EL PASO, TEXAS – July 24, 2026 – El Paso Locomotive FC returns to Southwest University Park this Saturday to host Sporting JAX in USL Championship action. Locomotive enters the contest looking to climb back into playoff contention, while Sporting JAX is seeking its second win of the season after earning its first with a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on July 15.
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.
FULL STEAM AHEAD
El Paso Locomotive FC is back at Southwest University Park on Saturday, July 25, to host Sporting JAX. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
BY THE NUMBERS (USL Championship)
Record: 5-6-4
Goals: 25 scored, 25 conceded (+0 GD)
Shots: 169 total, 60 on target (35.5%)
Clean Sheets: 2
Fouls: 212 drawn, 215 committed
Discipline: 34 yellow cards, 5 red cards
LAST TIME OUT
USL Championship
El Paso Locomotive FC fell 1-0 to FC Tulsa in its last USL Championship match. Lamar Batista scored the game’s lone goal for Tulsa in first-half stoppage time.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS SPORTING JAX
This will be the first-ever meeting between El Paso Locomotive FC and Sporting JAX, with Sporting JAX competing in its inaugural USL Championship season.
FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
El Paso holds a 9-9-4 record when facing an opponent for the first time. The club’s largest victory in a first-ever meeting came on April 9, 2022, when Locomotive defeated Monterey Bay FC 5-0 behind goals from Andrew Fox, Aaron Gómez (2), Diego Luna, and Dylan Mares.
STOPPAGE TIME STRUGGLES
Locomotive has conceded a stoppage-time goal in each of its last three regular season matches, with two coming at the end of the first half. Most recently, FC Tulsa’s lone goal came in the 45+1′ minute. Las Vegas also scored its only goal in first-half stoppage time (45+6′), while Monterey Bay netted the game-winner in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
LOCO OFFENSE
Rubio Rubín continues to lead El Paso in both goals (8) and assists (4), while several teammates have also made significant offensive contributions. Alex Méndez has totaled five goals and three assists this season, and Amando Moreno is tied for second on the team, also with five goals.
RELEVANT QUOTES
Head Coach Junior Gonzalez on Abraham Romero’s recent performances:
“Abraham has been good. I thought he did a really good job against Las Vegas to help us get the result…He’s confident. He’s doing a good job of leading the group. We talked a little bit about the goalkeeper’s role in managing the game. Our veteran center backs managing the game, and some of our veteran players.
The guys are still working hard. You guys saw the session today; it’s intense. They’re working on different ways we want to press, and we’ll have more tools to execute on the weekend.”
Head Coach Junior Gonzalez on what the feeling is moving forward and being below the playoff line:
“Just like anything, you wake up every morning thinking about what can I accomplish today to be successful. You’re not thinking about the last two weeks or the prior days.
The way we focus on our training is that each day matters and how can we execute on the weekend. Those three points are now gone and lost. How can we get the three points this weekend and continue pushing forward into some important Western Conference games? We have a good chunk of games with teams that are higher than us that we can pick off points.”
Midfielder Robert Coronado on building back confidence:
“Definitely. We started off very strong. We went through a little bit of setbacks. The red cards, the losses, but it’s a long season. It’s part of the journey, and I feel like we’re getting over that hump now. So, what better way than to come back at home on Saturday and set the standard for the second part of the season.”
Midfielder Robert Coronado on Saturday’s match against Sporting JAX:
“I feel confident for sure. Especially today, first day back at training. Training was very intense. Guys were confident on the ball, and off the ball as well. We’re working on both sides of the ball and what better way than to show it on Saturday and prove to everyone who we really are. Like we were at the beginning of the season.”