El Paso Locomotive FC was on display in full force throughout the FIFA international break this past week. Locomotive had four players called up to play in their country’s colors as Forward Christiano Francois joined Haiti, Defender Shavon John-Brown played for Grenada, Midfielder Eric Calvillo appeared for El Salvador, and Midfielder Diego Luna played alongside the United States U-20s.
Francois and the Haiti Men’s National Team played in one international friendly against Guatemala in Florida on Sunday, falling 2-1. Francois earned a spot on the Starting XI playing 65 minutes before being subbed out of the game. In his hour play at DRVPNK stadium, Francois took a couple of good looks toward goal to help keep Haiti in the game though wasn’t able to capitalize against the difficult Guatemalan defense.
John-Brown and Grenada had two international friendlies scheduled, playing against Gibraltar and Andorra. For the first game over the weekend against Gibraltar, John-Brown entered as a substitution in the 64th minute, adding energy for a late-game push in a game that ended in a scoreless draw. John-Brown returned to the Starting XI for the match against Andorra on Monday, playing the full 90 minutes as a 10-man Grenada side fought for an equalizing goal to salvage a result.
Luna and the United States U-20 side continued their preparations for this summer’s CONCACAF U-20 Tournament, which will not only give the team an opportunity to play for some silverware but will also serve as qualification games for the 2023 U-20 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The first match against the Argentina U-20 contingent ended in a 2-2 draw with Luna playing the full 90 minutes in front of Argentinian legends such as Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Leo Paredes. The US U-20s rounded out their March Training Camp with a 5-3 comeback victory against River Plate.
Calvillo spotlighted in the final round of the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualifiers, playing against Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Mexico in their quest to book a ticket to Qatar. Calvillo started against Jamaica, playing for 79 as the team fought for a win that would keep El Salvador’s World Cup dreams alive. As the match against Jamaica came to a 1-1 close, however, El Salvador would be officially eliminated from contention and playing for pride as they end the World Cup qualifiers. Calvillo rested against Costa Rica before coming in as a second-half substitution against Mexico in the final match of the qualifiers.
All four will return to El Paso ahead of the team’s trip to California to take on San Diego Loyal SC for Game 4 of the 2022 USL Championship season and its first game in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Central Valley Fuego FC. El Paso Locomotive will return home to Southwest University Park on April 9 to host USL Championship newcomers Monterrey Bay FC. The match will be highlighted by post-game fireworks. Tickets are available online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL.