New Mexico
New Mexico United falls short in heated international friendly vs. FC Juarez
On the gusty evening of Wednesday, June 19, New Mexico United battled it out with FC Juarez in what became a close and physical match in front of over 10,000 fans.
United fought to keep the score close, but ultimately lost 4-2 when FC Juarez was awarded a late penalty kick from a hand-ball call – which sparked criticism of the referee by both players and fans. Midfielder #17 Manuel Castro scored the penalty kick in the 86th minute.
FC Juarez presumably sealed their victory with three first-half goals, making the score 3-0 at half time. The match grew tense when United closed the score margin to 3-2 in the second half. Multiple players from both teams received yellow cards, and one United player and a team staff member were given red cards.
FC Juarez capitalized on moments when United’s defensive line appeared to leave open gaps in the first half. FC Juarez forward #29 Ángel Zaldívar scored two of the goals in the 13th and 41st minute, and forward #33 Aitor García scored the third goal of the half in minute 45.
United struggled to maintain possession and did not pose a major threat to FC Juarez until early in the second half, when #10 midfielder substitute Marco Micaletto created danger in the box.
Micaletto scored off of a penalty kick from a hand-ball at the 54 minute mark, and five minutes later, #22 defender Kalen Ryden scored a header off of a free-kick also taken by Micaletto.
“(Micaletto) put a perfect ball in the back post that was exactly where it should’ve been, and all I had to do was make good contact on it and that’s what I did … I’m happy I was able to find the back of the net,” Ryden said.
Coach Eric Quill subbed in Micaletto for #10 midfielder Sergio Rivas at half time. Ryden credited Micaletto with getting United back in the game.
“(Micaletto) is full of energy, he’s full of quality, he’s aggressive … he’s a player that makes an instant impact,” Ryden said.
The intensity picked up when the score was 3-2. Just three minutes after Ryden’s goal, United defender #47 Jackson DuBois received his second yellow card of the game, sending him off the field with a red card.
In minute 62, during the heat of the game, United Academy graduate Jace Sais made his professional debut.
“It’s just a wonderful lifetime opportunity to get out here and play with professional people from a different country, and it was just a surreal experience to go out there and play against some of the best players in the world,” Sais said.
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The ball never remained on one side of the field as United aggressively fought for a tie and FC Juarez tried to seal their victory.
United defender #33 Harry Swartz nearly evened the scoreboard in the 77th minute when he headed a long ball that hit the crossbar.
With about 10 minutes left in the game, the intensity made its way off the field, when substitutes and coaching staff from both teams got into an altercation. It led to one of United’s assistant coaches, Nate Walzer, and an FC Juarez substitute to be sent off the pitch with red cards.
During the last few minutes of the game, FC Juarez was awarded a penalty kick resulting from an apparent hand-ball in the box. The referee who made the call was met with extreme dissatisfaction from both United players and fans.
FC Juarez scored the penalty kick, clinching their 4-2 win over United.
Quill believed the game was a good opportunity for United to compete, but said the team could have done some things differently to prevent the early conceded goals.
“We kind of stepped on our own toes and changed the game a little bit,” Quill said.
The intensity and physicality of the game was warranted despite it being considered a “friendly,” Quill said.
“It’s a second division side versus a first division side, so they want to prove themselves. When teams want to prove themselves, there’s gonna be a little bit more bite in the tackle … when that bite is there, they’re gonna bite back,” Quill said.
In their next USL Championship match on Saturday, June 22, United defeated the Colorado Springs Switchbacks 1-0 to cement their spot on top of the Western conference.
After the international friendly, Quill commented on how the stadium was packed with not only United fans, but fans in bright green FC Juarez jerseys to cheer for their team.
“The support of football is here and it’s real … I’m blessed to be a part of it,” Quill said.
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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