News

El Paso Locomotive FC Announce 2026 Promotional Schedule

EL PASO, Texas (February 2, 2026) – El Paso Locomotive FC has announced 17 theme nights for home matches at Southwest University Park during the 2026 season presented by Speaking Rock Casino, including the return of several fan favorites and the introduction of new themes and activations.

All home matches will kick off at 7 p.m. MT at Southwest University Park. Certain theme nights along with giveaways and activations will be announced at a later date.

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. To join the active single match ticket waiting list, click here. Single match tickets will go on sale on Friday, February 6 at 10 a.m.

For the best prices and priority seating for every Locomotive home match in 2026, become a Season Ticket Member today. Season Ticket Memberships for the 2026 season are available now and can be secured online at eplocomotivefc.com/seasontickets or calling (915) 235-GOAL.

2026 EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC THEME NIGHT SCHEDULE

DATE	OPPONENT	THEME NIGHT	GIVEAWAY/ TICKET ADD-ON	FIREWORKS
Saturday, March 7	COS Switchbacks FC	Celebration of Soccer presented by Southwest University		Yes
Saturday, April 4	Las Vegas Lights FC	Kid’s Night	Ozzy Blanket
Saturday, April 18	San Antonio FC		Trucker Hat
Wednesday, April 29	FC Tulsa	Harry Potter Night	Towel, House Hat (Add-on)
Wednesday, May 27	AV Alta FC		Canvas Tote Bag
Saturday, May 30	Lexington SC			Yes
Saturday, June 13	Phoenix Rising FC	Para Todos Night	Fan-designed Jersey
Saturday, July 11	New Mexico United	USA Night	Bobblehead, USA/Mexico Hat (Add-on)
Saturday, July 25	SC Jacksonville			Yes
Wednesday, August 5	Monterey Bay FC	Pups at the Pitch	Football Jersey/Dog Bandana
Saturday, August 8	Oakland Roots SC	Women Supporting Women	Belt Bag
Wednesday, August 26	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	First Responders Night
Saturday, August 29	Loudoun United FC			Yes
Friday, September 25	FC Tulsa	Noche de Locos	Jersey
Saturday, October 10	Orange County SC	Kickin’ Cancer Night presented by Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso	Drawing Hat
Saturday, October 17	Sacramento Republic FC
Saturday, October 24	New Mexico United	Fan Appreciation Night presented by Estrella Jalisco		Yes

El Paso Locomotive FC Single Match Tickets for 2026 Available on Friday, February 6

EL PASO, Texas (January 30, 2026) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that single match tickets for the 2026 season presented by Speaking Rock Casino will be available for purchase to the general public on Friday, February 6 at 10 a.m. To purchase single match tickets, click here.

Below is the schedule for single match tickets going on sale:

Date	Day of Week	Time	Description
LIVE NOW			Single Match Ticket Waitlist
2/3/2026	Tuesday	10 a.m.	Full Season Members
2/3/2026	Tuesday	2 p.m.	Corporate Partners
2/4/2026	Wednesday	10 a.m.	Mini Plan Season Members
2/5/2026	Thursday	10 a.m.	Group Leaders
2/5/2026	Thursday	2 p.m.	Single Match Ticket Waitlist Submissions
2/6/2026	Friday	10 a.m.	Single Match Tickets on Sale to General Public

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. To join the active single match ticket waiting list, click here.

El Paso Locomotive FC to Face Laredo Heat SC on March 19 in 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round

EL PASO, Texas (January 27, 2026) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it will kick off its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign in South Texas against Laredo Heat SC on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. The match will take place at PEG Energy Stadium and can be streamed on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube channel.

El Paso Locomotive FC is slated to enter in the 32-match First Round array of exclusively amateur vs. pro matchups. Under the direction of Head Coach Junior Gonzalez, the Locos will prepare for their sixth Open Cup appearance looking to match their success last year where they won their first three matches in the tournament and reached the Round of 32 where they fell at the hands of Austin FC.

