EL PASO, Texas – March 26, 2026 – El Paso Locomotive FC looks to carry its early-season momentum west as it aims to stay unbeaten on Saturday against Sacramento Republic FC at Heart Health Park, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. MT on March 28.
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KEY STORYLINES
FULL STEAM AHEAD
El Paso Locomotive FC continues its road stretch with a Western Conference matchup at Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, March 28. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MT at Heart Health Stadium in Sacramento, Calif. The match can be streamed on Golazo Network and SiriusXM. Locomotive enters the contest unbeaten through its first two league matches and looks to build on that momentum before returning home April 4.
LOOKING BACK
USL Championship
El Paso Locomotive FC opened its 2026 road slate in dominant fashion with a 3–0 victory over Monterey Bay FC, marking the club’s first win in a road opener since March 25, 2023, when Los Locos defeated Louisville City FC by the same scoreline. In that match, three different players found the back of the net for El Paso: Marc Navarro, Ricardo Zacarias, and Petar Petrovic. The performance mirrors the Monterey Bay FC victory, which also featured three separate goal scorers in Alex Méndez, Rubio Rubín, and Amando Moreno.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
El Paso Locomotive FC opened its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Laredo Heat SC on Thursday, March 19, advancing to the Second Round in back-to-back seasons. The club advanced to the second round in 2025 after defeating Harpos FC at home on March 19. Los Locos advanced to the fourth round in 2025 before falling at Austin FC, 3-2.
ALL-TIME VS. SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC
Saturday’s match will mark the 13th meeting between El Paso Locomotive FC and Sacramento Republic FC, and the sixth meeting in Sacramento, Calif. Locomotive leads the all-time series 7-5, including a 6-5 edge in regular-season play, and recent meetings have often been decided by one goal or fewer. However, Locomotive FC is 1-4 in Sacramento, with its only win coming in a 2-1 victory during the club’s inaugural campaign on Sept. 19, 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
El Paso Locomotive FC secured a massive 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic FC on August 23, 2025, in El Paso. With the win, Locomotive snapped Sacramento’s unbeaten streak, which had been intact since June 28 across all competitions that year.
Gabi Torres fired home his second league goal of the season in the 41st minute. Jahmali Waite and the defense saw out the match as Locomotive recorded its fourth shutout in its last five matches across all competitions.
RUBÍN LEADS THE ATTACK
Forward Rubio Rubín continued his strong scoring run, delivering his fourth goal in just three matches for El Paso Locomotive FC against Laredo Heat SC. The 89th-minute strike marked the first time this season he has found the net coming off the bench.
In league play, Rubín leads the team with three goals through the opening two matches. The feat is also tied for first among league leaders. He has recorded five shots, with four on target, accounting for the majority of the club’s early scoring output. All three of his goals have come inside the box, with a 60% conversion rate across 180 minutes of play. Rubín has also contributed one assist, won three fouls, and conceded just one.
ATTACKING DEPTH
El Paso’s offensive success has not relied on a single contributor. Multiple players have found the scoresheet early in the season, including Alex Méndez and Amando Moreno, giving Locomotive one of the more balanced and unpredictable attacks in the league.
BY THE NUMBERS
- record (4 points)
- 5 goals scored
- goals conceded
- +3 goal differential
- 1 clean sheet
Locomotive is averaging 2.5 goals per match in league play, while allowing just 1.0 goal per game.
EARLY ATTACKING OUTPUT
El Paso Locomotive FC has scored five goals through its first two matches of the 2026 USL Championship season. The Locomotive attack has produced 21 total shots with 12 on target, while generating 21 key passes and 20 chances created, highlighting the club’s ability to consistently create opportunities in the final third.
WIPE IT CLEAN
El Paso has conceded just two goals to open the season while recording one clean sheet in league play. Abraham Romero recorded his first clean sheet at Monterey Bay FC on March 14. It marked the club’s first clean sheet since Sebastian Mora-Mora recorded one in a 0–0 draw on the road at Orange County SC on October 4, 2025. Including the match at Monterey Bay FC, Locomotive has registered five clean sheets in road openers since the inaugural 2019 season:
- Real Monarchs SLC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC – 0–0
- Orange County SC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC – 0–0
- Sporting Kansas City II vs. El Paso Locomotive FC – 0–0
- Louisville City FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC – 3–0
- Monterey Bay FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC – 3–0
Following the 3–0 victory at Monterey Bay FC, Locomotive logged its second shutout victory with a 2–0 win at Laredo Heat SC in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play on March 19. Sebastian Mora-Mora picked up his second clean sheet in Open Cup play and the sixth of his career.
BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE-A!
