Club News

The first goal in Locomotive history belongs to Derek Gebhard, who netted it in front of 8,324 screaming fans in El Paso on March 9th. The electric forward has had a handful of other looks on goal and has made it clear that he will be getting his next one soon. Gebhard signed with El Paso in late August of 2018 and was the second player on the roster behind El Pasoan, Omar Salgado. Gebhard leads goals scored and was the first Estrella of the Match.

Gebhard comes by way of Jacksonville Armada FC where he has been since 2015. In the 2018 season, he registered two goals and started in 11 matches for the club. Gebhard has also held the honors of being named to the NASL Team of the Week twice, NASL Team of the Month and has been awarded Man of the Match three times. 

Before his Jacksonville debut, Derek Gebhard played one season with Jacksonville United FC of the NPSL in the spring of 2015 and played one season with Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. In 2013 he was selected to the U.S Soccer Region III Olympic Development Program and helped lead his team to a 1-0 win over the Costa Rica U17 Men’s National Team and an overall 4-0-0 record in San Jose, Costa Rica.

EL PASO – March 7, 2019 – El Paso Locomotive FC unveiled its alternate brand, ‘Locos’, at a special event for Season Ticket Members on Thursday. The newly introduced ‘Locos’ brand pays homage to the artistic styling often seen on rail cars throughout the country, with an ode to the Locomotive and train motifs surrounding the team. Bold colors and lines accompany the word mark giving fans another way to show their Locomotive pride.

Andrew Forrest General Manager, Business Operations said, “Even before we announced the team name, we knew the ’Locos’ was going to become the unofficial name of the team. We wanted this brand to be an expression of that fun, enthusiastic attitude we think our team and fans exude.” Since the original name announcement, the nickname “Locos” has been used by fans when referencing the team.

Locos merchandise is now available in the Locomotive Southwest University Park Team Shop located on Santa Fe. Fans can get their hands on t-shirts, sweaters and an assortment of items before the historic inaugural home opener this Saturday, March 9th against OKC Energy FC. The Locomotive Team Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Saturday’s historic inaugural home opener against OKC Energy FC is now sold out, but good tickets remain for upcoming matches including the Saturday, March 23rd game vs. regional rival Rio Grande Valley FC and the Saturday, March 30th match against Orange County SC.  Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eplocomotivefc.com/ticket or by calling 915-235-GOAL!

EL PASO – March 7, 2019 – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that Saturday’s historic inaugural home opener presented by Southwest University versus Oklahoma City Energy FC is SOLD OUT! The game will be televised locally on the El Paso-Las Cruces CW as part of a partnership with KVIA ABC7. Kick-off is slated for 7:35 p.m.

“Selling out Southwest University Park is nothing short of amazing, but not at all unexpected,” said General Manager, Business Operations Andrew Forrest. “We knew that when professional soccer was launched in this market that it would be a smashing success and the community has responded beautifully and proven us right. This match will be remembered forever in El Paso history and the people of this city are what made this sell out happen!”

Good tickets remain for upcoming matches on Saturday, March 23rd vs. intrastate rival Rio Grande Valley FC and the Saturday, March 30th match against Orange County SC. The March 30th match will be accompanied by a promotional mini soccer ball giveaway for the first 1,500 fans who enter the stadium.

The CW is available to everyone in the El Paso/Las Cruces region on 7.2 over the air. Viewers can also watch the game on Sprectrum channel 13, Comcast Cable channel 388, Direct TV and Dish Network on channels 8 and 17, respectively, and on AT&T U-verse channel 19. Fans can also catch the action on ESPN+.

Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eplocomotivefc.com/ticket or by calling 915-235-GOAL!

EL PASO – February 21, 2019 – El Paso Locomotive FC signs local talent, midfielder Guillermo “Memo” Diaz. Diaz was born and raised in Gadsden, New Mexico and played his youth soccer career in El Paso. He attended Gadsden High School, and while playing for the Panthers, was named the 2013-14 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Soccer Player of the Year after scoring 73 points off 27 goals and 19 assists.

Diaz attended Yavapai Junior College in Arizona where he was a member of the highly competitive Roughriders soccer team. He was an NSCAA and NJCAA All-Region selection and helped the Roughriders to a top-five national finish.

Diaz then transferred to UNLV for his final two years of eligibility for the 2016 and 2017 season. In the 2016 season, Diaz started in 22 matches and was fifth in scoring for the UNLV Rebels. Diaz also spent time in the National Pro Soccer League with Laredo Heat, where he piqued the interest of the Locomotive coaching staff.

He received an offer to participate in the invitational tryout and was extended an opportunity to train with the team during preseason. Diaz impressed the coaching staff during training and in matches during the preseason schedule. Diaz is now the second trialist to receive an offer in preseason along with English goalkeeper Jermaine Fordah. He is the third local player to make the Locomotive squad, joining forward Omar Salgado and midfielder Louis “Chapa” Herrera.  

“When I got into the office and was offered a contract I felt very thankful to the club and to coach Mark Lowry for giving me this amazing opportunity,” said Diaz. “Getting to play for the professional team in your hometown is every kid’s dream.”

The historic inaugural home opener takes place on Saturday, March 9th against OKC Energy FC! Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eplocomotivefc.com/ticket or by calling 915-235-GOAL!

Not all players on the Locomotive squad lace up their boots to play the beautiful game, one of them plugs in his controller and connects with his team online. Edwin Moreno is now the first official player and the eSports Manager for El Paso Locomotive FC. Moreno and his team will play under the Locomotive name, crest and colors on an online platform through Virtual Pro Gaming (VPG) and compete in 11v11 soccer matches ran through FIFA.

