EL PASO, Texas (July 17, 2024) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has added midfielders Stiven Rivas and Ricky Ruiz to its 2024 roster, pending league and federation approval.
“We are glad to welcome Ricky and Stiven to El Paso,” Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “Ricky is a versatile player who has experience in several areas on the pitch and I know what he is capable of having coached him at Rio Grande Valley FC. As for Stiven, he is a young, talented and skillful Colombian player with a great attacking mentality and solid, creative technique on the ball. We look forward to integrating them on the pitch for the second half of the season.”
Rivas joins the Locos on loan from Colombian side Real Cartagena whereas Ruiz arrives on transfer from USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC for an undisclosed fee.
Ruiz, 27, makes his return to the USL Championship after spending the first half of 2024 with Chattanooga, his second stint with the club. Between this season and 2020-21, Ruiz made 59 appearances across all competitions for the Red Wolves, scoring six (6) times and assisting 13. Prior to his return to Chattanooga, Ruiz spent the 2022-23 seasons playing under Wilmer Cabrera with RGV FC and was a key figure in the Toros’ run to the 2022 Western Conference Quarterfinal. Starting 56 times in 68 matches across all competitions, Ruiz bagged six (6) goals and eight (8) assists during his tenure in South Texas.
“I’m very excited and I’m happy to be here to help turn things around,” Ruiz said. “Having worked with Wilmer in the past, I’m glad he took me into consideration, so I look forward to playing with him again and I hope to perform to the best of my ability. I’m excited to meet the fans, who always have great energy, and I can’t wait to see them out at the stadium.”
Ruiz got his start in professional soccer in 2019 with Los Angeles Force of the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), helping the California side reach the West Coast Championship and notching a goal and an assist along the way. He is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, where he played between 2014-17. During his time with the Highlanders, Ruiz made 75 appearances, scoring six (6) goals and tallying 12 assists.
Rivas, 23, is Colombian native who spent the last two seasons playing with Real Cartagena in Colombia’s second division, scoring three goals and assisting nine in his 70 appearances across all competitions. Rivas spent time developing his game with the reserve sides of Grêmio (Brazil, 2020-22) and Tigres UANL (Mexico, 2019-20).
“I’m looking forward to this new opportunity and I can’t wait to go out and play for this club and city,” Rivas said. “I’ve heard many good things about this team and organization, so I’m excited to get to meet everyone and fight to finish this season strong.”