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Joseph Melto didn鈥檛 have anything planned. There was no way he could have known. Lately, any such thoughts had been confined to a dream or two, even an admitted prayer.

No matter. His New Mexico United teammates and coaches 鈥� along with a few fans 鈥� had him covered. And each group made sure to do their part. 

An audacious amount of cheers when the forward jumped onto the wall running along the right-field foul line? Check.

Being mobbed in one hug after another by those wearing the same colored kits? Done.

Running over to share a moment with not just manager Dennis Sanchez, but the rest of the coaching staff, who might have been more excited than Melto, on the sideline in front of the United bench? Yup.

It turns out, unsurprisingly, scoring your first goal in your first appearance of the season, warrants all of those things. Melto certainly embraced each one. 

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how to celebrate,鈥� Melto said with a grin after United鈥檚 official 3-3 draw with Liga MX鈥檚 Atlante FC in Wednesday鈥檚 international friendly, one that was capped with Atlante outdueling United 5-4 in penalty kicks.

鈥淚 had to do three different celebrations for one goal, which is not bad because I was in the moment and enjoying it.鈥�

It even felt a little bit cathartic when he saw the ball hit the back of the net in the 40th minute and started sprinting somewhere, anywhere, the destination not quite clear. 

All of it was unimaginably familiar and yet, somehow a little bit foreign. It had been a while.

Melto starred at the University of Dayton, where he recorded 14 goals and 16 assists in 47 appearances and was twice made an All-Atlantic 10 selection. It was a college career that helped him get selected by Toronto FC in the third round of the 2025 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and look to be on an upward trajectory.

But Melto never got much of an opportunity to show his quality. Injuries during his first professional season with Toronto FC II of MLS Next Pro limited him to only two appearances. He played just nine minutes. 

More injuries surfaced after the 21-year-old signed with United in February, setting him back on the depth chart and keeping him out of uniform for match days. All valuable learning time that鈥檚 been missed. Training sessions can only replicate so much.

It鈥檚 why Wednesday was important, no matter how much Melto played and he played a lot. He checked in at the 30th minute. He left in the 80th. He saw different looks and offered up others when on the attack.

鈥淢elto鈥檚 still really young in his pro career,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥�... He鈥檚 finding his rhythm right now. There鈥檚 no doubt what we saw right away was his attacking quality, and I think he has something different.

鈥淓ven his first touch on the goal was not perfect, but he adapted to it well and he took his opportunity. I think it鈥檚 a great moment for him, whether it鈥檚 a friendly or real game, goals create confidence, not only for him, but for the entire team.鈥�

For much of Wednesday, United played with that kind of flair 鈥� even after an 11-day layoff for a mandated USL Championship mental health break, and even with Sanchez opting to provide his backups and the club鈥檚 academy players with notable second-half minutes.

It didn鈥檛 matter that Atlante was reentering Mexico鈥檚 top league for the first time in 12 years this season, nor that Atlante is coached by Miguel Herrera, the former Mexican and Costa Rican national team manager 鈥� Herrera was sent off for arguing in the 66th minute, causing a two-minute delay 鈥� nor that things got a bit testy and chippy at times. Showcasing something at different moments did.

Sure enough, that happened in a rather key category.

Greg Hurst scored the club鈥檚 first equalizer in the 37th minute on a shot into the top right corner. Winston Starr, a La Cueva graduate and one of those academy players, came through with another in the 89th, a minute after Joaquin Moxica put Atlante ahead.

In between, Cristian Nava assisted on Melto鈥檚 goal.

In the end, it was a performance that provided Sanchez with few complaints given the circumstances of playing a midweek match that doesn鈥檛 affect the regular-season standings. It maybe, possibly, potentially (key words) even gave him some things to think about ahead of Saturday鈥檚 league matchup against Oakland Roots SC.

鈥淵ou can see that I have tough decisions to make every single week,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淏ut to (Melto鈥檚) credit, himself and some other guys are really making me ask questions about the starting lineup.鈥�

We鈥檒l see.

But it鈥檚 an argument Melto would be glad to make his manager have. Wednesday was his chance to show why. He certainly made it count.

After all, it鈥檚 something he鈥檚 dreamed about for a while. He鈥檚 even thrown in a little prayer, too. And he鈥檇 like to have a few more moments like he did against Atlante FC.

鈥淚f the coach believes in you, you have to make an impact,鈥� Melto said. 鈥淚f the coach trusts you, you gotta make an impact. I feel like I can do more and stay hungry for more. Hopefully the next game, you can see more of that.鈥�

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