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El Paso Locomotive FC kicked off its 2021 preseason with a 2-1 victory over its Mountain Division and regional rival, New Mexico United on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A Trialist with the squad found the first goal just before the halftime break while Forward Leandro Carrijo recorded the game-winner in the second half to start off pre-season on the right foot.

“I really liked the energy and the commitment of the group,” stated Head Coach and Technical Director Mark Lowry. “There were tough conditions with the wind which played a factor. Sand blew across the field at times and the field was difficult to play on – it was sticky, bumpy and dry. It made the game a little slow when we wanted to play a high tempo game. The guys showed resiliency to get through the opening 15-20 minutes to figure out the conditions. We were honest to who we are and to true to the values we have as a team. It turned into playing some really good football. We go down a goal and to come back, that character is always good to see and I think we were worthy of the win.”

The contest started on the right foot for Locomotive, who showed their pedigree in the attack with new signings, trialists, and kids from the Locomotive Youth Academy making their mark throughout the 90 minutes. Early on, Locomotive earned a penalty kick that the New Mexico United goalkeeper put a stop to. Just moments later, United earned a penalty kick of their own which Devon Sandoval converted for an early lead.

It was lead that wouldn’t last however, when a Locomotive Trialist beautifully curved the shot to the top corner of the goal just before the halftime break to even out the scoring. With a fresh lineup in the second half, Forward Aidan Apodaca showed his versatility on the attack working in tandem with Midfielders Dylan Mares, Nick Ross, and Carrijo with quick passing to pressure the United defense. In the end, the quick passing sent United on their heels to allow Carrijo to clean up a spill and convert the game-winner for the 2-1 victory to start the 2021 year off right.

Following an outstanding performance on Saturday, Dylan Mares earned a nod on the USL Championship Week 11 Team of the Week, highlighting the midfield.

Behind the 28-year-old midfielders veteran read of the beautiful game, Mares recorded six shots through the night while completing 28 of 35 passes, three of which were key in setting up chances for the El Paso side. The Indiana native’s night was topped off contributing an assist to Macca King for the opening goal of the night before slipping in through a gap in the United defense to net the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.

Dylan Mares tied for second alongside FC Tusla’s Dario Suarez for Player of the Week with seven percent of the vote.

The Championship’s Player of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship. 

See below for the full USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 11:

USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 11

GK – Brandon Miller, Charlotte Independence: Miller recorded six saves across two contests, including a key penalty save against Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night, as the Independence took victories against Memphis and North Carolina FC during the week.

D – Gabriel Torres, Hartford Athletic: Torres recorded a goal and assist, including the game-winning goal, while completing 30 of 37 passes, winning 6 of 9 duels and making nine recoveries in a 2-1 win against Loudoun United FC.

D – Jordan Scarlett, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Scarlett scored in the Rowdies’ victory against Miami FC on Wednesday night, and across two games completed 112 of 136 passes, won 7 of 8 duels and 4 of 4 aerials as Tampa Bay recorded two shutout wins.

D – Matt Mahoney, Sacramento Republic FC: Mahoney recorded one assist, completed 73 of 85 passes overall and won 9 of 11 duels and 5 of 6 aerial duels in Sacramento’s 2-1 victory against the Portland Timbers 2 on Wednesday.

M – Corben Bone, Louisville City FC: Bone scored once, had two key passes and completed 23 of 29 passes overall, and won 5 of 7 duels and 4 of 5 tackles as LouCity earned a 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven on Saturday night.

M – Robbie Mertz, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Mertz scored once and recorded four key passes across two Hounds victories against Loudoun United FC and the New York Red Bulls II, while also completing 69 of 80 passes.

M – Dylan Mares, El Paso Locomotive FC: Mares recorded a goal and assist, including the late game-winner, while recording six shots, three key passes and 28 of 35 passes overall in Locomotive FC’s 3-2 win against New Mexico United, its first in the series between the clubs.

M – Tucker Bone, Reno 1868 FC: Bone scored the opening two goals of the game, finished with four shots on target overall, and completed 26 of 32 passes as 1868 FC recorded the most goals in a game this season against the Portland Timbers 2 in its 7-1 win.

F – Sean Okoli, Orange County SC: Okoli had two goals and one assist in two games, including a brace in OCSC’s 2-1 win against the LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night, and had seven shots, three chances created while completing 27 of 38 passes.

F – Dario Suarez, FC Tulsa: Suarez scored three goals across two games, recording five shots overall and four on target while completing 33 of 40 passes as Tulsa earned victory against Rio Grande Valley FC and a draw with Austin Bold FC.