Laredo Heat SC, Locomotive’s First Round opponent, competes in USL League Two in the Lone Star Division, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Heat prepare for their first Open Cup appearance since 2019 which saw them win their First Round contest against Brazos Valley Cavalry FC before falling to San Antonio FC in the second round.

To check out the full First Round schedule for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, click here.

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Overview

The 2026 U.S. Open Cup format will feature seven rounds – one fewer than recent editions – to avoid overlap with the FIFA Men’s World Cup™ calendar. This will be the 111^th edition of this historic tournament. For the 2026 First Round, teams were paired on a geographic basis with the restriction that each professional team was matched with a team from the Open Division. Hosts were determined by random selection when each team applied to host with a venue that met the competition standard. Random selection was also used in cases where there was no logical geographic fit or there were more than two teams from the same proximity.

The 32 winners from the First Round will face off in a Second-Round matchup on March 31 or April 1. Each of the 16 teams that advance from the Second Round will face one of the 16 Division I professional teams from Major League Soccer who enter in the Round of 32 on April 14 or 15. Eight of the MLS teams will be seeded as home, and eight will be seeded as away ahead of this draw based on the qualifying criteria.

The final 32 teams will play down to a field of four semifinalists in May before the competition breaks until the semifinals on September 15 or 16. The Final match is slated for Wednesday, October 21.

The complete starting field of 80 teams for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is competing for a $1 million purse, with a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup also up for grabs.

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

First Round: Tuesday, March 17 – Thursday, March 19
Second Round: Tuesday, March 31 – Wednesday, April 1
Round of 32: Tuesday, April 14 – Wednesday, April 15
Round of 16: Tuesday, April 28 – Wednesday, April 29
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 19 – Wednesday, May 20
Semifinals: Tuesday, Sept. 15 – Wednesday, Sept. 16
Final: Wednesday, October 21

About the U.S. Soccer Federation

Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the official governing body of the sport in the United States. Our vision is clear; we exist in service to soccer. Our ambition, working across the soccer ecosystem, is to ignite a national passion for the game. We believe soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good. We are focused in three areas: Soccer Everywhere, ensuring everyone, everywhere experiences the joy of soccer; Soccer Success, our 27 National Teams and pro leagues winning on the world stage; and Soccer Investment, maximizing and diversifying investments to sustainably grow the game at all levels. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision.

About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.[DA1] In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. The 2026 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. Nashville SC of MLS is the defending U.S. Open Cup Champion. The 110th edition of the tournament concluded on October 1, 2025, with NSC defeating Austin FC to claim the Tennessee club’s first piece of major silverware.

The official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.

El Paso Locomotive FC Announce 2026 Preseason Schedule

EL PASO, Texas (January 16, 2026) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today its 2026 preseason schedule in preparation for the 2026 USL Championship season, which kicks off Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. MT at Southwest University Park against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

Throughout the month-long preseason, El Paso Locomotive FC will play seven matches. Locomotive will open its preseason with an intrasquad scrimmage and matches against Barca Residency Academy and FC Juárez. The Locos will then head to the West Coast for a trio of matches against Orange County SC, Ventura County FC and LAFC II before wrapping up the preseason back in El Paso against New Mexico United.

The full preseason schedule is listed below:

2026 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

DATE	LOCATION	OPPONENT
Saturday, January 24	El Paso, Texas	Intrasquad Scrimmage
Saturday, January 31	El Paso, Texas	Barca Residency Academy
Wednesday, February 4	El Paso, Texas	FC Juárez
Wednesday, February 11	Irvine, California	Orange County SC
Saturday, February 14	Carson, California	Ventura County FC
Saturday, February 21	Los Angeles, California	LAFC II
Saturday, February 28	El Paso, Texas	New Mexico United

Games and dates are subject to change. All preseason games will be closed to the public with more information about the preseason finale against New Mexico United to come at a later date.

ADDITIONAL INFO

To be one of the first to know about single game ticket sales for 2026, join the waiting list here.

