El Paso Locomotive takes on the Eastern Conference for the first time in its three-year history, taking on Sporting Kansas City away from home at Children’s Mercy Victory Field.
MATCH DETAILS: USL Championship Regular Season Game #3; at Sporting Kansas City II
VENUE/WEATHER: Children’s Mercy Victory Field; Kansas City, Kansas; 70 degrees with overcast.
WATCH: ESPN+
RECORDS/STANDINGS: Locomotive: 1-0-1 (4 points, MTN-4); Sporting KC II: 0-3-2 (2 points, CTL-7)
PREVIOUS MEETING: Locomotive and Sporting Kansas City have yet to face each other since the El Paso side started play in 2019. Separated by the conference divide, the two will finally have the opportunity to face one another as the 2021 USL Championship season features a multitude of East vs West games.
THE START OF THE ROAD CAMPAIGN
To kickoff the USL Championship, El Paso Locomotive played two games at home earning a 1-1 draw against New Mexico United before downing Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on a 1-0 scoreline. Now for the first time in the new season, Locomotive hits the road traveling away from Southwest University Park for back-to-back games. Los Locos will face Sporting Kansas City II at Children’s Mercy Victory Field on Sunday before stopping in Austin, Texas to play Austin Bold FC for the first time since 2019.
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Since its inception in 2019, Locomotive has never faced an Eastern Conference opponent. For the first time, Locomotive will travel the cross-conference and into unfamiliar territory when it visits Children’s Mercy Victory Field on Sunday.
NUMBER 2 IN THE POWER RANKINGS
After its start to the USL Championship season with a late stoppage-time goal to salvage the point against New Mexico United and the club-record 18-second goal by Lucho against the Toros, El Paso now sits nicely in second place on the USL Championship power rankings. In the last week, Locomotive moved up one spot, overtaking Phoenix Rising FC for the second spot, sitting just below Tampa Bay Rowdies who currently sit on a four-game win streak.
SKC’S FIVE-GAME ROUGH PATCH
Sporting Kansas City II has had a less than ideal start to its 2021 USL Championship season, earning only two points after five games with a record of 0-3-2. Sporting kicked off its season on a 2-0 loss to FC Tulsa before earning a 1-1 draw in its home opener against OKC the next week. Switchbacks FC gave SKC a 4-0 drumming at home before the Kansas City team earned a 1-1 draw and a 2-0 loss against LA Galaxy II and Indy Eleven respectively.
UNDEFEATED IN TWO
Of the 31 teams in the USL Championship, only five are left undefeated in a mixed number of games played. El Paso Locomotive stands as one of those five teams after two games with a record of 1-0-1. As one of the last teams to be left without a mark in the loss column, Locomotive will be looking to pick up the three points on Saturday, keeping its 2021 undefeated streak intact. Locomotive is joined by Tacoma Defiance (2-0-1), Louisville City FC (2-0-1), Hartford Athletic (2-0-1), and Tampa Bay Rowdies (4-0-0).