Club News

El Paso Locomotive (12-2-5, 41 points) fell for only the second time this season in a 2-1 loss to San Antonio FC. Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez found the lone Locomotive goal of the night.

Locomotive dominated possession through the first half a slick match finding the first true opportunity towards goal with a long-distance low shot from Midfielder Dylan Mares. While Los Locos controlled the ball, San Antonio FC made the most of its possession, finding the crossbar through a wildfire shot from Cameron Lindley. San Antonio’s offense would find the opening goal of the night with Marcus Epps curving a low shot to the far post in the 32nd minute.

The El Paso side came out into the second half with pressure, as Midfielder Bryam Rebellon and Forward Aaron Gomez both took shots towards goal that forced San Antonio goalkeeper Matt Cardone into massive saves. It didn’t take long into the second half for Velasquez to find an equalizing goal, heading in the cross served by Midfielder Nick Ross in the 54th minute. Both sides fought to find the advantage but neither side could gain the edge. It wasn’t until the dying seconds of the match did San Antonio find a go-ahead goal as Justin Dhillon put away a goal in the 93rd minute to end an impressive 10-game undefeated streak for Locomotive.

UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive gets some inter-division action, traveling to California to play Orange County SC. That match is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. MT kickoff from Championship Soccer Stadium on Friday, September 3, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

SA: Marcus Epps (Jose Gallegos), 32nd minute: On a breakaway attack, Gallegos hit the ball left to a wide-open Epps who had nothing but time and space to settle on the ball. While Mechack Jerome got in the way in an attempt to block the attack, Epps took his shot low with a curve, sliding on the wet pitch into the far corner of the goal.

ELP: Sebastian Velasquez (Nick Ross), 54th minute: In a flurry of corner kick opportunities, Locomotive found its equalizer as Ross served in a ball that found Velasquez within six yards of the goal. Velasquez put in the header that went directly to Matt Cardone who palmed the ball up into the underside of the net for a goal.

SA: Justin Dhillon (Jassar Khmiri), 93rd minute: A long ball from one end of the field to the other found Dhillon near the Locomotive goal. Dhillon dribbled around the Locomotive defense taking a quick shot to the far post where he found the side netting to take the lead.

NOTES:

– Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez scored his second goal of the season in as many weeks having scored the go-ahead goal against RGVFC a week ago.

– Locomotive fell for only the second time this season, ending yet another impressive streak – 10-games undefeated.

– Only twice has a Locomotive game been delayed due to weather conditions. Both times Locomotive has dropped the three points to its opponent.

– After the 2-1 loss for Louisville City FC against Birmingham Legion FC, El Paso Locomotive still holds on to the top spot in the USL Championship with 41 points.

Match: El Paso Locomotive at San Antonio FC
Date: August 28, 2021
Venue: Southwest University Park; El Paso, Texas
Weather: 86F and partly cloudy

Scoring Summary              1          2          F

El Paso Locomotive FC      0          1          1

San Antonio FC                   1          1          2

SA –Marcus Epps (Jose Gallegos), 32’
ELP – Sebastian Velasquez (Nick Ross), 54’
SA – Justin Dhillon (Jasser Khmiri), 93’

Lineups:

El Paso Locomotive FC (4-4-2): Logan Ketterer; Andrew Fox (Matt Bahner, 72’), Yuma, Mechack Jerome, Macca King, Richie Ryan, Nick Ross, Bryam Rebellon (Diego Luna, 65’), Sebastian Velasquez, Lucho Solignac, Dylan Mares (Aaron Gomez, 72’)

Subs not used: Ben Beaury, Eder Borelli, Chapa Herrera, Leandro Carrijo

San Antonio FC (3-4-2-1): Matt Cardone; Kortne Ford, Mitchell Taintor (Sam Gleadle, 66’) (Shandon Hopeau, 80’), Jasser Khmiri, PC (Mohammed Abu, 45’), Chris Lima, Connor Maloney, Cameron Lindley, Jose Gallegos, Nathan (Justin Dhillon, 72’), Marcus Epps

