EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC (7-West, 1-3-0, 3 points) are back on the road in search of a second consecutive win, this time making their way to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a Friday night matchup against FC Tulsa (5-East, 1-1-2, 5 points). The match will be played at ONEOK Field and kick off at 7 p.m. MT. 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 Palomino Tavern (205 Cincinnati Ave) beginning at 7 p.m. MT! Specials include $4 Cazadores margaritas, $4 tequila, $3 Estrella Jalisco and a free tequila shot for each Locomotive goal.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC @ FC TULSA – FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023 @ 7 P.M. MT – ONEOK FIELD
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
Friday’s matchup will be the sixth overall meeting between both sides. El Paso are currently 3-0-2 against FC Tulsa in all competitions and are undefeated (2-0-0) at ONEOK Field.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (7TH WESTERN CONFERENCE, 1-3-0, 3 PTS)
LEAGUE HONORS – Stellar performances from defender Marc Navarro and goalkeeper Benny Diaz against Louisville saw them land a spot in USL Championship’s Week 3 Team of the Week. Navarro made the league’s Starting XI and Diaz earned a spot on the bench.
100 CLUB – Forward Aaron Gomez, Locomotive’s all-time appearance leader in the regular season and across all competitions, will make his 100th regular season appearance if he steps onto the pitch against Tulsa.
TAKING ON TULSA – El Paso will look to take advantage of Tulsa’s quick turnarounds and short recovery time to gain momentum and pick up points, after Tulsa played matches on Tuesday (0-0 result vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds) and last Saturday (3-0-win vs Loudoun United).
- Former El Paso Locomotive defender Richie Ryan (2019-2022) joined FC Tulsa as an assistant coach in the offseason following his retirement.
A GAME OF FIRSTS – El Paso’s match against Louisville this past Saturday saw several firsts, including:
- First win of the 2023 season
- First ever win against Louisville City FC
- First Locomotive goals for defender Marc Navarro and midfielder Petar Petrovic
- First assist by a goalkeeper in Locomotive history was made by Benny Diaz
LIKE LOOKING IN A MIRROR – Both El Paso and Tulsa picked up their first wins of the campaign this past weekend in impressive fashion, both winning their matches 3-0. Both also had players on their roster make the league’s Team of the Week (El Paso – DF Marc Navarro, Starting XI; GK Benny Diaz, Bench) (Tulsa – MF Blaine Ferri & FW Marcus Epps, Starting XI; FW Milo Yosef, Bench)
OFFENSIVE BATTLE – Both El Paso and Tulsa sit atop of offensive leaderboards so far this season. El Paso currently leads the league in shots (56), consistently creating goal scoring opportunities for themselves. As for Tulsa, they have shown an ability to be clinical in front of goal, currently leading the league in goals scored (6). This game could be decided by whose defensive play can better prevent the other’s offensive attacks.
CLUTCH IN GOAL – Goalkeepers for both El Paso and Tulsa have stepped up big for their teams to start the season. Tulsa’s Michael Nelson leads the leaderboard in total saves (13), while El Paso’s Benny Diaz trails just behind with 10. Additionally, Diaz became the first goalkeeper in Locomotive history – and the 19th in league history – to record an assist in the regular season, thanks to a long ball he sent deep into the Louisville half to set forward Ricardo Zacarias up for El Paso’s second goal of the match.
- Michael Nelson has been listed as questionable for the match following a concussion against Pittsburgh. Austin Wormell, Tulsa’s 2022 Most Valuable Player, could return in goal.
FIVE BY FOUR – Tulsa and El Paso will be the only teams in the league to have played five matches at the conclusion of Week 4.
FC TULSA (5TH EASTERN CONFERENCE, 1-1-2, 5 PTS)
FC Tulsa entered 2023 with a new head coach in Blair Gavin, the second-youngest coach in the league this season. A former assistant for Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew and Phoenix Rising FC in 2018-2020 when Phoenix become one of the strongest teams in league history, Gavin has worked with some of the game’s biggest names including Didier Drogba, Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayan and brings that wealth of experience to an FC Tulsa side that fell short of making the playoffs last season.
FC Tulsa has shown promise that it’ll be a tough team to beat. So far in 2023, Tulsa battled out two draws and failed to hold on to a lead in the final minutes of their match against Birmingham Legion FC, who currently sit atop the Eastern Conference. They did, however, pick up their first win last Saturday, a 3-0 home opener win against Loudoun United FC. Like El Paso, Tulsa will look to build on last weekend’s performances to pick up a consecutive win.
With standout forwards Rodrigo da Costa (Tulsa’s all-time leader in goals and assists across the regular season and playoffs), Marcus Epps and Milo Yosef threatening teams on the attack, El Paso will need to make sure it’s backline is organized well enough to contain and limit goal threats from Tulsa.
LO QUE ESTAN DICIENDO
Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut on the confidence boost the team has gotten ahead of the match against Tulsa.
‘‘We had to fix things to get a win and that type of win at Louisville is a good confidence boost. That’s done; now we got to look at Tulsa. We can’t concede early, and we will get our chances, as this group does. It’s about us progressing on what we showed this past weekend going into Tulsa.’’
Goalkeeper Benny Diaz on Locomotive’s first clean sheet and aspiration to get another against Tulsa.
‘‘Overall, I wanted to win but coming in with the clean sheet is a plus. [Tulsa] will be another tough game. We’ll look to close the spaces and keep a good defensive shape to not concede again. We’re looking for another clean sheet.’’
UP NEXT: 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.
ON THE HORIZON: Saturday, April 8 vs Orange County SC. Kickoff 7:30 p.m. MT @ Southwest University Park, gates open at 6:30 p.m. MT. Purchase tickets here. Locomotive return home after a three-game road trip and will be giving away bucket hats to the first 1,500 fans who enter the stadium!
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.