EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that goalkeeper Benny Diaz will join Liga MX’s FC Juárez after a standout year in the USL Championship, marking a historic moment for MountainStar Sports Group (MSSG). Per club policy, details of the transfer will not be disclosed.
“FC Juárez occupies a culturally distinctive position within the North American soccer landscape as we are a club on the U.S.-Mexico border that has the unique ability of attracting talent from both sides,” President of FC Juárez Luis Rodriguez said. “Benny, alongside new talents poised to join our team in the future, plays an essential role in shaping our brand identity and advancing our strategic vision of attracting American talent to our bi-national club, offering them a platform to continue to develop their soccer careers within the best league in the Concacaf region, Liga MX.”
Diaz – who was on loan from Club Tijuana (Liga MX) for the 2023 season – was an anchor in goal for El Paso and becomes the first player to sign for a Liga MX side after playing with Locomotive, showcasing El Paso’s dedication to establishing itself as a premier destination in the USL Championship for player development and career progression.
“The partnership between our two clubs stands as a fundamental pillar of MountainStar’s vision, aimed at improving quality of life and driving economic growth in the Borderplex region through sports and entertainment,” President of MountainStar Sports Group Alan Ledford said. “Our shared vision is to cultivate world-class soccer talent from both countries. FC Juárez represents the sole first division major league sports franchise in the American Southwest, while Locomotive is distinguished as the sole USL club with a direct majority ownership connection to a team in either Liga MX or MLS.”
The 24-year-old’s season with Locomotive was an outstanding success and the best in his professional career, no doubt turning heads over at Juárez. In the regular season, Diaz played every minute of league action for El Paso (one of only four players across the entire USL Championship to do so) and was amongst the best goalkeepers in the league, sitting fourth overall in saves (93) and joint-fifth in clean sheets (10). He was also one of three goalkeepers (one of 21 overall in league history) to record an assist in the regular season.
Diaz held the highest number of individual league accolades of any player on Locomotive’s roster this year, being named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on six occasions (twice in the Starting XI) and winning three Save of the Week awards.
“I am excited to join an institution like FC Juárez that is growing and has a great project ahead,” Diaz said. “Likewise, I want to thank El Paso Locomotive FC for the opportunities it gave me to fight for my place on the team and have the season I had. I learned and grew a lot while I was with El Paso, and I am ready to get started with Juárez.”
By joining FC Juárez in Mexico’s top tier of professional soccer, Diaz continues a trend of Locomotive players getting opportunities to play and further their development with clubs in a higher division. 20-year-old Diego Luna set the club transfer record with his move to Real Salt Lake midway through the 2022 season and has become one of Major League Soccer’s rising young stars whereas former star goalkeeper Logan Ketterer had the opportunity to go out on loan to the Portland Timbers in 2021, helping them pick up some important results along the way in their eventual path to becoming MLS Cup runners-up. Ahead of the 2020 MLS Season, Inter Miami CF signed former forward Jerome Kiesewetter after his standout 2019 season in The Sun City.
As sister clubs under MSSG, Locomotive and FC Juárez have had a long-standing partnership that has helped grow the game of soccer and showcase high-level talent in the Borderplex region. The player pipeline developed between the two clubs has seen notable talent from FC Juárez – such as Aaron Gomez, Eder Borelli and Leandro Carrijo – bolster Locomotive first-team rosters to create stronger on-pitch success while simultaneously expanding the USL Championship footprint to fans across the border in Ciudad Juárez.
Now, Locomotive contributes directly to the strengthening of a Juárez first-team seeking to continue an upward trajectory within Mexican soccer. The partnership has been beneficial for both clubs and the Diaz transfer will only continue to fuel a growing desire to increase collaborative efforts on and off the pitch.
“This transfer shows commitment from both the Locomotive and Juárez technical staff, and a shared ownership group to demonstrate that for those who excel, there is a track to the next level within our own family,” General Manager, Business and Technical Operations Andrew Forrest said. “Benny is the first player in our history to take the player pathway from USL Championship to Liga MX, so we are very proud of him, and we look forward to following his career across the border.”
About MountainStar Sports Group
MountainStar Sports Group’s focus is on the acquisition, development, and operation of professional sports and entertainment opportunities. Currently, MSSG owns and operates the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, and El Paso Locomotive FC, a soccer club in USL Championship. They are the majority owner of FC Juárez of Mexico’s Liga MX in the Mexican Football Federation. For more information, visit mountainstarsportsgroup.com.
About FC Juárez
Founded in 2015, FC Juárez, commonly referred to as Los Bravos, joined Liga MX of the Mexican Football Federation in 2019 after four seasons in Ascenso MX (where they lifted the Apertura title at the conclusion of the club’s inaugural 2015 season), bringing premier division soccer back to Ciudad Juárez and the Borderplex region. For more information about FC Juárez, please visit fcjuarez.com.
About El Paso Locomotive FC
Founded in 2018, El Paso Locomotive FC joined the USL Championship to bring high, professional-level soccer to the U.S. side of the Borderplex region. Since the inaugural season in 2019, Locomotive has been one of the USL Championship’s most exemplary clubs, making two consecutive Western Conference Final appearances in its first two seasons and lifting the Copa Tejas trophy in 2021.
MountainStar Sports Group, the team’s owners as well as the owners of the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, and FC Juárez of Mexico’s Liga MX, have set high expectations for the team’s on-field play, as well as the quality experience that the organization continuously brings to the local community, positively playing its part to add to the overall quality of life in the region. For more information about El Paso Locomotive FC, please visit eplocomotivefc.com.