Subs not used: Jose Mercado, Leo Torres, Joaquin Varela

Stats Summary: ELP | SA

Shots: 11 | 15
Shots on Goal: 4 | 8
Saves: 6 | 3
Corner Kicks: 6 | 2
Fouls: 9 | 11
Offside: 2 | 1

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

ELP – Andrew Fox (Caution), 24’
SA – PC (Caution), 41’
SA – Justin Dhillon (Caution), 93’

Another week, another Copa Tejas clash! At this point, El Paso claiming Texas is all but a formality, really. We can be a little honest here, right? This is a safe space. Locomotive has been undeniable in Texas. The club has been dominating everything and I am 100% here for it! So let’s run down the San Antonio meeting!

MATCH DETAILS: USL Championship Regular Season Game #19; at San Antonio FC; 6:30 p.m. MT kickoff;

VENUE/WEATHER: Toyota Field; San Antonio, Texas; 91F degrees and partly cloudy.

WATCH PARTY: Flip’s Neighborhood Bar (1071 Country Club Road)

WATCH: ESPN+

RECORDS/STANDINGS: Locomotive: 12-1-5 (41 points, MTN-1); San Antonio: 6-5-6 (24 points, MTN-6)

PREVIOUS MEETING: At the beginning of the month, El Paso Locomotive welcomed San Antonio FC to Southwest University Park, extending its now-19 home game undefeated streak with a 2-0 clean sheet. Los Locos found the opening goal just shy of 30 minutes with some quick one-two passing between Diego Luna and Dylan Mares to set Luna up with a quick shot to the back of the net. Before the end of the half, Locomotive doubled up its lead through Jose Aguinaga, who headed away the Club’s Milestone 100th goal in all competitions. While San Antonio chased the two goals and Locomotive went down a man after an unfortunate red card to Bryam Rebellon, the defense held fast and kept the shutout to secure the full three points.

Like I said before, claiming Texas is all but a formality now. El Paso Locomotive only needs four points to be crowned with the Copa Tejas. With only seven of 12 games played in the round-robin tournament, El Paso sits on top of the Tejas table with 18 points. Rio Grande Valley is its closest competitor after 11 games played with 11 points while Austin Bold and San Antonio hold up the table with nine and eight points respectively. The only one who has a chance of taking the top spot from Locomotive now is San Antonio, with four games left to be played. Well, it wouldn’t take much to knock them out of the running. If the Boys in Blue from El Paso earn a win against San Antonio FC on Saturday (which…come on…) and Austin Bold pull out a win or a draw against San Antonio on September 7, El Paso would officially claim the Copa Tejas. Should Austin lose to San Antonio though, or El Paso fail to take the three points this weekend (which…come on!), El Paso would be able to claim the Copa Tejas on October 6th with its game against San Antonio at Southwest University Park.

But….come on.

UNDENIABLE.
Definition: Unquestioned as to quality, merit, etc.; indisputably good.

If that doesn’t accurately describe El Paso Locomotive, I’m not sure my lexicon is expansive enough to tell you about El Paso. Look, in the last 32 games, spanning back to August of 2020 including playoffs, El Paso has only lost once. Since playoff penalty shootouts officially count as a draw, Locomotive has only fallen 3-2 to Rio Grande Valley FC. 32 games is an entire season worth of games. That puts Locomotive at the record shown above: 20-1-11. 20 wins. One loss. 11 draws. That kind of record is nearly unheard of in U.S. Soccer. In fact, in a single season, only two teams have come close to having this record with FC Cincinnati pulling a 23-3-8 (34 games) record in 2018 and New York Red Bulls II tallying a 21-3-6 (30 GP) record in 2016.

Of course, this 20-1-11 record Locomotive has spanned over two seasons but you consider factors such as personnel changes and a long off-season break, this record is even more impressive. Simply put, Locomotive is undeniable.  

