Lukas Cash: Working to “Unite” New Mexico

Lukas Cash Uniting New Mexico’s Soccer Fans

By Desiree Cooper and Todd Fuqua

As director of innovation for the professional soccer team New Mexico United, in Albuquerque, Lukas Cash (MA 09 BA 06) has made it his mission to find new ways to “elevate and inspire the state of New Mexico.”

His job is now more challenging with the rise of COVID-19, but he continues to do what he can to keep New Mexico United at the forefront of New Mexicans’ minds.

New Mexico United is Albuquerque’s professional soccer team, playing in the United Soccer League Championship (USL). Founded in 2018, the team has called Isotopes Park home, but hasn’t played a game there for some time due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Lukas Cash, left, shares a laugh with a fan during a New Mexico United home game at Albuquerque’s Isotopes Park in December 2019.

“Ninety percent of my work usually revolves around preparing game day activities,” Cash said. “Without that, a big part of my day went away very quickly. Now my focus has shifted to broadcasting. I’m much more involved with the production elements.”

Producing live broadcasts of games, which was the only way New Mexico United fans could watch their team in action in 2020, aligns with Cash’s ENMU degree in communication.

“The ENMU broadcast facility, KENW-TV, is the best in the state and one of the best in the country,” Cash said. “When I discovered the broadcast production emphasis and realized that I could study in a dynamic, hands-on way, I was sold.”

Being dynamic is exactly what’s needed as the innovation director for New Mexico United, a member of the United Soccer League Championship since 2019.

“I love that I am a part of something that is truly uniting our state,” Cash said. “These are contentious times we live in, and it seems that too often, people look for reasons to disagree, not come together. You can come to one of our games and see folks who speak different languages, pray to different gods, earn vastly different salaries and believe wildly different things about the world, but for 90 minutes, they are all on the same ‘team.’ The fans are in perfect harmony as they cheer on the team.”

Cheering for New Mexico United has been done virtually, with the nominal home team playing exclusively on the road. There hasn't been a home match in Albuquerque since the 2019 season. However, they have had at least one home broadcast, with local sponsors and broadcast talent getting air time via the internet.

Additionally, 880 United fans made the trip to Colorado Springs on Sept. 19, cheering on their hometown United just as loudly as if they were still in Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. The team’s hard work and the fans’ enthusiasm was rewarded with a trip to the Western Conference semifinals against the El Paso Locomotive FC, but United lost on penalty kicks to bring its season to a close.

Still, Lukas remains busy with his job.

“I manage the team social media accounts, serve as a producer for our broadcasts on TV and radio, and I am tasked with figuring out solutions to complex problems. I am a bit of a Swiss Army knife,” Cash said. “I’m still very busy, and I haven’t had a lot of time to scour the internet looking for cat memes.”