Goalkeeper Sebastian Mora-Mora made six saves against Laredo Heat SC to secure the club’s second clean sheet of the season. It also marks just the third clean sheet in nine Open Cup matches in club history:
- Union Omaha – April 17, 2024 – D, 0 (5)–0 (3)
- Ventura County FC – April 2, 2025 – W, 3–0
- Laredo Heat SC – March 19, 2026 – W, 2–0
Mora-Mora’s six saves are tied for the second-most in Locomotive history in U.S. Open Cup play and make him just the third player to record six or more saves in a single Open Cup match (Jahmali Waite, 7; Ramon Pasquel, 6). His clean sheet is the second of his career in the Open Cup, with his first coming at Ventura County FC on April 2, 2025, in a 3–0 victory.
RACKING UP HONORS
El Paso Locomotive FC continues to earn league recognition early in the 2026 season. A week after forward Rubio Rubín was named USL Championship Player of the Week and earned Team of the Week honors, midfielder Alex Méndez has been selected to the USL Championship Team of the Week. Méndez netted his first goal of the season in the 3–0 win over Monterey Bay FC, finishing with two shots on target while creating three chances in a standout performance.
DEFENSIVE WORK RATE
Defensively, El Paso has recorded 27 tackles, 11 interceptions, and 58 clearances through two regular-season matches. The defensive group has played an important role in regaining possession and allowing the team to transition quickly into an attack.
DEFENSIVE ANCHOR
Defender Noah Dollenmayer continues to anchor the back line for El Paso Locomotive FC, recording a team-high 14 clearances and 12 duels won – nine of which are aerial duels won. His 12 clearances are one of two players in double-digit numbers (Ricky Ruiz has 10) in league play.
GETTING THE CALL
El Paso Locomotive FC will be represented on the international stage during the March FIFA international window, with multiple players receiving national team call-ups:
- Nicolás Cardona – Puerto Rico
- Noah Dollenmayer – Dominican Republic
- Jimmy Farkarlun – Liberia
- Carl Sainte – Haiti
The call-ups highlight Locomotive’s growing international presence and the club’s continued development of players competing at the international level.
HOBAN MAKES HISTORIC DEBUT
Academy product Kenneth Hoban made history for Los Locos in the season opener against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, earning his first professional start at just 16 years old. With the appearance, Hoban became the second player in club history to make his professional debut at age 16. A native of El Paso, Texas, Hoban also became the first player to progress through the club’s youth academy system and make his professional debut with the first team. Hoban joins Luis Moreno, who made his professional debut at age 16 against Miami FC on August 5, 2024.
RECENT LOCOMOTIVE QUOTES
HC Junior Gonzalez on the depth of the team:
“It’s been good to watch the depth of the team. We’re starting to get more players back in training, as we’ve had a few guys out. Different players will have the opportunity to step up, but for the most part, we’ve been rotating well and getting guys minutes. We’re going to progress through this week, see who’s the sharpest, and review our scout on Sacramento. We’ll identify what we need to accomplish and exploit, then start tapering down and building toward a starting lineup later in the week.”
HC Junior Gonzalez on 180 minutes of clean sheet soccer:
“It’s nice to have two quality goalkeepers that you can start at any given point, and they’re going to make saves to impact the game. The defensive side of the game was going to be where we needed to improve, and we just have to continue trying to negate opportunities in front of the goal. To be fair, our box defending is improving. We’re doing a better job with restart defending after the Colorado game, where we got hit twice. We just have to continue focusing on it with intense practices and make sure we’re focused on both sides of the ball. It’s a very attack-minded team, so getting everyone to work in blocks and contribute on both sides of the ball is going to be key.”
HC Junior Gonzalez on Sacramento Republic FC:
“We know that we’re going to have to be sharp. We’re going to have to be ready. The players will be up for it, and we’ll make sure we get the guys in the right positions to perform. Games are games, so the opponent is going to bring things that we’ll have to adjust to. Our job as a staff is to create solutions for the players so they can use them in games.”
F Diego Abitia on takeaways from Laredo heading into the match with Sacramento Republic FC:
“I think the key is to be locked in from the first minute. In the last game, it was very hard for us in the first half. We have to play better than that. We learned that we need to bring higher energy from the start. We have to improve that for Saturday, because in the USL Championship, if you start with low energy, they are going to score on you. We have to be ready.”
F Diego Abitia on the depth of the team:
“I think it’s very important to have a team where players can start or come off the bench and perform the same. The season is very long in the USL, so everyone needs to be ready mentally and physically, because you never know when you’re going to start. You just have to be ready for the opportunity.”
F Rubio Rubín on approaching Sacramento Republic FC:
“They’ve got a good fan base and a good team. They added good players to their squad this year, so it’s going to be a competitive game. We’re unbeaten right now, and we have that mentality that we can play against anybody. Hopefully, we can go to Sacramento, get a win, and come away with three points.”
F Rubio Rubín on what Locomotive FC needs to work on:
“I think we’ve struggled with our starts. Against Laredo, we were the superior team playing in a better league, but we can’t have those kinds of starts. At the USL level, you can get beat within 15 to 20 minutes. We have to start better and not take any team lightly. We need to come out strong from the beginning in every game, and good things will happen.”