In the 2021 USL Championship regular season, Locomotive has gone 12-1-5 (41 points) after 18 games. The incredible season for Locomotive paired with the mediocre seasons for the rest of the Mountain Division has created a 12-point gap between El Paso and its closest competitors Rio Grande Valley FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – both of whom are tied for second at 29 points. As teams start approaching the final stretch of 10 games in the season, FiveThirtyEight has given El Paso a greater than 99% chance of making playoffs and a 90% of finishing first in the Mountain Division. With the probability of claiming the Mountain Division that high, El Paso can turn its sights on a great prize: The USL Championship Regular Season Title – affectionally and alternatively known as the Shield. A bragging rights title for having the most points in the USL Championship, El Paso Locomotive is in a three-way fight for the title.

Currently, El Paso holds it at 41 points but Louisville City FC and Phoenix Rising FC are close behind with 40 and 38 points, respectively. Just below them are Tampa Bay Rowdies and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, each at 37 points. The Regular Season title is still up for grabs, but Los Locos are a strong contender to claim it.

Locomotive is out of bye weeks. The club has been playing games every week, using its games in hand to all but firmly claim the Mountain Division. Momentum is on the side of El Paso as the team has found its rhythm and is riding it into victory. Meanwhile, San Antonio has had to – unfortunately – take a forced break for the health and safety of its players. The central Texas club hasn’t played a game since August 8 when it claimed a 2-1 win over Rio Grande Valley FC. There are obviously pros and cons to either side as the forced break for San Antonio FC theoretically means the team is rested, however, has the break knocked the wind out of their sails a bit? On the other side, Locomotive has had a break compared to some of the tight schedule stretches previously, but the club is still playing games. Rotation will still be utilized to give some players a longer rest and the team may be a little fatigued (as if that stopped them before). With games being played though, there is no opportunity for El Paso to slow down, keeping momentum behind them to hold a form of 4-0-1.

Going into Saturday, it’s a case of Momentum vs Rest.

One hour into Saturday night’s Copa Tejas fight against Rio Grande Valley FC, El Paso Locomotive FC trailed by one goal – a capitalization on a counterattack that opened Elvis Amoh up to slip one into the El Paso goal in the 38th minute.

Just after 60 minutes of play, the Boys in Blue from El Paso were kicking it into full gear, leading a charge that set Forward Lucho Solignac up for the equalizing goal. Lucho took that goal in a spectacular fashion that highlighted national attention as Number 4 on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 plays. That goal equalized the scoring and pushed El Paso into finding two others to secure a 3-1 win over the Toros.

“For me, it’s important for the confidence,” shared Lucho after Saturday night’s win. “I always say I like to score goals that matter. Today, it was our first goal which put us in a tie and gave us that confidence to keep going and open the game. I think it also killed their momentum a little bit.”

It truly was a goal of extravagant proportions. It was a goal that featured the togetherness and creativity that emboldens El Paso Locomotive FC. Sebastian Velasquez fought against Carter Manley, pushing the ball down to the end touchline, however, Velasquez found the space he needed to lay the ball off to Aaron Gomez. Now on the ball, Gomez took it back out to the wide area, finding Andrew Fox at the top of the box. All took when the ball reached Fox, was a quick read of what to expect by Lucho and it was over from there.

Fox took one touch to lift the ball towards the goal where the Argentinian striker was already making his run. Leaping to meet the ball, Lucho picked his mark out of the air, with a backheel that Rio Grande Valley’s Colin Miller could do nothing to stop.

The strike sent Southwest University Park into an uproar while stunning the Rio Grande Valley bench and players into silence.  

“I like to do things like that! I do it a lot in training,” continued Lucho. “I think this was the perfect condition to do it. I read the timing of the run and Foxy delivered a great ball. For me, it wasn’t cheeky at all. It was one of the resources; it was what I needed to do. If I hit it with my left – I reach better and faster with my right foot there, so it’s nothing cheeky. I know it looks good but in the end, it was just more of a resource moment.”

Through the 2021 season, Lucho has continued to show his quality in front of goal. The Argentinian leads El Paso in goals scored, having put away his seventh of the year in the 67th minute on Saturday. It’s a level of quality that few strikers in the league possess.

