Last night, on the road in Las Vegas, El Paso Locomotive FC Defender Matt Bahner reached 150 USL Championship regular season appearances. Over the course of his USL Championship career, Matt has played with four different clubs and raised the prestigious USL Championship Regular Season title.
“It feels great,” said Matt about reaching the career milestone. “I’ve been very fortunate to play for some great clubs. It’s been an opportunity to stay healthy and get that many games in. I had coaches that believed in me and gave me the chance to play at my highest level. It’s a great achievement.”
Matt started his USL Championship career in 2013, signing with the Harrisburg City Islanders directly out of college. Over two seasons with the Islanders, Matt made the most of his appearances, recording 51. Matt spent two seasons out of the Championship, playing with Jacksonville Armada in the NASAL before the Ohio native returned home to Cincinnati, joining FC Cincinnati at the USL Championship level. In two seasons with the ‘Orange and Blue’, Matt played in front of his family and friends in 36 appearances, helping raise Cincinnati to success by capturing the USL Championship Regular Season Title in 2018 alongside Locomotive Goalkeeper Evan Newton.
HIs 2019 season was spent playing with Saint Louis FC for 27 matches before he found his way to El Paso where he was reunited with Richie Ryan from his days in Jacksonville and eventually Evan Newton. So far in Locos blue, Matt has rounded out his 150 appearances, with 36 matches since joining the squad in the condensed 2020 season.
“Obviously coming in during the COVID year was weird for everybody,” commented Matt about his time with El Paso. “But it’s been good getting back in and reconnecting with a few players from the past like Richie Ryan. It’s such a great group of guys here even though there are a lot of different cultures and languages being spoken. A lot of good guys and good teammates that I have been fortunate enough to get to know and become friends with hopefully for the long term, even when I hang it up.”
Reaching 150 appearances was something Matt admitted to never having on his dream board, but growing up he wanted nothing more than to be a professional footballer. Since the age of five, Matt was dedicated to the sport. With the support of his family and friends, Matt put in hard work and dedication, seeking to improve while staying open minded to different possibilities. There were moments, especially in college, where Matt wasn’t sure his dream of breaking into the professional ranks was going to happen, especially after being sidelined in the 2011 season due to injury. However, Matt was fortunate enough to find opportunity and seize it.
His hard work and dedication led him down some memorable moments that he will not soon forget. With El Paso, Matt solidified himself in Locomotive history with the iconic regular season stoppage time goal to steaal point in New Mexico. His knock-it-out-of-the-park celebration to silence the fans in Isotopes Park still lives on in the hearts of the Locomotive faithful.
For Matt though, his most prized memories of his 150 USL Championship Regular Season appearances come from his time back home.
“I would say to be able to call my parents and tell them I was coming home to play in Cincinnati was a special moment for myself,” said Bahner with a reminiscent smile. “A little bit of tears were shed in that moment. Being back in Cincinnati we had our Open Cup run, playing in front of a crowd of 30,000 plus in front of my friends and family at the University I went to school at. There was a lot of nostalgia there. Then the following year I got to lift the trophy as the regular season champs. To be able to do that with my parents in the stands where they could take photos and to be able to walk around the stadium and see familiar faces; I would say those are two of my fondest memories for sure.”
For the better part of the last decade, Matt Bahner has had the unique opportunity of living out his dream as a professional footballer. It’s a life that he credits to his supportive family – his parents and his brother – as well as his wife.
“For her to be so accepting of moving every year or every two years, and the constant little bit of uncertainty of what comes next,” started Matt. “Her acceptingness and willingness to allow me to live my dream is something I’ll never be able to really repay. I thank her for that.”