EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC are on the road for the first time in 2023, set to face Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium in search of at 1 p.m. MT on Saturday, March 25. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.
Fans are invited to join and celebrate at the Official El Paso Locomotive FC Pub Club Watch Party at The Union Draft House Sunland (730 Sunland Park Dr. Ste. A) beginning at 1 p.m. MT! Specials include $4 Ciders and Sours.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC @ LOUISVILLE CITY FC – SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023 @ 1 P.M. MT – LYNN FAMILY STADIUM
Stream: ESPN+
All USL Championship regular season and playoff games will be available to stream on ESPN+ in 2023.
Be sure to follow @eplocomotivefc on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates of the match. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to team content and match notifications.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Louisville lead the all-time series 0-1-0 following 2022’s 0-1 win against El Paso at Southwest University Park.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (12TH WESTERN CONFERENCE, 0-3-0, 0 PTS)
FIRST ROAD TRIP – After a three-game homestand, El Paso Locomotive FC hit the road for the first time this season. Los Locos face off against 2022 Eastern Conference Champions, Louisville City FC. Both officially met for the first-time last year at Southwest University Park, with Louisville taking home the three points in a 0-1 win. Now, Locomotive heads to Lynn Family Stadium for the first time in club history in search of its first points of the 2023 season.
100 CLUB – With an appearance against Louisville, captain and defender Yuma will become the third player in Locomotive history to make 100 official appearances for the club in all competitions. Yuma is set join Aaron Gomez and Richie Ryan in the exclusive club.
LEADING THE OFFENSE – So far in 2023, Denys Kostyshyn has been a standout in the attack for El Paso. He leads the club in shots taken (10) and fouls won (8), consistently pushing Locomotive forward to create scoring chances. He even notched his first goal for Locomotive against Detroit City FC, a powerful header sent into the bottom right corner from inside the top of the 18-yard box.
SEEING THE PITCH – Veteran defender Eder Borelli and midfielder Petar Petrovic saw the pitch for the first time this season on Saturday night in Locomotive’s 1-3 loss to Detroit City. Borelli, who’s been with the club since 2020, came onto the field for defender Nick Hinds in the 52nd minute and Petrovic, who made his official debut for El Paso when he came onto the pitch, replaced midfielder Denys Kostyshyn in the 72nd minute.
LOUISVILLE CITY FC (1ST EASTERN CONFERENCE, 2-0-0, 6 PTS)
Louisville City FC have continued their form from last season and come back to Louisville for their home opener with all six possible points from two games (1-3 win @ Orange County SC, 0-1 win @ Monterey Bay FC).
Since LouCity joined the USL Championship in 2015, the club advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in each of its first eight seasons, plus boasts back-to-back USL Cup Final victories in 2017 and 2018, the first USL team to win consecutive titles. LouCity made two more Cup Final appearances in 2019 and 2022, now under the direction of Head Coach Danny Cruz since he was appointed in 2021.
OWNBY OUT – As mentioned, Louisville’s Brian Ownby is unavailable for the match against El Paso following his suspension against Monterey Bay FC. LouCity tried to appeal the red card but were unsuccessful in their attempt. A key player since joining Louisville in 2017, Louisville will be without one of their most productive offensive threats against El Paso.
RECORD SIGNING – 2022 USL Championship Young Player of the Year Joshua Wynder is on his way to Europe. As initially reported by Transfermarkt’s Manuel Veth, Louisville and Wynder have a transfer agreement in place with Portuguese giants SL Benfica, set to be complete May 2 when Wynder turns 18. With the deal set at $1.5 million (plus add-ons), Wynder will become the most expensive player ever to leave the USL Championship. On that note, Wynder will be unavailable for this match after he was called up for the U.S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team’s training camp in preparation for this summer’s FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup in Indonesia.
EX-LOCO DYLAN MARES – Saturday night will not see former Locomotive midfielder Dylan Mares reunite with some of his old El Paso teammates on the pitch, as he has been listed unavailable for selection. With Locomotive between 2020-2022, Mares established himself as one of the club’s prominent attacking threats, scoring 20 goals and 18 assists in 77 appearances across all competitions. His 18 assists in all competitions are currently the most from a single player in Locomotive history.
LO QUE ESTAN DICIENDO
Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut reflecting on the physical challenge the team faced to open the season.
‘‘We’re optimistic and confident. We were the only team in the country to play three games in one week and we played at a really high level. We did not look fatigued, and I give our boys a lot of credit. It’s not easy to play those three games in a professional setting. Now we actually had some time to go into detail of all our matches and see what we need to improve. We’ve been able to reflect, look at ourselves and identify a few things preparing for Louisville.’’
Forward Luis ‘‘Lucho’’ Solignac on playing Louisville for their home opener.
‘‘Obviously, we’d love to spoil the party. They are a team with few weaknesses, but all teams have a weakness. We need to focus and go there with a mentality to pick up points. To get points in a difficult match like this would send a message to other teams, so with the right mindset, this match could be good for us.’’
UP NEXT: Friday, March 31 at FC Tulsa. Kickoff 7 p.m. MT @ ONEOK Field. Locomotive closes out March with an away trip to FC Tulsa. Fans are invited to join and celebrate at the Official El Paso Locomotive FC Pub Club Watch Party at The Palomino Tavern (205 Cincinnati Ave) beginning at 7 p.m. MT!
ON THE HORIZON: Wednesday, April 5 at Union Omaha. Kickoff 6 p.m. MT @ Morrison Stadium. Los Locos make the trip to Omaha, Nebraska for a second-round matchup in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, looking to get their first-ever victory in the historic tournament.
ADDITIONAL INFO
The full 2023 match schedule can be found HERE. All USL Championship regular season and playoff games will be available to stream on ESPN+ in 2023. All Saturday home games will be simulcast on KTSM.com and Estrella TV 9.2 (Cable 1244).
All tickets for 2023, including Individual Match, Season Tickets and Pick Six Membership are on sale now and are available for purchase online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or within the official mobile app.
Fans who would like to secure full season tickets for the 2023 season can lock in their season ticket membership online by clicking HERE, calling (915) 235-GOAL or texting (915) 666-2005. You can also call (915) 235-GOAL for more information on Group Outings and Premium Suites. El Paso Locomotive FC does offer military discounts, which can be purchased HERE.
To check out the full 2023 promotional schedule, click HERE.
In need of gear to rep your Locomotive and El Paso pride year-round? Visit the official El Paso Locomotive FC Team Shop online HERE, in the team’s official mobile app or visit the physical retail store (1 Ballpark Plaza, El Paso, TX 79901) Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.