After two long years, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has made its triumphant return and El Paso Locomotive FC is stepping up to compete.
As teams of the United Soccer League enter the second round, El Paso Locomotive drew USL League One’s Central Valley Fuego FC away from home. Kickoff from Fresno, California is set for 8:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
It’s only been one day since El Paso Locomotive played in USL Championship league competition, taking on San Diego Loyal SC. With El Paso Locomotive playing again on a shorter-than-usual turnaround, El Paso may look deeper on its roster and provide rotation to the squad, especially with another game against Monterey Bay around the corner.
Despite the packed schedule, the extra competition is welcomed in the Locomotive locker room.
“It’s another game of football that is important to win,” said Midfielder Richie Ryan. “It’s a chance for us to go through to the next round.We all want to try to get as far as we can and to get the chance to play against a team in Major League Soccer and show what we can do against the next level.”
It is a unique opportunity that only the U.S. Open Cup can offer. The opening rounds of the largest national tournament in the United States are filled with amateur and semi-pro teams ranging from Men’s League teams to National Independent Soccer League clubs. In the second round, the USL enters the competition with USL League One and USL Championship taking on those lower division teams and each other. Those that advance from the second round move to the third round where clubs from Major League Soccer enter.
This is a competition that gives teams from the USL Championship, USL League One, and beyond an opportunity to test their mettle against the top division in U.S. Soccer in meaningful competition.
With an opportunity like this, Locomotive won’t be pulling any punches against Central Valley Fuego FC.
“We would love to go on an Open Cup run,” commented Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson. “We’re not making changes for the sake of making changes, we’re going to put out the best possible team. Now if players are sore or we don’t think they can go, then obviously we are going to rest them, but we will put out the best team we can.”
With his first appearance in the U.S. Open Cup, Hutchinson is aiming to put a stamp on its history. Hutchinson is not viewing the Open Cup as a nuisance, but instead as another competition to win and an opportunity to try and bring a trophy back to El Paso. However, with the tight schedule, the Locomotive locker room is fully aware that it’s going not going to be an easy game to play.
“It isn’t ideal for any footballer to play 48 hours after your first game,” chucked Ryan. “It’s difficult. There isn’t much time to recover and get ready, but it is what it is. We’re going to have to focus, dust ourselves off, and go again to try and get through to the next round.”
Tuesday night’s game against Central Valley Fuego FC is win-or-go-home and will take a full team effort to come away with a ticket punched to the next round. Should the two teams be level at the of 90 minutes, they will play another 30 minutes split into two 15-minute halves. Should the game still be level after extra time, a winner will be decided in a penalty shootout.
Central Valley Fuego FC won’t be any pushover either. The club is new to USL League One, having only played one competitive game before its Open Cup debut. Over the weekend, Fuego traveled to play 2021 USL League One Title runner up Greenville Triumph, claiming a 2-0 win in its inaugural game.
Despite their first game success, however, it will be an uphill battle for Fuego FC against El Paso Locomotive FC. Locomotive FC has yet to put points on the Championship table, but it has completely dominated possession, passing, and shots over its first four games with each game getting better than the last. It’s only a matter of time for Hutchinson’s plan to begin clicking, and a win against Fuego FC could be the confidence booster the Locomotive squad needs to begin claiming wins in league play.
With El Paso Locomotive FC desperate to get back to its winning ways and Central Valley Fuego FC eager to make an impactful mark in its early history, there is a lot riding on the line for both clubs in their first match of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.