EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today the acquisition of Ukrainian Denys Kostyshyn from FC Oleksandriya, pending league and federation approval.
“We are excited to get Denys into the squad. He is a proven playmaker in the midfield and will help spearhead our attack,” General Manager, Business & Technical Operations Andrew Forrest said. “His technical ability and vision are what caught our attention along with his football pedigree. Kostyshyn’s experience and leadership will be instrumental in all we do in the 2023 season.”
Kostyshyn, 25, was an academy product of FC Dynamo Kyiv before moving to FC Dnipro in 2014, signing his first contract and making his professional debut in 2017. In the 2017/18 season (Dnipro’s first in the third division following FIFA financial sanctions), Kostyshyn became a key player in the squad, tallying seven goals in 31 match appearances.
Kostyshyn’s performances caught the eyes of second division side FC Kolos Kovalivka, who signed him ahead of the 2019 season. With Kolos, Kostyshyn scored four goals in 16 appearances, contributing to the club’s first ever promotion to the top flight of Ukrainian soccer.
In his three seasons with Kolos in the Ukrainian Premier League, he notched eight goals and four assists across 58 matches, as well as a goal and two assists in his four Ukrainian Cup appearances. Additionally, he played in both matches for the club’s 2020/21 Europa League qualifying campaign. He joined Oleksandriya in January 2022, scoring one goal in his two appearances.
El Paso will be announcing more roster additions in the coming weeks as they gear up for their milestone fifth season in the USL Championship.
El Paso Locomotive FC’s roster as it currently stands for the 2023 USL Championship season is below, listed alphabetically by position:
GOALKEEPERS (0):
DEFENDERS (8): Eder Borelli, Ander Egiluz, Artem Kholod, Miles Lyons, Erik McCue, Marc Navarro, Martín Payares, Yuma.
MIDFIELDERS (9): Diego Abarca, Eric Calvillo, Louis “Chapa” Herrera, Nick Hinds, Denys Kostyshyn, Joel Maldonado, Liam Rose, Emmanuel Sonupé, Ricardo Zacarias.
FORWARDS (2): Aaron Gomez, Luis Solignac.