NM United's David Estrada still gets to showcase his skills

Vargas: If he scores or makes a play, he’ll let an opponent know — in a cheeky way.

Estrada: I’m definitely a trash talker, but a humble trash talker. I’ll never say anything that crosses a line, but I will celebrate. It might seem like I’m rubbing it in, but that’s just the joy of winning and scoring a goal. It’s never to poke fun at someone.

Hofmann: Trash talk is pretty common (for everyone), especially in intense sessions. No matter who it is, there’s some back and forth. All in good fun, though. You just have to give him a, “C’mon old man.” And then he’ll probably go for my pace or say something about a weak foot. “Force him here and we’ll press him.” A little less direct, but the point gets across for sure.

Vargas: I will say, physically, I think he still handles the ball very well. He lacks just a little because of the speed of play. Sometimes he gets fatigued, but hey, he’s not playing any more.

Estrada: There are points where I question myself like, “Are they a man down with me being on their team?” So that’s why I feel like I have to work twice as hard. But I think there’s a mutual respect between the coaching staff and the players.

Vargas: He’s smart enough not to get into those 50-50 tackles. He’s smart enough not to put himself in those situations, especially against a Will (Seymore), Luther (Archimède), Maliek (Howell), some of the bigger guys. He’s pretty smart on knowing when to take a challenge and when not to take a challenge.

Shakes: I’m going to say no, he hasn’t gotten the better of me. We’ve had some chances at 1-v-1 against each other, but I feel like I always get the best from him.

Hofmann: He rarely hops on the field at Academy. He saves it for (the) first team. He knows his level. He’ll set an example at Academy, though.

Vargas: Oh, man, he was a good leader. He took me and a lot of my old teammates who are still playing under his wing and just guided us very well as a good pro should. He still has that in him. He still gives me some good advice and to the younger guys, too. I think he does a good job with the academy in terms of guiding them.

Estrada: They make me better in terms of just questioning my ideas as a coach and then when I step on the field also question, “Was I really that good?” You know, it’s a humbling experience, but it’s something that I think not a lot of coaches get to do.

David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X @DavidGlovach.

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