EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC will be searching for a win on Saturday, September 21 as they host the reverse fixture against regional rival Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC with kickoff on ESPN+ and KVIA.com set for 7 p.m. MT.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 @ 7 P.M. MT – SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK
Watch: ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News app
Tickets: eplocomotivefc.com/tickets
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 and Colorado Springs have quite the history as rivals and will look to add another chapter in their series. In fact, no other opponent has played more league matches against El Paso than Colorado Springs, with the two sides set to face off for their 17th league contest on Saturday.
Though the Switchbacks have won three of the last four contests, El Paso greatly dominates the series between both sides, recording seven wins and six draws against Colorado Springs.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
Having improved defensively in the three matches prior, the result against Indy was disappointing to say the least for Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera and during a post-training interview, he made sure to mention how critical it is for the Locos to reestablish the form they had before the loss.
“We were disorganized against a strong offensive team, so we have to correct those mistakes… and find the form we had when we were playing better and be sure not to commit the same mistakes against [Colorado Springs],” Cabrera said.
No doubt defensive structure will be a huge priority for the Locos against an in-form Switchbacks attack. Something that the Locos will look forward to is the potential addition of Arturo “Palermo” Ortiz this weekend, who has finally been declared available for selection. The Mexican international and Liga MX veteran will hope to link alongside other defensive veterans like Wahab Ackwei and Tony Alfaro to strengthen the backline heading into the final stretch.
Additionally, the Locos will hope to find the back of the net once again after scoring last week for the first time in two matches. To aid in the effort, the Locos announced the acquisition of Malik McLemore, a strong and speedy forward who has scored 41 and assisted 23 in 181 matches with teams in the German lower divisions.
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC
Colorado Springs are hitting a late season stride and have catapulted themselves into third in the Western Conference thanks to wins in their last four matches, beating notable contenders like Charleston Battery and Tampa Bay Rowdies along the way. Their magic number is currently set at 9 points and they’ll be hoping to inch closer to a postseason ticket by winning on the road against the Locos.
The Switchbacks offense now doubt has lit up in recent weeks and former Locomotive forward Justin Dhillon was a key contributor in their last two wins, in which he notched two goals and an assist. Dhillon has found positive form with Colorado Springs and upon his return to Southwest University Park, he will be fighting to get his first win at the venue in 2024.