EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC (3-West, 9-4-4, 31 points) welcome the 2022 league champions to Southwest University Park for a heavily anticipated Copa Tejas rematch, with both teams looking to battle for second place in the Western Conference.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS SAN ANTONIO FC – WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2023 @ 7 P.M. MT – SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK
Stream: ESPN+
Watch: KTSM.com, Estrella TV 9.2
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 mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
ALL-TIME SERIES
El Paso are 3-4-3 against San Antonio in the USL Championship, with a 2-2-1 record at Southwest University Park. Locomotive rallied together to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw in the previous match at Toyota Field.
Locomotive have not won against San Antonio since August 4, 2021 (2-0 at Southwest University Park). A win at home against the reigning champs could be what El Paso needs to get things back on track.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (3RD WESTERN CONFERENCE, 9-4-4, 31 PTS)
Locomotive will be glad to have midfielder Petar Petrovic back for this huge contest. With Petrovic available, Locomotive’s offensive stats increase significantly, most notably a 62.5%-win percentage (vs 44.4% without), 2.1 points per game (vs 1.6 without) and a 1.8 goals for average (vs 1.1 without). His dynamic ability to get around opponents and find teammates could make an impact.
Locomotive also needs to score first to increase its chances of winning. At home, El Paso are a perfect 3-0-0 when opening the scoring as opposed to 1-4-1 when opponents score first.
On the opposite end, goalkeeper Benny Diaz is fresh off his sixth clean sheet of the season, joint-fifth in the league, and has made 49 saves up to this point, joint-sixth in the league. He has made at least three saves in the last five matches, so another shot-stopping performance from him will be crucial against San Antonio’s long-ball offense.
SAN ANTONIO FC (2ND WESTERN CONFERENCE, 8-3-7, 31 PTS)
San Antonio come into Wednesday’s contest in El Paso following a dominant 4-0 display on the road at Memphis FC. They’re 2-1-2 in their last five matches – those wins coming in their last two.
San Antonio have recorded 35 goals so far this season, the most of any team in the USL Championship. They also lead in successful launches of the ball with 81, so Locomotive will need to be ready to press quickly or track back deep when San Antonio manages to get a hold of the ball.
Tani Oluwaseyi will be someone El Paso’s backline needs to lock down. The Nigerian forward has scored nine goals in as many appearances to see himself sit as the league’s joint-second top scorer, recording two hat-tricks in that time (most recently against Memphis). The loanee from MLS’ Minnesota United also leads San Antonio in assists (4) and shots (23).
ADDITIONAL INFO
The full 2023 regular season 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, within the official mobile app, 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 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.