The New Mexico Chiles were an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club established in 1990 which competed in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. In 1991, the team merged with the New Mexico Roadrunners and moved to the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

until its disestablishment in 1996.

History

In 1986, the semi-professional Albuquerque Outlaws entered the newly established

Southwest Indoor Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In 1987, the team became the Albuquerque Gunners. In 1989, the SISL and Gunners began playing both a summer outdoor as well as a winter indoor season. The team was renamed the New Mexico Roadrunners for the 1990/91 indoor season. In 1990, the New Mexico Chiles were established as an expansion franchise in the

. Following the season, the ownership dissolved. Players and organizers then merged with the New Mexico Roadrunners. The new team took on the Chiles name and logo and competed in the USISL until it folded in 1996. The legacy of semi-pro/pro soccer in Albuquerque and New Mexico would be revived with the birth of the

Albuquerque Geckos Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, who would play in the

USL D-3 Pro League The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

in 1997, winning the championship, and jumping up to the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

from 1998–1999.

SISL/USISL

Year-by-year

References

Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Defunct soccer clubs in New Mexico USISL teams American Professional Soccer League teams 1990 establishments in New Mexico 1996 disestablishments in New Mexico Association football clubs established in 1990 Association football clubs disestablished in 1996 Sports in Albuquerque, New Mexico {{NewMexico-footyclub-stub