New Mexico United to host English soccer club in Albuquerque faceoff

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico United will welcome a legendary English football club for its next international friendly match this summer. In an announcement Monday, United says it will compete against the Sunderland AFC Black Cats at Isotopes Park on July 19, 2023.

The Black Cats are lauded as one of England’s most-decorated clubs with six “top-flight” league titles and two FA Cup wins in 1937 and 1973. Sunderland is a port city in northeast England, in Tyne and Wear. United Owner and CEO Peter Trevisani called the upcoming friendly “a dream come true.”

“Sunderland embodies what it means to be a successful club for generations,” Trevisani said. “As we strive to be a club for the next 100 years, we can learn so much from their drive, passion, professionalism, and staying power.”

The game is expected to draw a big crowd. Tickets for the match go on sale to everyone next month, on March 17. However, United season ticket holders are able to buy tickets now under the “offers” section of the “SeatGeek” app.

United has hosted one prior international friendly match several years ago. Back in the team’s debut season in 2019, United hosted the English Premier League’s Cardiff City Football Club from Wales. That match at UNM’s soccer complex ended in a 1-1 tie.