EL PASO, Texas (March 14, 2025) – After a draw against the defending USL champions to start the season, El Paso Locomotive FC turns its attention to the 2023 champions, Phoenix Rising FC, who head to Southwest University Park this Saturday for a USL Championship clash.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS PHOENIX RISING FC – SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025 @ 7 P.M. MT – SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK
Watch: ESPN+, El Paso-Las Cruces CW, KVIA.com and the KVIA News app
Tickets: eplocomotivefc.com/tickets
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.
KEY STORYLINES
Late match heroics from Andy Cabrera helped the team capture a point to start the season for the first time since 2021. Amando Moreno opened the scoring for Los Locos for the second consecutive season.
After last week’s draw, Los Locos had two players get recognized on the USL Championship Team of the Week. Frank Daroma earned a midfield nod while Moreno was an honorable mention.
Locomotive fans will be busy in the coming days as the club prepares for three matches in eight days. They start U.S. Open Cup play against Harpos FC at home next Wednesday before traveling to Albuquerque for the Derby Del Camino Real against New Mexico United next Saturday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
M Frank Daroma: In his Locomotive debut, Daroma was a positive presence in the midfield helping to create several attacking chances including eight final third entries. He won a match-high nine of ten duels while drawing four fouls and finishing second on the team in accurate passes with 37, 12 of which came in the final third.
F Amando Moreno: After scoring the opening goal of the 2024 campaign, Moreno picked up where he left off scoring in the 43rd minute to tie things up before halftime. He had four shots on the night while finishing with a team-high 83.3% passing accuracy in the final third.
D Arturo “Palermo” Ortiz: The captain for Los Locos helped anchor a back line that allowed very few scoring chances last Saturday. He recorded a team-high seven clearances and two interceptions while also serving as a field general completing 52 accurate passes.
OPPONENT INFO: Phoenix Rising FC
Current Form: – L
Series History: 2-5-3
Last Meeting: L 2-0 (7/19/24)
The Locos trail the all-time series with Phoenix Rising FC 2-5-3. The visitors took home the USL Championship in 2023 but have had four head coaches since then with Pa Modou-Kah now at the helm. Phoenix slipped in the standings last season after their 2023 campaign grabbing the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. They return the attacking tandem of Rémi Cabral and Dariusz Formella, who combined for 13 goals last season, and hope to rebound from a 1-0 loss to FC Tulsa last weekend.
The highest profile match between these two clubs came in the 2020 Western Conference Final in Phoenix where 120 minutes wasn’t enough to decide things. The hosts would ultimately win the penalty shootout 4-2 and advance to the USL Championship Final which would not be contested.
The last time the two sides met at Southwest University Park, the Locos managed a 1-1 draw back on June 15, 2024. Eric Calvillo scored his second of three goals last season while former Loco Jeremy Garay made his 100th USL Championship appearance.