El Paso Locomotive has become no stranger to firsts in the 2022 USL Championship season. On Wednesday night, for the first time in franchise history El Paso Locomotive earned a point against Rio Grande Valley FC in their home stadium. Just weeks earlier, the Locos claimed its first win in franchise history over Phoenix Rising FC.
Aside from some notable franchise firsts, the 2022 USL Championship season so far has seen El Paso Locomotive take on seven teams for the first time. With the reintroduction of conferences, Locomotive and San Diego Loyal met for the first time earlier in the season. The USL Championship has also introduced more interconference matchups resulting in in Locomotive taking on teams such as Detroit City FC, Hartford Athletic, and Loudoun United FC.
This weekend’s match against Atlanta United II will be El Paso’s eighth new team it will face this season.
There is a level of excitement when taking a new team. New teams offer different styles of play and new challenges, putting the Loco brand of football to the test. So far in first time match-ups Locomotive has answered the tests successfully with three wins, two draws, and two losses this season. With yet another match against a new team, what can Locomotive fans expect from this weekend’s contest in Georgia?
Atlanta United II is a young team. As Head Coach John Hutchinson has pointed out against many other young teams, that poses a dangerous threat. Young players are ruthless, fearless, and hungry to prove themselves. Especially as the team has a direct affiliation with Atlanta United, every player is aiming to break into the first team lineup. While United II hasn’t had the most successful seasons, winning only four in 17 matches, they have shown that can still strike in creative ways and give opposing teams a hard time.
This Atlanta United II side works with a three center back system. They are designed to throw numbers forward when in the attack and pack in deep when on the defense. Their forwards work perfectly in tandem, seeking to break through defensive lines with speed and through balls. With numbers forward, Atlanta United II almost always has options in the final third.
Locomotive will have to deal with the youthful aggression in the same way it has against New York Red Bulls II or Loudoun United. While the Locos will be looking for how Atlanta United II can hurt them and how Locomotive can hurt Atlanta, ultimately, preparing for Atlanta will be no different than any other match.
“We will prepare for every team that we play against but at the end of the day we are more focused on ourselves,” commented Midfielder Eric Calvillo, ahead of the team departing El Paso. “Nobody can beat us if we beat ourselves. So, we’re going to continue focusing on our game, our style of play, and our mindset and everything else will be taken care of.”
It may sound like a broken record as Locomotive approaches its 20th game of the season. Week in and week out Coach Hutchinson and the men in the Locomotive locker room have shared the same message: “We are going to focus on ourselves and play our style of football.”
As El Paso Locomotive steps out onto the pitch to face its eighth new opponent of the season, the players will continue to do what they have been doing over the eight-game unbeaten streak. After all, why change what isn’t broken? The Locomotive brand of soccer has already proved to effective against young and energetic squads.