“He can score from a variety of different ways,” stated Head Coach Mark Lowry. “He is such a cultured, elegant player. When the ball comes into his touch, he is so good, his movement is good, he is smart and intelligent. He is a really good forward who has the ability to score those types of goals because of that quality.”

Lucho has the ability to score more goals and with the season just past the halfway point to playoffs, it’s a safe-bet guarantee that he will add to his club-leading tally. He is happy to score for the club, but he would sacrifice scoring goals if it meant having the whole team buy into the season and win games.

“I always choose to win. If I can choose both like today, I’m more than happy,” said Lucho. “I’m happy that everybody is tuned in, and everybody wants to participate. We talk about this all the time, about how people are coming in from the bench and making an impact. It’s so important because that’s something that is going to matter when it comes to the playoffs.”

The USL Championship playoffs are rapidly approaching as El Paso Locomotive continues to push through the latter half of the 2021 season. With everyone buying into the same system, tuned in to the desire to win, and a level of quality that stretches deep into the bench, fans can expect more opportunities for bangers that feel right for the SportsCenter Top 10.

Lucho Solignac and the rest of El Paso Locomotive FC will continue their strive to claim the 2021 USL Championship Regular Season title against San Antonio FC next Saturday, August 28. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT at Toyota Field in San Antonio. The Boys in Blue will return to Southwest University Park on September 11 for a match against Sacramento Republic. Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.eplocomotivefc.com/tickets, through the official El Paso Locomotive FC App, or by calling 915-235-GOAL.

El Paso Locomotive (12-1-5, 41 points) secured the full three points over Rio Grande Valley FC on a 3-1 victory at Southwest University Park on Saturday night. Forward Lucho Solignac extended his club leading goal count, Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez found his first goal since his return to El Paso, and Midfielder Dylan Mares rounded out the scoring in stoppage time.

“We want to win everything. Every game. Every trophy that’s available, even the Copa Tejas,” said Head Coach and Technical Director Mark Lowry. “It’s one that’s really important to the fans more than anything, it’s a pride thing for them. So, it would be great to bring that back home to them, but the job’s not done yet. We’re a team now where whatever we do, we want to win. We wanted the Open Cup this season because we thought we were going to win it. Whatever is on the table where it’s a competition, a tournament, a trophy, we want to go and win it.”

Rio Grande Valley FC controlled the match through most of the opening 30 minutes, finding the best chances as Juan Azocar took a shot in towards goal early that Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer was able to step in front of and deflect. The RGV offensive continued, ending any potential Locomotive attack early, however, the Locos defense stood strong with impressive tackles from Defenders Andrew Fox, Yuma, and Mechack Jerome. Despite the Locos attack coming alive with chances from Forward Aaron Gomez and  Velasquez, it would be RGV that broke the deadlock first with a counter through Elvis Amoh to beat Ketterer in the 38th minute.

It was El Paso that comes out of the gate quickly in the second half, immediately testing the Toros defense as Gomez nearly found the side netting on a tight angle. The action remained in the RGV half up until another break-away run nearly found RGV a second goal, chipping Ketterer only to be cleared on the goal line by Jerome. The Boys in Blue rallied as Lucho backheeled a ball out of the air to equalize in the 67th minute. Velasquez put Locomotive in the lead with a low shot through a defender in the 88th minute before Mares coolly chipped the RGV goalkeeper in second-half stoppage time guarantee the Locomotive win.

UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive continues its crusade to claim Texas for El Paso when it travels to take on San Antonio next Saturday. Kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, August 28 at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. The match will be broadcast live digitally on ESPN+.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

RGV: Elvis Amoh (James Murphy), 38th minute: Murphy sent a long ball forward from the 18-yard line to set Amoh up on a counterattack that got him just on the other side of the Locomotive defense. In a 1-on-1 situation against Logan Ketterer, Amoh was able to keep the shot low and controlled to find the side netting for the first goal of the evening.