For the best prices and priority seating for every Locomotive home match in 2026, become a Season Ticket Member today. Season Ticket Memberships for the 2026 Season are available now and can be secured online at eplocomotivefc.com/seasontickets or calling (915) 235-GOAL.

El Paso Locomotive FC Announce Kickoff Times for 2026

EL PASO, Texas (January 15, 2026) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today kickoff times for the 2026 USL Championship season as well as the renovated Prinx Tires USL Cup. All 2026 home matches will kick off at 7 p.m. MT at Southwest University Park.

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at 7 p.m. MT. To be one of the first to know about single game ticket sales, join the waiting list here.

The 2026 regular season will see Locomotive play its conference opponents in a home-and-home series for 22 games with two additional Western Conference matches and six matches against Eastern Conference opponents – three home, three away – to make up the 30-game regular season schedule. The Prinx Tires USL Cup – which includes 43 professional men’s clubs from the USL Championship and USL League One competing in a World Cup-style tournament throughout the regular season – will make up the remaining four matches in Locomotive’s schedule.

HOME			AWAY
Date	Opponent	Time	Date	Opponent	Time
Saturday, March 7	COS Switchbacks FC	7 pm	Saturday, March 14	Monterey Bay FC	8 pm
Saturday, April 4	Las Vegas Lights FC	7 pm	Saturday, March 28	Sacramento Republic FC	8 pm
Saturday, April 18	San Antonio FC	7 pm	Saturday, April 11	Hartford Athletic	5 pm
Wednesday, April 29	FC Tulsa	7 pm	Saturday, April 25 *	Orange County SC	8 pm
Wednesday, May 27 *	AV Alta FC	7 pm	Wednesday, May 6	New Mexico United	7 pm
Saturday, May 30	Lexington SC	7 pm	Saturday, May 9	Oakland Roots SC	8 pm
Saturday, June 13	Phoenix Rising FC	7 pm	Saturday, June 6 *	COS Switchbacks FC	7 pm
Saturday, July 11 *	New Mexico United	7 pm	Wednesday, June 10	Detroit City FC	5:30 pm
Saturday, July 25	Sporting Club Jacksonville	7 pm	Saturday, June 20	Monterey Bay FC	8 pm
Wednesday, August 5	Monterey Bay FC	7 pm	Saturday, July 4	Las Vegas Lights FC	8:30 pm
Saturday, August 8	Oakland Roots SC	7 pm	Saturday, July 18	FC Tulsa	6:30 pm
Wednesday, August 26	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	7 pm	Saturday, August 1	Orange County SC	8 pm
Saturday, August 29	Loudoun United FC	7 pm	Saturday, August 15	San Antonio FC	7 pm
Friday, September 25	FC Tulsa	7 pm	Saturday, August 22	COS Switchbacks FC	7 pm
Saturday, October 10	Orange County SC	7 pm	Saturday, September 12	Louisville City FC	5 pm
Saturday, October 17	Sacramento Republic FC	7 pm	Saturday, September 19	Phoenix Rising FC	8 pm
Saturday, October 24	New Mexico United	7 pm	Saturday, October 3	Lexington SC	5 pm

* USL Cup

El Paso Locomotive FC Sign Forward Diego Abitia

EL PASO, Texas (January 13, 2026)– El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed forward Diego Abitia, pending league and federation approval. The terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.

“Diego is a young and exciting player,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “Adding a player with his athleticism, competitive mentality and natural goal-scoring ability will allow us to remain offensively dangerous throughout 2026.”

Abitia arrives in El Paso after two and a half seasons with Atlético de San Luis in Liga MX where he featured primarily for their reserve squad along with a stint with the first team. In the U21 Apertura season this past fall, he bagged nine goals in 14 appearances while appearing in nine matches last spring for the first team.

In the U23 Apertura season in 2024, Abitia finished as the leading goalscorer in the tournament with nine in 16 appearances. He then scored three in the postseason, including two in the second leg of the final, to help lead San Luis to a championship.

