Another week, another Copa Tejas clash! At this point, El Paso claiming Texas is all but a formality, really. We can be a little honest here, right? This is a safe space. Locomotive has been undeniable in Texas. The club has been dominating everything and I am 100% here for it! So let’s run down the San Antonio meeting!
MATCH DETAILS: USL Championship Regular Season Game #19; at San Antonio FC; 6:30 p.m. MT kickoff;
VENUE/WEATHER: Toyota Field; San Antonio, Texas; 91F degrees and partly cloudy.
WATCH PARTY: Flip’s Neighborhood Bar (1071 Country Club Road)
WATCH: ESPN+
RECORDS/STANDINGS: Locomotive: 12-1-5 (41 points, MTN-1); San Antonio: 6-5-6 (24 points, MTN-6)
PREVIOUS MEETING: At the beginning of the month, El Paso Locomotive welcomed San Antonio FC to Southwest University Park, extending its now-19 home game undefeated streak with a 2-0 clean sheet. Los Locos found the opening goal just shy of 30 minutes with some quick one-two passing between Diego Luna and Dylan Mares to set Luna up with a quick shot to the back of the net. Before the end of the half, Locomotive doubled up its lead through Jose Aguinaga, who headed away the Club’s Milestone 100th goal in all competitions. While San Antonio chased the two goals and Locomotive went down a man after an unfortunate red card to Bryam Rebellon, the defense held fast and kept the shutout to secure the full three points.
Like I said before, claiming Texas is all but a formality now. El Paso Locomotive only needs four points to be crowned with the Copa Tejas. With only seven of 12 games played in the round-robin tournament, El Paso sits on top of the Tejas table with 18 points. Rio Grande Valley is its closest competitor after 11 games played with 11 points while Austin Bold and San Antonio hold up the table with nine and eight points respectively. The only one who has a chance of taking the top spot from Locomotive now is San Antonio, with four games left to be played. Well, it wouldn’t take much to knock them out of the running. If the Boys in Blue from El Paso earn a win against San Antonio FC on Saturday (which…come on…) and Austin Bold pull out a win or a draw against San Antonio on September 7, El Paso would officially claim the Copa Tejas. Should Austin lose to San Antonio though, or El Paso fail to take the three points this weekend (which…come on!), El Paso would be able to claim the Copa Tejas on October 6th with its game against San Antonio at Southwest University Park.
But….come on.
UNDENIABLE.
Definition: Unquestioned as to quality, merit, etc.; indisputably good.
If that doesn’t accurately describe El Paso Locomotive, I’m not sure my lexicon is expansive enough to tell you about El Paso. Look, in the last 32 games, spanning back to August of 2020 including playoffs, El Paso has only lost once. Since playoff penalty shootouts officially count as a draw, Locomotive has only fallen 3-2 to Rio Grande Valley FC. 32 games is an entire season worth of games. That puts Locomotive at the record shown above: 20-1-11. 20 wins. One loss. 11 draws. That kind of record is nearly unheard of in U.S. Soccer. In fact, in a single season, only two teams have come close to having this record with FC Cincinnati pulling a 23-3-8 (34 games) record in 2018 and New York Red Bulls II tallying a 21-3-6 (30 GP) record in 2016.
Of course, this 20-1-11 record Locomotive has spanned over two seasons but you consider factors such as personnel changes and a long off-season break, this record is even more impressive. Simply put, Locomotive is undeniable.
In the 2021 USL Championship regular season, Locomotive has gone 12-1-5 (41 points) after 18 games. The incredible season for Locomotive paired with the mediocre seasons for the rest of the Mountain Division has created a 12-point gap between El Paso and its closest competitors Rio Grande Valley FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – both of whom are tied for second at 29 points. As teams start approaching the final stretch of 10 games in the season, FiveThirtyEight has given El Paso a greater than 99% chance of making playoffs and a 90% of finishing first in the Mountain Division. With the probability of claiming the Mountain Division that high, El Paso can turn its sights on a great prize: The USL Championship Regular Season Title – affectionally and alternatively known as the Shield. A bragging rights title for having the most points in the USL Championship, El Paso Locomotive is in a three-way fight for the title.
Currently, El Paso holds it at 41 points but Louisville City FC and Phoenix Rising FC are close behind with 40 and 38 points, respectively. Just below them are Tampa Bay Rowdies and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, each at 37 points. The Regular Season title is still up for grabs, but Los Locos are a strong contender to claim it.
Locomotive is out of bye weeks. The club has been playing games every week, using its games in hand to all but firmly claim the Mountain Division. Momentum is on the side of El Paso as the team has found its rhythm and is riding it into victory. Meanwhile, San Antonio has had to – unfortunately – take a forced break for the health and safety of its players. The central Texas club hasn’t played a game since August 8 when it claimed a 2-1 win over Rio Grande Valley FC. There are obviously pros and cons to either side as the forced break for San Antonio FC theoretically means the team is rested, however, has the break knocked the wind out of their sails a bit? On the other side, Locomotive has had a break compared to some of the tight schedule stretches previously, but the club is still playing games. Rotation will still be utilized to give some players a longer rest and the team may be a little fatigued (as if that stopped them before). With games being played though, there is no opportunity for El Paso to slow down, keeping momentum behind them to hold a form of 4-0-1.
Going into Saturday, it’s a case of Momentum vs Rest.