EL PASO, Texas (August 29, 2025) – El Paso Locomotive FC head west on I-10 to face Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, August 30 at 8:30 p.m. MT at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC – SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2025 @ 8:30 P.M. MT – PHOENIX RISING FC STADIUM – PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Watch: ESPN+
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.
KEY STORYLINES
In a bigtime matchup in the Western Conference, El Paso Locomotive FC secured a massive 1-0 victory at home over Sacramento Republic FC to move into a tie for second place in the standings.
Gabi Torres ripped home his second goal in league play this season in the 41st minute. Jahmali Waite and the defense were able to see out the match from there as Locomotive notched their fourth shutout in their last five matches across all competitions.
Torres earned a selection to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 25, his seventh Team of the Week honor in 2025 which leads the club this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
F Amando Moreno: With leading goalscorer Andy Cabrera expected to be out with a hamstring injury for a few weeks, attention will turn to Moreno in the Locomotive attack. Moreno has already matched his goal total from last season (6) and has added four assists on top of that. Him and Gabi Torres should see the ball a lot more on the left side of the formation as the schedule heats up down the stretch.
M Gabi Torres: Torres was a maestro in the midfield for Los Locos against Sacramento Republic FC creating numerous scoring opportunities and rocketing home a loose ball in the 41st minute for the match-winning goal. He was also active defensively winning seven duels and five fouls for Locomotive.
G Jahmali Waite: Since arriving back from his time with Jamaica at the Gold Cup this summer, Waite has been a stonewall in goal. He has allowed just two goals over his last five starts including four clean sheets in that span.
OPPONENT INFO: Phoenix Rising FC
Los Locos trail the all-time series with Phoenix Rising FC, 2-5-5. The visitors took home the USL Championship in 2023 but have had four head coaches since then with Pa Modou-Kah now at the helm. The highest profile match between these two clubs came in the 2020 Western Conference Final in Phoenix where 120 minutes wasn’t enough to decide things. The hosts would ultimately win the penalty shootout 4-2 and advance to the USL Championship Final which would not be contested.
Phoenix are currently three points behind El Paso in the Western Conference standings although Los Locos have a match in hand. The second leading goal scorers in the Western Conference are led up top by Hope Avayevu who leads the team in goals (6), assists (8) and chances created (40). They will look to stiffen up defensively, however, as they have allowed the second most goals in USL Championship this season (37).
KEY LOCOMOTIVE STATISTICS
– Gabi Torres set the club single season record against Las Vegas Lights FC with his ninth assist across all competitions.
– Frank Daroma ranks second in the Championship in passing accuracy (min. 250 passes) at 92.45%.
– Los Locos have won the most fouls in the USL Championship this season (364).
RECENT LOCOMOTIVE QUOTES
HC Wilmer Cabrera on recent defensive success:
“We have been looking for balance in the team. Early in the season, we were scoring a lot of goals but also conceding a lot. As the year has gone on, we want to still be aggressive and dangerous in the attack but be more solid defensively as well. Four of the last five matches now, we have kept a clean sheet. That shows that we are still improving and doing so at the right time.”
Cabrera on taking advantage of summer heat:
“When it’s hot, we need to hold the ball. This is important to us. During the summer, if you don’t keep the ball, you’re going to run and drain yourself mentally a little bit more than the opponent. You need to protect the ball in the heat because that’s going to give you the extra energy that you need just to continue running.”
Gabi Torres on team mentality moving forward:
“I believe we are really strong when we play together. We need everybody down the stretch. When we show fight on the field, it’s really difficult to play against us. Now, with ten games left in the regular season, we need to stay humble and show more consistency to get the results we need in a tough Western Conference.”
Beto Avila on finding balance as season progresses:
“I think it’s something that this team has obviously been working on. Throughout the games and experiences together, we’ve overcome little by little by being stronger in the back. The best offense is defense. I think that us having the ability to win close or win by a lot is certainly a good thing for us.”