Before his time with San Luis, the 22-year-old played another two and a half seasons with the reserve team for Deportivo Toluca FC where he was a part of their championship side during the U20 Clausura season in 2023. Across his professional career, Abitia has tallied 49 goals in 163 total appearances.

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. To be one of the first to know about single game ticket sales, join the waiting list here.

El Paso Locomotive FC Sign Midfielder Daniel Gomez

EL PASO, Texas (January 12, 2026)– El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed midfielder Daniel Gomez, pending league and federation approval. The terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.

“Daniel is a great player with a fantastic mentality,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “He is known around the league for his technical abilities, engine and team-first mindset. Having him in our squad will enable us to push for our goals for the 2026 season.”

Gomez arrives in El Paso after playing in 29 matches for Oakland Roots SC in 2025. He finished with a goal and three assists along with 16 chances created while leading the team in appearances.

The 25-year-old spent the last three seasons with Oakland and tallied a goal and seven assists in 88 appearances across all competitions. Prior to his time with the Roots, he featured with the club’s USL League Two side, Project 510, where he helped them secure a spot in the postseason. He became the first player to come through that squad and sign a professional First Team contract.

At the collegiate level, Gomez began his career at San Joaquin Delta College where he was named the Big 8 Most Valuable Midfielder and selected to the All-Region Team. In 2021, he transferred to CSU Stanislaus where he appeared and started in 36 matches recording two goals and five assists while being named to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District Team.

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC Sign Midfielder Carl Sainté

EL PASO, Texas (December 19, 2025)– El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed midfielder Carl Sainté, pending league and federation approval. The terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.

“Carl is a player that we have been monitoring for some time,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “He possesses a highly sought after midfield skillset in the USL Championship. We believe he can make a significant impact in our team this year as we look to build on our success from last season.”

Sainté arrives in El Paso after playing in 28 matches in 2025 with Phoenix Rising FC. He finished the year with a duel success rate of 63 percent winning 51 of them while also winning 19 tackles at a success rate of 68 percent. He helped Phoenix advance to the Western Conference Semifinals this past November.

The 23-year-old was on loan in Phoenix from FC Dallas where he featured in two matches for the first team while mainly competing with North Texas SC from 2022 to 2024. He made his professional debut for Violette Athletic Club in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2020 and helped them win Ligue Haïtienne that season.

Sainté debuted for the Haitian national team in March 2022 and has since compiled 24 appearances while helping Haiti reach their first World Cup since 1974. He is expected to be with Les Grenadiers next summer.

Sainté was born in Grand-Goâve, Haiti and spent his youth career with various clubs across Haiti including Violette AC where he would eventually make his senior level debut. After a short stint with New Mexico United in 2021, he was then loaned to North Texas SC where he would then sign for the 2023 season.

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC Sign Forward Rubio Rubín

EL PASO, Texas (December 30, 2025)– El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed forward Rubio Rubín, pending league and federation approval. The terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.

“We’re very pleased to be adding Rubio to our organization,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “Rubio is an excellent striker who has consistently demonstrated that he has the qualities and winning mentality required of a top striker in the USL Championship. His technical abilities, intelligence and work rate make him a great fit for our group.”

Rubín arrives in El Paso after playing 22 matches in 2025 with Charleston Battery. He finished the year with four goals and three assists while helping the Battery earn the second-best record in USL Championship.

The 29-year-old has experience in many of the world’s top soccer leagues including Eredivisie, Liga MX and Major League Soccer. He made his professional debut for FC Utrecht in August 2014 and has also featured for Club Tijuana and Real Salt Lake. Across 273 professional club matches, the center forward has recorded 41 goals and 31 assists.

Since June 2022, he has played in 41 matches for the Guatemalan national team scoring 13 goals to go with two assists. This past summer, he scored the match-tying goal in Guatemala’s penalty kick victory over favorites Canada in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Rubín was born in Beaverton, Oregon and spent his youth career with Westside Metros and IMG Academy. He then signed a four-year deal with FC Utrecht when he turned 18 in March 2014. After an impressive career within the United States youth national team system, Rubín made his international debut for the American national team in November 2014 compiling seven total caps.

