This weekend El Paso Locomotive makes the long journey to the east to take on Loudoun United FC. It will be the first time the two sides clash in the USL Championship and both sides are eager to find points on the table.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ starting at 4:00 p.m. MT. El Paso Locomotive will be hosting its watch part at Cabo Joe’s located at 7942 Gateway Blvd E.
It will be a long trip to cover the 1,934 miles from El Paso, Texas to Leesburg, Virginia – a distance that will provide its own set of challenges for the team. It will be the longest trip El Paso Locomotive will make in its 2022 regular season.
“Living and playing in Australia, it’s a big country as well,” said Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson. “We got some big flights and I’m kind of used to it. It’s good for the players though. All these challenges that we have to face are really good. It brings us together and we get to spend some more time together. I don’t know if they like spending time with me, but I like spending time with them.”
Aside from the long distance, the trip to Leesburg offers additional challenges. Loudoun United FC is a young, bold, and fearless team that can be an unpredictable opponent. As the USL Championship affiliate for Major League Soccer’s DC United, Loudoun features talented players aiming to break into the MLS ranks. Despite the Virginia team holding up the league from the cellars for the last two years running, El Paso Locomotive is not taking their trip to Virginia as an easy three points.
Loudoun United started their season strong, claiming two wins over Indy Eleven and New York Red Bulls II and a draw against The Miami FC. Since the draw, however, Loudoun has begun a freefall to the lower ranks with four straight losses.
“They’re dangerous. They have some dangerous players,” said Hutchinson. “They have some young footballers that are hungry and exciting. If we go and expect it’s going to be our game, then we’re going to be in for a shock because they have pushed some of the best teams this year in the USL. They’ve picked up some points and they probably should have picked up a few more points. They play some good football. They’re young and brave. Some of them are going to do the unexpected which is difficult, but I’d expect my team to go there and dominate. Complete control of the game from start to finish and that’s how we want to do.”
“From what I’ve seen they look decent, and they look like they try to play,” commented Midfielder Dylan Mares. “I think the last few games they’ve tied and lost a couple, so I think they’re in a situation where they are wanting to get a win out as well, so I expect it to be a challenging game. I’m sure they play on turf so it’s going to be a different environment to play in. We got to focus on ourselves and go into this game with the right mentality.”
With a team as unpredictable as Loudoun United FC, Coach Hutchinson mentioned on Tuesday after training that the game plan will be the same as it is going into every game: Focus on ourselves. Throughout training this week leading into the 90 minutes on Saturday, Locomotive has been focusing on the things they can control.
Following the match against Oakland Roots SC and San Antonio FC, both players and technical staff have been delighted in the defensive showings. However, the full squad felt the offensive front was lacking. Despite holding possession and creating the majority of chances, El Paso’s bite in front of goal was left wanting as the team was left scoreless in San Antonio and walked away with a single goal against Oakland. It has been a stark contrast to the earlier games of the season that has launched El Paso to be one of the top goal-scoring teams in the league in 2022.
With the defensive line figured out, the team has shifted focus in training to how it can combine the aggressive offense from early in the season with the defensive showings in the most recent games.
“I think we just need to continue coming every day, showing up, and working. 100% every day,” said Mares. “Finishing is something we need to concentrate on and something that we are fixing. Getting better at the things that were causing problems in the beginning. Coming together collectively as a group and just continue to work on those things day in and day out. We’re going to keep progressing in those areas. I think we just need to concentrate and focus on finishing the ball and putting it in the back of the net because at the end of the day that’s going to help us win the games. Defensively we have improved, and we are getting more solid every game that goes on. So, it’s just continuing to push.”