Following a Hard Loss on the Road, Los Locos Are excited to be Back in El Paso
It’s full steam ahead towards New Mexico United.
After what felt like an undeserving loss on the road against Sacramento Republic FC to open the season last Saturday, El Paso Locomotive FC has its eyes fully set on the next trial – hosting New Mexico United at Southwest University Park for the ninth time across all competitions.
Kickoff from Southwest University Park is set for 6:00 p.m. MT. Tickets for the 2022 Home Opener are available at www.eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL. The match will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN Deportes and locally on KFOX14.
Despite the result against Sacramento Republic, Head Coach John Hutchinson and the players took a lot of positives away from the first game of 34 in the season. For starters, the goal of Match 1 was to implement the style of soccer that the new head coach has been implementing throughout the preseason. When Coach Hutchinson first introduced himself to El Paso, he promised a fast and furious style of soccer. It would be a brand of soccer that promised to be aggressive and quick.
Needless to say, the players delivered in California.
“We have a lot of work to do but I’ve watched the team grow and develop now and I can’t say I was upset with the performance because I thought we had the majority of the game,” commented Hutchinson. “If we get a little bit of luck in front of goal maybe we walk into halftime with the job done almost. Obviously, that part was disappointing, but you can’t fault the players.”
One area of focus for the Locomotive technical staff over the week for the players was transitioning. A key area that Coach Hutchinson pointed out after Tuesday’s training was the team getting caught in transition – a natural vulnerability when you employ a high-pressing, highly-aggressive style.
Despite the vulnerability of being caught in the transition, Hutchinson doesn’t intend to change the team’s identity in the slightest. Instead, him and the team have been working on the transition from being on the offensive to being on the defensive and will continue to work on it throughout the entirety of the season.
“We can play in the back and defend, slide in, and try to catch teams on the counter,” said Hutchinson post-training on Tuesday. “The boys are fit enough to do that easily, but it’s not who we want to be as a football club and it’s not who I want to be as a coach. We want to be a team that attacks and is aggressive. We want to get three points. We aren’t trying to lose 2-1 or tie it up 2-all and then sit back and relax and be happy.”
With the positive performances regardless of the result in the season opener, the boys of El Paso Locomotive FC are confident and excited as they return to El Paso and Southwest University Park.
Games against New Mexico United have always been fiery and filled with drama from the first whistle to the last. When the two met in their annual preseason ‘friendly’ it was no different. These two teams genuinely do not like each other when they step out onto the pitch.
After 10 Regular Season Games, the two teams share 51 yellow cards and three reds, with no clear leader in the all-time series record. The teams have always been evenly matched, splitting the record 2-2-6 and only a two-goal difference. The record personified itself in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinal when after a 2-2 finish at the end of 120 minutes, El Paso Locomotive edged out New Mexico United of the playoffs in a penalty shootout.
The intensity on the field paired with the intensity of the crowd cheering on the team makes for one of the most – if not the most entertaining matches in the Locomotive season and the team is ready for it. But just like the game against Sacramento Republic a week ago, the Locos are going into Saturday’s Home Opener at Southwest University Park with the intention of focusing on themselves and the brand of soccer they want to play.
“It got a bit spicy in the preseason game [against New Mexico United], so that was probably my first feel for it,” said Midfielder and Locomotive newcomer Emmanuel Sonupe. “It’s definitely a massive game for the club and the fans. It’s also just another game in the season. We have got to make sure we are focused on what we need to do and don’t get too caught up in the derby.”
“We know how big it is for the fans and the club, but for us, we’ve got a focus on us and who we are as a football team,” commented Coach Hutchinson. “If we can cut out those key mistakes and keep concentrating on what we want to produce week in and week out, it doesn’t matter who turns up in our stadium, we are going to be ready to go.”
The team is rearing and ready to go. Despite a few small knocks on the team, Coach Hutchinson isn’t concerned about a personnel issue. With a deep roster of 22 players and 10 Locomotive USL Academy players signed on USL Academy contracts, he is confident that whoever breaks into the Starting XI or the 18-man line up on the day will step on to the pitch fully bought into the style of soccer that he and his team wants to play.
More importantly, though, the team is just eager to be back within the walls of the fortress that has become Southwest University Park – where the team is unbeaten in 23 regular-season games dating back to July 24, 2020. They are also eager to be back in front of the El Paso faithful and the electric atmosphere that only the best fans in the USL Championship can bring.
“I’ve seen videos,” Sonupe said with a smile. “I’ve seen a few things online from last season and I’m excited. It looks like it’s going to be packed out for our Home Opener so I’m excited to get in front of the fans. I’m sure they’ll be behind us.”
“I’m excited for the fans to come out in full force and support the team,” Hutchinson began. “We promised an exciting brand of football and I think we have delivered on that. They know what to expect. We are going to go and try to win this game as much as we tried to win the Sacramento game. Hopefully, we can entertain them. I look forward to seeing the players being happy seeing the fans and the fans seeing the players and being happy. I look forward to that environment. We are blessed to be working in football and in what we do. I want them to enjoy it.”