EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that the club’s long-time captain and veteran defender Yuma will return for the 2024 USL Championship season.
“It was important that we keep Yuma in El Paso for 2024,” Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut said. “It goes without saying how important he is to our team, organization and community. Yuma is a fierce competitor, which I see daily in training and our fans see during games. He had a knee injury last year, but he has been working extremely hard to get back stronger and better than ever. He will set the tone for our winning culture here and given the influx of new faces in our team, it’s important to have veteran leadership and that’s what Yuma is.”
The 38-year-old joined ahead of the inaugural 2019 season from Jacksonville Armada FC and has since become Locomotive’s most iconic figure throughout five seasons. The Spaniard has been a high-caliber and vocal leader for the club since its debut in the USL Championship, playing a major role in the club’s on-field success each step along the way, which includes the 2019 and 2020 Western Conference Final finishes and lifting the 2021 Copa Tejas.
Yuma is one of only four players in Locomotive history to log over 100 matches across all competitions (108) and has three assists to his name. He leads the club record books in various defensive stats, including blocks (49), interceptions (129) and clearances (254).
“I’m very excited to continue into my sixth season with Locomotive and to continue representing the city of El Paso, a city that has become my home,” the veteran defender said.
Future roster transactions will be announced as Locomotive prepares for its sixth season in the USL Championship.
El Paso Locomotive FC’s 2024 roster as it currently stands is listed below, alphabetically by position.
Goalkeepers (2): Javier Garcia, Jahmali Waite
Defenders (8): Tony Alfaro, Eder Borelli, Noah Dollenmayer, Nick Hinds, Miles Lyons, Elijah Martin, Lucas Stauffer, Yuma
Midfielders (7): Diego Abarca, Bolu Akinyode, Arun Basuljevic, Eric Calvillo, Luis Moreno, Petar Petrovic, Liam Rose
Forwards (5): Justin Dhillon, Amando Moreno, Tumi Moshobane, Joaquin Rivas, Ricardo Zacarias