F – Dane Kelly, Charlotte Independence: Kelly recorded the fourth hat trick of his career, had five shots overall and completed 18 of 22 passes as the Independence took a 3-1 victory against North Carolina FC on Saturday night.

Bench: Danny Vitiello (PIT), Wilson Harris (SKC), Dre Fortune (NC), Ariel Martinez (TUL), Sam Gleadle (RNO), Sebastian Guenzatti (TBR), Jonathan Perez (LA)

El Paso Locomotive FC earned an emphatic 6-1 victory over Memphis 901 FC in the first match-up of Week 2 in the USL eCup: FIFA20 Edition. Representing Locomotive FC and Argentina, eSports Manager Edwin Moreno led the charge to claim the win behind a Lionel Messi hattrick and goals from Sergio Aguero, Nicolás Otamendi and Giovani Lo Celso.

The Locomotive charge started quickly with two fast goals within the first 20 minutes of the match as a short corner led to a chance that the Austrian goalkeeper representing Memphis punched away into a volley from Otamendi. Minutes later, Messi fended off three defenders to turn in the box and fire away a second goal in the 17th minute. Through the Argentina Men’s National Team, Moreno closed the first half with a third goal from Aguero while shutting down the Memphis attack leaving the opposition with only a bounce off the crossbar.

Moreno did not let up the pressure through the second half, telling the Argentinian boys to secure the win, which the team did with another three goals. After an offside goal from Messi in the 53rd minute, the Argentina side continued to fend off the Austrian offense while Messi rocketed a left-footed goal to find the fourth and the brace. Messi contributed further beating the defenders to give Lo Celso a one-touch goal before finding the hattrick in the 75th minute. The clean sheet was not meant to be however as in added time, a poor clearance set Marko Arnautovic up with the opportunity on an open goal to end the scoring 6-1.

“Vamos Locos!” Moreno commented after the match.

The victory over Memphis moves El Paso Locomotive FC forward in the Division B tournament as Edwin Moreno will once again lead the Argentina National Team onto the virtual pitch against Real Monarchs SLC representing Switzerland. The match will be streamed live on the Official Locomotive FC Twitch Channel with kickoff set for Wednesday, May 13 at 4:30 p.m. MT.

El Paso Locomotive FC opened up its second season on the road against Orange County SC last Friday in a match that saw El Paso earn a clean sheet in the scoreless draw. Anchoring the backline between the pipes was none other than Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer who recorded an impressive five saves to keep the OCSC attacking front at bay.

The performance by the Madison, Wisconsin native in the opening performance of 2020 turned heads, earning him a spot on the first Team of the Week the bench.

The full Team of the Week selection for Week 1 can be seen below:

USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 1

GK – Brandon Miller, Charlotte Independence: Miller recorded a career-high 10 saves – surpassing 300 regular-season saves for his career – to keep the Independence in the game in a 2-1 victory against Sporting Kansas City II.

D – Mauricio Cuevas, LA Galaxy II: The 17-year-old U.S. youth international had a stellar outing with one goal and one assist and three key passes in Los Dos’ 5-1 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC.

D – Kyle Nelson, Charleston Battery: Nelson won 12 of 19 duels, 5 of 6 tackles and made four interceptions while also recording two key passes in the Battery’s 1-0 road win against Atlanta United 2.

D – Callum Montgomery, San Antonio FC: Montgomery scored the game-winning goal, won 7 of 8 duels and 5 of 6 aerials and completed 45 of 60 passes in SAFC’s 1-0 win against Real Monarchs SLC.

M – Todd Wharton, Saint Louis FC: Wharton had an excellent debut for STLFC, recording two assists and creating four chances and completing 25 of 27 passes overall in his side’s 4-1 win against The Miami FC.

M – Cameron Dunbar, LA Galaxy II: The 17-year-old sparkled in his professional debut, scoring an outstanding individual finish before setting up another goal on one of two chances created against Rio Grande Valley FC.

M – Christiano Francois, Reno 1868 FC: Francois led Reno’s comeback victory against Tacoma Defiance, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal and then assisting on Gilbert Fuentes’ insurance tally in a 3-1 win.

M – Russell Cicerone, Saint Louis FC: Cicerone got his season off to a flying start with two goals and two key passes, while also putting six of his nine total shots on target in a 4-1 win against The Miami FC.

F – Tyler Pasher, Indy Eleven: Pasher picked up where he left off in 2019, leading Indy’s comeback against Memphis 901 FC with two goals – one of which was a superb solo effort – and one assists in the Eleven’s 4-2 win.

F – Rufat Dadashov, Phoenix Rising FC: The Azerbaijani international became the second Rising FC player in the last three seasons to record a hat trick in the club’s home opener and showed tremendous instinct around the area.

F – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC: Asante opened the new season in outstanding form, recording two excellent assists for Dadashov before topping Rising FC’s performance off with a fine finish of his own.

Bench: Logan Ketterer (ELP), Carl Haworth (IND), Jermaine Taylor (ATX), Juan Barahona (SAC), Leo Fernandes (TBR), Junior Burgos (LV), Cameron Lancaster (LOU)

EL PASO, TX – February 25, 2020 – El Paso Locomotive FC extends loan for Josué Aarón Gómez into the 2020 season, pending league and federation approval. Gomez has been on loan from FC Juarez since the beginning of May 2019. He was a crucial part of the attack and notched 8 goals, all of which came in the second half of the season.

“We are very happy to have Aarón back with us for a second a year. We want to thank our friends at FC Juarez for helping make this happen and look forward to seeing Aaron score more goals for us in 2020.” said Mark Lowry.

The El Paso native became an instant contributor the second half of the 2019 campaign to help the Locomotive on their historic run to the Western Conference Finals.  He scored the game winner in a 3-0 rout of Sacramento Republic in Locomotive’s only home playoff game in 2019. Gómez joins fellow local product Omar Salgado, as well as newcomers Saeed Robinson and Marios Lomis in the attack.  

He joins a potent corps of 16 returning players including Logan Ketterer, Drew Beckie, Chiro N’toko, Mechack Jérôme, Richie Ryan, Nick Ross, Omar Salgado, Alexy Bosetti, Andrew Fox, Louis “Chapa” Herrera, Moses Makinde, Guillermo Diaz, Yuma, Bryam Rebellon and Jermaine Fordah who made it to the Western Conference final in their inaugural run.

All aboard, our first home match on March 14th is 18 days away! Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/ticket or by calling or texting 915-235-GOAL.

EL PASO, TX – February 06, 2020 – El Paso Locomotive has teamed up once again with ESPN Radio and the Brass Monkey sports bar to bring the Coach’s Show to the fans.  The show schedule, listed below, will be on Tuesdays from 6-7 PM and will feature head coach and technical director Mark Lowry along with special player guests that will rotate from show to show.  Locomotive Captain Chiro Ntoko plus newcomer Distel Zola will join Mark for the first show of the season on February 11th. 

Hosted by ESPN Radio personality, Steve Kaplowitz, the show can be heard on ESPN 600 El Paso and can be attended live at the Brass Monkey.  The Brass Monkey will feature food and drink specials in this one of a kind fan experience. Don’t miss this chance to join us for a family friendly atmosphere and the opportunity to meet Head Coach Mark Lowry and the players each month.

Show #1 Tues Feb 11th

Show #2 Tues March 10th

Show #3 Tues April 14th

Show #4 Tues May 12th (special show time of 5:30PM – 6:30PM)

Show #5 Tues June 16th

Show #6 Tues July 21st

Show #7 Tues Aug 18th

Show #8 Tues Sept 15th

Show #9 Tues Oct 13th

Show #10 Tues Nov (TBA)

*All times are 6PM-7PM at Brass Monkey, 3233 North Mesa

All aboard, year two is almost here! Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/ticket or by calling or texting 915-235-GOAL

EL PASO, TX – February 4, 2020 – El Paso Locomotive FC has re-signed Jermaine Fordah for the 2020 season, pending league and federation approval. A fan-favorite for his off the field personality, Fordah appeared between the sticks twice during the regular season. One of those appearances resulting in a clean sheet against eventual 2019 Champions, Real Monarchs.  

“It’s great to have Jermaine back. He was an important part of the team last season. He brings a great work ethic and a positive attitude to training every day. Every coach in the world will tell you how important that is and I’m excited to see him develop in year two,” said Head Coach Mark Lowry.  

Fordah is now the 19th rostered player for El Paso and joins a 15-man returning core (Logan Ketterer, Drew Beckie, Chiro N’toko, Mechack Jérôme, Richie Ryan, Nick Ross, Omar Salgado, Alexy Bosetti, Andrew Fox, Louis “Chapa” Herrera, Moses Makinde, Guillermo Diaz, Yuma, and Bryam Rebellon) who made it to the Western Conference final in their inaugural run.

New players to the Locomotive roster include Fabrice Fokobo, Saeed Robinson, Marios Lomis, and Distel Zola. More roster announcements are slated for the near future before Locomotive kicks off their second season on the road in Orange County on March 6th and then return home to face Portland Timbers FC 2 on March 14th.  

All aboard, year two is almost here! Season Ticket Memberships, Group Tickets, and Individual Match Tickets can be purchased at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/ticket or by calling or texting 915-235-GOAL