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC Appoint Junior Gonzalez as New Head Coach

EL PASO, Texas (December 29, 2025) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that Junior Gonzalez has been appointed as the club’s new Head Coach for the 2026 season. With the appointment, Gonzalez becomes the fifth Head Coach in Locomotive history.

“We’re very excited to welcome Junior and his family to El Paso,” MountainStar Sports Group President Alan Ledford said. “He brings the experience, competitiveness and leadership we believe are required to succeed in USL Championship. He has a strong track record of success and a clear vision for building a winning culture. We’re confident he will establish a genuine connection to the El Paso community.”

Bilingual in English and Spanish, Gonzalez, 48, arrives in El Paso with an impressive 25-year coaching career domestically that includes stints in Major League Soccer, USL Championship and MLS Next Pro. His most recent coaching experience came as the head coach for Los Angeles FC II since 2024. In his time with LA Galaxy II and LAFC II, Gonzalez had 19 total players promoted to first team contracts in MLS.

“It is a privilege to be trusted by ownership and leadership to lead this talented team towards continued success,” Gonzalez said. “It is my vision to foster an environment that challenges, inspires and prepares our team to demonstrate an attractive, organized and attacking style of play that our fans and community will be proud to support.”

Gonzalez’s coaching career began in the college ranks with UC Riverside Highlanders in 2001 before taking over as the head coach in 2004. Over his decade at the helm, he saw 30 players get named to the All-Big West Conference teams and two get named Conference Player of the Year. Six of his players would go on to have professional careers including Aaron Long, current captain of Los Angeles FC. Gonzalez was also named the 2011 Big West Coach of the Year.

His first professional coaching position came as an assistant coach with Chivas USA in MLS in 2013. After two years in Carson, he served as an assistant for the United States U-15 national team before a stint in the Pacific Northwest with Seattle Sounders FC II in 2016. Gonzalez’s first professional head coaching position came with Rio Grande Valley Toros FC in 2017, at the time the secondary team for Houston Dynamo FC.

This led to him accepting an assistant coach position back in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy under Sigi Schmid where he worked with players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Jonathan dos Santos, Giovani dos Santos and Ashley Cole. Gonzalez stayed within the Galaxy organization as an interim coach for LA Galaxy II the following season before taking over in a permanent capacity in 2019. He led the team to the USL Championship postseason in 2019 and 2020.

Gonzalez returned to MLS as an assistant coach with the Chicago Fire in 2022 where he would cross paths with Xherdan Shaqiri among others. He then returned to Los Angeles in 2024, this time to coach Los Angeles FC II where he has been for the last two seasons in MLS Next Pro.

“I am thrilled to have Junior join Locomotive,” incoming President and General Manager Mike DiGiulio said. “Junior embodies all the traits we look for in both a head coach and leader. His commitment to community and desire to immerse himself in the culture of our club and city is apparent and important. Junior’s drive for success has been on display in every stop in his soccer journey and his experience at the highest levels of US Soccer is exceptional. The opportunity to work with Junior is a very special one, and I have no doubt he will elevate our club on and off the pitch.”

As a player, Gonzalez won an NCAA championship with UCLA in 1997 defeating Indiana 1-0 in sudden death overtime. UCLA was a tournament regular in Gonzalez’s time with the team as he would go on to play professionally with the San Diego Flash in the USL A-League before finishing out his career with the Utah Blitzz in USL Pro. Prior to his collegiate experience, Gonzalez also participated with the United States U-18 Youth National Team.

“We’re delighted to be bringing Junior to El Paso,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “Once our interview process concluded, it was clear to us that Junior’s experience, football brain and competitive mentality would allow him to be an ideal fit as the future leader of our club.”

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026, hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. To be one of the first to know about single game ticket sales, join the waiting list here.

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