Online gaming, or eSports the more common moniker, is the next frontier in competition, with organizations across the world and across multiple sports jumping on the train. From the NBA to the EPL to MLS, teams have invested in not only dominating in between the lines but in a virtual atmosphere as well. Just like in the physical realm, our e-sport players train, play matches together, and strive to be the best on the pitch every time their studs touch the grass, or when the lights of their gaming console fire up. Edwin Moreno will act as a player/manager, representing El Paso Locomotive FC on the digital pitch. From recruiting players, deciding lineups and setting up practices and matches, his role places Moreno in the middle of every decision to carry the virtual Locomotive to glory. “I have assembled a team that I think can win the Virtual Pro Gaming Tournament and I am so thrilled to have this opportunity that El Paso Locomotive has offered me,” said Moreno upon signing the very first eSports contract in El Paso Locomotive FC history. “The chemistry amongst each other is what is most important to me when picking players. Everyone needs to understand how to play not only their position but understand how to play effectively with one another.”

Not only is El Paso Locomotive coming into the USL Championship season as one of the newest expansion teams, they are now the second USL Championship club that has an eSports component, with Western conference opponent Orange County SC being the first club to field a virtual team. “I am looking forward to the rivalry building up between us and Orange County. Being the two teams in the league things should be interesting,” said Moreno.

Moreno’s team is made up of players from around the country and features a few players from Canada. It works just like it does in the real world, practice makes perfect. Players create a virtual player and their player levels up over countless hours of matches, slowly getting better at their position, getting faster and improving over time. The lines between the digital and physical realm blur with advances in technology and accessibility.

Moreno treats his position as seriously as a professional soccer coach would. He watches film on the other teams they will be playing, holds practices, tryouts and even scouts for players; it is a fully-immersive approach to soccer but on a digital plane. It is as real as it gets. “We watch film on another team and see how they play. We can spot weak points in their defense, see if they are good on set pieces and go over tactics for the match.” It requires a substantial grasp of soccer technical knowledge coupled with a high level of skill on the gaming side.

In 2017, FIFA recorded that an estimated 42 million people played on consoles alone and the numbers have been growing each year. What has also been growing is the number of viewers these matches pull. Last month, Moreno’s team received viewership on average of 5,000 people a match and he plans on growing that audience. “People that watch us play on our streams are really shocked the first time, they don’t realize how realistic it is in terms of the rules and play structure. It is like watching a real match,” said Moreno. Fans will now have the opportunity to cheer on EP Locomotive across multiple planes of existence. Though the way they play is different, soccer remains a universal tool to bring people together and form bonds and connections amongst those who may never have met without it. “All the people on my team I have met through playing online. They were opponents who became teammates and then friends. It’s special,” said Moreno. In case you are wondering, his console of choice is PlayStation and his favorite team is El Paso Locomotive, obviously.

Two nations, two sides of the Rio Grande, two teams, one mission. Yesterday, El Paso Locomotive FC brought 28 players, coaches, and staff across the border. They loaded their bags into the luggage bay of the tour bus, keeping their passports in hand and ventured to El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juarez. Juarez and El Paso share a longstanding history with one another. As different as both sides of the border may be, the common threads that bound us all together are strong. One of those commonalities being the love of futbol, or as we know it, soccer.

El Paso Locomotive FC and FC Juarez competed in a friendly match yesterday at Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez. The match served as a test for both sides, with El Paso Locomotive inching closer to the start of their historic inaugural season on March 9th and the team the Bravos fielded being comprised from a mix of U-23 and a few first team players. From the moments before the match started to the final whistle, a sense of unity and connection hung heavy in the stadium.

High-possession and creativity in their passing led to the first goal of the match for El Paso Locomotive FC. Left-back James Kiffe netted a goal in the 24th minute after receiving a pinpoint pass from midfielder Calvin Rezende, but the one goal advantage didn’t hold for long. The Bravos tied the match in the 37th minute with a shot by Aaron Gomez to bring score level going into half time. The 1-1 tie held for the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half. After a foul on the edge of the box, center midfielder Sebastian Contreras stepped up to take a free kick in the 66th minute. Contreras placed it just over the wall and tucked it neatly underneath the crossbar to put Locomotive up 1. El Paso was able to hold onto the lead through heavy possession and the ability to play the ball out of the back. Contreras stepped up once again in the 80th minute with a cross into the box that resulted in a thundering header from forward Omar Salgado into the back of the net. After the final whistle, the score was El Paso Locomotive FC 3 and FC Juarez 1.

“This game was exactly what we wanted and expected from a Mark Lowry coached team, heavy possession and passing with a purpose,” said General Manager, Business Operations Andrew Forrest. “To see the maturation of the team to reflect Mark’s style is incredible in just a few short weeks.  Mark was not lying when he said we would play entertaining, possession-based football and to see it on full display was encouraging and something fans will not want to miss out on March 9th at Southwest University Park.”

As both teams stepped off the pitch, there was a celebration from both sides for one another. With this win, El Paso Locomotive FC is currently 4-1 in their preseason run and still have three matches left before they kick off their inaugural USL Championship season on March 9th. This Saturday they will face FC Grande (closed to the public), before wrapping up their preseason schedule with two away matches, against San Antonio FC and OKC Energy FC in Tucson, Arizona.