ELP: Lucho Solignac (Andrew Fox), 67th minute: Locomotive’s second-half pressure paid off with a run that reached the RGV end line, allowing Sebastian Velasquez to find Aaron Gomez who in turn passed back toward Fox. Fox lifted the ball up to find Lucho who leaped through the air and backheeled the ball to equalize just past the hour.

ELP: Sebastian Velasquez (Leandro Carrijo), 89th minute: Just shy of the end of 90 minutes, Sebastian Velasquez found the ball in the box after picking it up behind Carrijo. Out dribbling his opponent, Velasquez took his shot between the defender’s legs to find the go-ahead Locomotive goal.

ELP: Dylan Mares (Lucho Solignac), 96th minute: Lucho pushed the ball to Mares in space between the RGV backline, giving him time and space to make a run 1-on-1 with the RGV goalkeeper. As the keeper rushed out to stop Mares, he took the opportunity to chip the ball over, floating it into the back of the net.

NOTES:

– After 10 games since losing to Rio Grande Valley FC, El Paso Locomotive comes full circle with the win over the Toros. The win extends their undefeated streak since the loss to 10-games (8-0-2)

– The win at Southwest University Park extends the home undefeated streak to 19-games including playoffs, further pushing the one calendar year undefeated at home.

– Forward Lucho Solignac found his seventh goal of the season to tie up the game, adding to his 2021 club leading goal count.

– Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez recorded his first goal of the season, marking his first since his return to El Paso

– El Paso Locomotive moved back to the top of the USL Championship, three points above Phoenix Rising FC and Louisville City FC in the same amount of games played.

Match: El Paso Locomotive vs Las Vegas Lights FC
Date: August 21, 2021
Venue: Southwest University Park; El Paso, Texas
Weather: 86F and partly cloudy

Scoring Summary              1          2          F

El Paso Locomotive FC      0          3          3

Rio Grande Valley FC         1          0          1

RGV – Elvis Amoh (James Murphy), 38’
ELP – Lucho Solignac (Andrew Fox), 67’
ELP – Sebastian Velasquez ( Leandro Carrijo), 89’
ELP – Dylan Mares (Lucho Solignac), 96’

Lineups:

El Paso Locomotive FC (4-4-2): Logan Ketterer; Andrew Fox, Yuma, Mechack Jerome, Macca King, Richie Ryan, Chapa Herrera (Dylan Mares, 56’), Bryam Rebellon (Nick Ross, 56’), Sebastian Velasquez (Matt Bahner, 92’), Lucho Solignac, Aaron Gomez (Leandro Carrijo, 77’)

Subs not used: Ben Beaury, Eder Borelli, Jose Aguinaga

Rio Grande Valley FC (3-2-3-2): Colin Miller; Adrian Diz Pe, Roberto Alburquerque, Erik Pimentel, Carter Manely (John Sanchez, 93’), Camden Riley, James Murphy, Juan Azocar (Baboucarr Njie, 84’), Rodrigo Lopez (Vicente Sanchez, 93’), Elvis Amoh, Christian Sorto (Ronald Cerritos, 84’)

Subs not used: Edvin Quero, Tyler Deric, Diego Rocha

Stats Summary: ELP | RGV

Shots: 13 | 7
Shots on Goal: 7 | 2
Saves: 1 | 4
Corner Kicks: 9 | 5
Fouls: 12 | 12
Offside: 0 | 0

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

ELP – Bryam Rebellon (Caution), 7’
RGV – James Murphy (Caution), 24’
RGV – Erik Pimentel (Caution), 82’

El Paso Locomotive (11-1-5, 38 points) stole the point on the road from New Mexico United on Saturday night. Defender Matt Bahner netted his first goal of the season to silence the crowd at Isotopes Park.

“It feels good not to lose,” said Head Coach Mark Lowry. “We didn’t win. I’m disappointed that we didn’t win. The first half was not great and in the second half, we were unbelievable. We deserved the point. We hit the post twice. We did everything we could, but we didn’t win so I’m not super ecstatic but it feels like a win with the way it happened.”

