a lot of their players were trying to follow our runners into the box,” said Hurst. “So, I saw a bit of space on the edge of the box and I was just hoping that [Akale] cut back and played it off to me and thankfully he did.”