EL PASO, Texas (August 22, 2025) – El Paso Locomotive FC finish off their two-match homestand against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, August 23 at 7 p.m. MT at Southwest University Park. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News App.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC – SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2025 @ 7:00 P.M. MT – SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK – EL PASO, TEXAS
Watch: ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News app
Tickets: eplocomotivefc.com/tickets | Giveaway: Harry Potter Scarf (1500 fans)
Be sure to follow @eplocomotivefc on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates of the match. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
KEY STORYLINES
A stoppage time goal from the visitors cost El Paso Locomotive FC the full three points at home as Los Locos played to a 2-2 draw against Monterey Bay FC last Saturday night at Southwest University Park.
Christian Sorto, in for an injured Andy Cabrera, bagged a brace for his first two Locomotive goals with two successful long-range efforts. Jahmali Waite also came up big with four saves on the night to keep the match within reach.
Sorto earned a selection to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 24 after his two-goal performance. In his first regular season start for Locomotive, he quickly made a name for himself converting Los Locos’ first free kick of the year in the 23rd minute before switching to his left foot for a curler in the 59th minute off a feed from Memo Diaz.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
F Amando Moreno: With leading goalscorer Andy Cabrera expected to be out with a hamstring injury for a few weeks, attention will turn to Moreno in the Locomotive attack. Moreno has already matched his goal total from last season (6) and has added four assists on top of that. Him and Gabi Torres should see the ball a lot more on the left side of the formation as the schedule heats up down the stretch.
D Memo Diaz: Alvaro Quezada left last Saturday’s match in the 43rd minute with an apparent ankle injury and is expected to miss a few weeks. This means Locomotive will likely call on Diaz, the El Paso native, to fill the right back position. He made an immediate impact with an assist against Monterey Bay and should be an instigator on the right wing moving forward.
G Jahmali Waite: The streak of three straight shutouts might have ended for Locomotive last Saturday, but Waite made some huge saves to keep the match level. After a slow start to the season, he has started to look like the goalkeeper Loco fans saw to end last season as he is up to 33 saves in league play.
OPPONENT INFO: Sacramento Republic FC
Los Locos lead the all-time series, 6-5-0, with the most high-profile match between the two clubs coming in the club’s inaugural season during the Western Conference Semifinals where Los Locos were victorious at home, 3-0. In Locomotive’s final home match last season, the club managed a 2-1 victory over Sacramento behind goals from Lucas Stauffer and Tony Alfaro. This was also the final match in El Paso for club legends Yuma and Eder Borelli.
Sacramento enters this match unbeaten since June 28. They have risen to second place in the Western Conference behind the gloves of Danny Vitiello and the feet of Russell Cicerone and Cristian Parano. The visitors hope to emulate their 3-0 dismantling of Los Locos earlier this season as they arrive in El Paso on short rest after a Jägermeister Cup quarterfinal clash at Loudoun United on Wednesday.
KEY LOCOMOTIVE STATISTICS
– Gabi Torres set the club single season record against Las Vegas Lights FC with his ninth assist across all competitions.
– Frank Daroma ranks second in the Championship in passing accuracy (min. 200 passes) at 92.3%.
– Los Locos have won the most fouls in the USL Championship this season (350).
RECENT LOCOMOTIVE QUOTES
HC Wilmer Cabrera on club seeing out matches:
“After three great games defensively, we were soft last week. We were not concentrated in our work, so we need to start working because every game left is like a playoff match. It’s going to be like that Saturday. This is going to be a really critical match for us to get three points at home. It will be a message to the league that we’re here to win.”
Cabrera on taking advantage of summer heat:
“When it’s hot, we need to hold the ball. This is important to us. During the summer, if you don’t keep the ball, you’re going to run and drain yourself mentally a little bit more than the opponent. You need to protect the ball in the heat because that’s going to give you the extra energy that you need just to continue running.”
Christian Sorto on momentum after TOTW selection:
“It feels good to get those first two goals at home. My confidence is through the roof right now which hopefully is good for the team. We need to push for the playoffs, so my goal is to help us do that.”
Jahmali Waite on tough remaining schedule:
“To be honest, these matches could end up working in our favor. As you get closer to the playoffs, you want to be playing your best football, and there’s no better way to challenge yourself than playing the best teams in the league. As a team, we have to use these matches to get into a rhythm going into the postseason.”