Los Locos nearly got off to a dream start, finding the back of the net through Forward Lucho Solignac’s second-minute header that was ultimately flagged offside. From then, United ran away with the ball, testing the Locomotive defense. Defender Yuma came up big to close out United’s Amando Moreno from scoring early in the first half. While Midfielder Dylan Mares was able to get a few quality chances, it would be Moreno that broke the scoreless deadlock with a goal in the 33rd minute.

The second half was night and day from the first as Locomotive dominated the possession and tempo of the game. Tension started building as both teams began to get frustrated by either the lack of possession or the ball bouncing off the post. Tensions peaked in the 77th minute, seeing United earn multiple yellows but saw Midfielder Diego Luna earn a red card leaving Locomotive down a man for the remainder of the match. Not to be counted out, Locomotive battled the remaining 13 minutes plus six in stoppage time, finding the equalizer in the 97th minute courtesy of Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer‘s shot that deflected to Bahner for his first goal of the season.

UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive returns home to Southwest University Park to welcome Rio Grande Valley FC. That match is scheduled for Saturday, August 21 with a 7:30 p.m. MT kickoff. Tickets are available online at https://www.eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

NM: Amando Moreno (Sergio Rivas), 33rd minute: Off a long pass from Rivas, Moreno let the ball roll, taking a twist at the top of the box to get behind it. Moreno pushed the ball forward, taking the shot low, getting it through Logan Ketterer and in for the opening goal of the night.

ELP: Matt Bahner, 97th minute: In the last corner kick of the game, Richie Ryan served in the cross that led to pandemonium in the box. Logan Ketterer took a shot that deflected off a United defender and into the path of Bahner, who slotted home the stoppage-time equalizer to steal a point from Isotopes Park.

NOTES:

– Defender Matt Bahner scored his first goal of the season, putting away a stoppage stunner to equalize the game.

– El Paso Locomotive moves to nine unbeaten since its 3-2 loss to Rio Grande Valley FC.

– Paired with results around the table, Locomotive pulled further ahead at the top of the Mountain Division, now with a 10 point lead over second-place rivals, Switchbacks FC and Rio Grande Valley FC

Match: El Paso Locomotive at New Mexico United
Date: August 14, 2021
Venue: Isotopes Park; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Weather: 81F and mostly sunny

Scoring Summary              1          2          F

El Paso Locomotive FC      0          1          1

New Mexico United             1          0          1

NM – Amando Moreno (Sergio Rivas), 33’
ELP – Matt Bahner, 90’+7

Lineups:

El Paso Locomotive FC (4-4-2): Logan Ketterer; Eder Borelli (Andrew Fox, 60’), Yuma, Mechack Jerome, Macca King (Matt Bahner, 84’), Richie Ryan, Bryam Rebellon (Diego Luna, 60’), Nick Ross (Leandro Carrijo, 84’), Sebastian Velasquez, Lucho Solignac, Dylan Mares (Aaron Gomez, 73’)

Subs not used: Ben Beaury, Chapa Herrera,

New Mexico United (3-4-3): Alex Tambakis; Rashid Tetteh (Micheal Azira, 89’), Austin Yearwood, Justin Schmidt, David Najem (Daniel Bruce, 63’), Josh Suggs, Juan Guzmán, Andrew Tinari, Amando Moreno (Harry Swartz, 68’), Sergio Rivas, Devon Sandoval

Subs not used: Alex Touche, Isidro Martinez, Philipp Beigl, Ilija Ilic

Stats Summary: ELP | NM

Shots: 16 | 8
Shots on Goal: 4 | 3
Saves: 2 | 3
Corner Kicks: 5 | 5
Fouls: 5 | 11
Offside: 2 | 1

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

NM – Amando Moreno (Caution), 64’
NM – Devon Sandoval (Caution), 75’
ELP – Diego Luna (Ejection), 77’
NM – Andrew Tinari (Caution), 77’
NM – Daniel Bruce (Caution), 78’
ELP – Leandro Carrijo (Caution), 79’

Since it’s Meow Wolf night when we play New Mexico United, I figured it was only fitting to turn towards my Magic 8-Ball. I asked it if we were going to win on Saturday and it said, “Most Likely.” I followed it up by asking if United stood a chance and it said, “Outlook Not So Good.” While this story may or may not be true, I like to think my very real 8-ball wasn’t lying.

MATCH DETAILS: USL Championship Regular Season Game #17; at New Mexico United; 7:30 p.m. MT kickoff

VENUE/WEATHER: Southwest University Park; El Paso, Texas; 84F degrees and partly cloudy.

WATCH PARTY: The Union Drafthouse (7470 Cimarron Square, Building 18)

WATCH: ESPN+

RECORDS/STANDINGS: Locomotive: 11-1-4 (37 points, MTN-1); United: 6-6-4 (22 points, MTN-6)

PREVIOUS MEETING: El Paso Locomotive and New Mexico United met at the end of July at Isotopes Park in a chippy game that was par for the course of the Derby del Camino Real. Both sides played aggressively for the opening goal, however, Defenders Mechack Jerome and Yuma were able to put a stop to any United advances, while Forward Lucho Solignac’s and Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez’s attempts on goal went wayward or were saved. United’s Juan Guzman was ejected on a second yellow late in the game, but even with the man advantage, Locomotive couldn’t find the elusive goal, eventually taking the point on the road.

It has been an absolutely wild two weeks.  In the past two weeks, El Paso Locomotive played five games, pulling a record of 4-0-1 while showcasing the incredible talent in the squad put together by Head Coach Mark Lowry. Over the course of those five games,  everything has fallen together to see Locomotive earn four straight, conceding only three while scoring 10 of their own. That kind of domination in the last five games led El Paso Locomotive to overtake Phoenix Rising FC and Louisville City FC at the pinnacle position of the USL Championship. This club has set itself up to be one of the best in the league and can easily contend with the best in the league. With the league having officially rounded the corner into the second half of the season, Locomotive is in a good position to hold onto its position and make a positive run through the USL CHampionship playoffs.

Like I said, in their incredible two-week run that led Los Locos to the Top of the USL Championship, El Paso earned four straight wins over Real Monarchs, Austin Bold FC, and San Antonio FC twice. While Locomotive has come close to that kind of winning streak multiple times previously, it has only ever achieved four straight wins once in 2020. From September 5 to September 19 – another two-week period – Locomotive claimed four straight wins to set the club record. The Boys in Blue have the opportunity to set yet another club record in 2021 by extending their win streak to five.  

Week 16 ended with a momentous announcement by USL Championship and El Paso Locomotive. Head Coach and Technical Director Mark Lowry was recognized as Coach of the Month for July, and, while I might be biased, it is rightfully deserved. July featured six games – three on the road and three at home. Locomotive came away with five wins and a draw in those six games to leave July undefeated to rebound perfectly from the one and only loss in the first half of the 2021 USL Championship season.  That performance from the players on the field and the management of the squad through training and rotations earned Mark Lowry the monthly accolade, which was announced this week. A little lesser known, the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 16 featured two Locomotive players on the bench as Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer and Midfielder Nick Ross had their names added to the shortlist on the bench, creating a star-studded week for Locomotive after the halfway mark of the season.

Permitting the two don’t meet again in the playoffs this year, this will be the last time El Paso Locomotive and New Mexico United clash in the 2021 USL Championship season. Slated to meet four times this year, 2021 has already featured three Derby del Camino Real match-ups. To kick off the Regular Season, Locomotive hosted New Mexico United, salvaging a point in the last 10 or so seconds of play as Forward Leandro Carrijo tapped away an equalizing goal for a 1-1 finish.  The two met again to celebrate America’s Independence Day, in a game that saw United lose a 1-0 lead again as Midfielder Dylan Mares scored two goals in two minutes to claim the full three points on a 2-1 win. Finally, in late July, El Paso traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time since 2019 taking a point away from Isotopes Park behind a scoreless draw that saw New Mexico United go down a man late in the match.  Now the 2021 series is set to come to an end in Albuquerque in a match that sees Locomotive vying to hold on to its league position and New Mexico United fighting to get back on top of the playoff line.