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Preseason has been in full swing now for about a month and El Paso Locomotive FC has been hard at work as the team prepares for its first game against Sacramento Republic SC on March 12. With less than a month until the 2022 USL Championship season, the team has been working on creating the culture and identity that they want, while building team chemistry with a new squad.

As the preseason continues to march forward towards the first game of the regular season, Locomotive Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson has stated how impressed he is with the entire squad, mentioning that the players have turned a massive corner in their progress, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before the team starts its season.

Since the last update, the team has been hard at work, building off of two preseason games against the Locomotive U-19 USL Academy team and the Barcelona Arizona Residency Academy. The Boys in Blue can now add in three more preseason games under their belt as the squad played UDA at NMSU Academy, Louisville City FC, and the Lubbock Christian University.

El Paso Locomotive secured a 2-0 win against UDA and picked up a 3-1 win against Lubbock after a wayward game in Tucson against Louisville City FC that ended 5-2 in the Kentucky team’s favor.

The scheduled matches against Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, and FC Juarez were unfortunately canceled due to circumstances outside of either team’s control, but Locomotive has found a lot to build on through training and the preseason games it has played.

“The main objective was just fitness and putting them out there for 30-45 minutes,” said Hutchinson. “They trained in the morning of every preseason game and had a double session of training the day before. It was all a focus on fitness and resilience and making sure they become durable.

We’re still working on our football. That’s the most important part. I tell our team all the time it’s 95% us and 5% opposition. If we get what we want to do and try to create right, we are going to be really hard to beat. For me, that’s the key. We are still trying to build our cohesion, we’ve just got all our players together, but all the bases of the principles are in place. Now it’s about continuing the education of exactly what we want.”

Next, the team takes flight towards Boston to play Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution in a previously unscheduled preseason match-up on Tuesday, February 23. One key difference against Revolution, however, is nearly the entire team is being made available as now a majority of the club has reported to El Paso.

Eric Calvillo and Diego Luna returned from the El Salvador Men’s National Team and the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, respectively. Calvillo had played in two of three games for El Salvador in their quest for 2020 FIFA World Cup qualification, while Luna played in matches against a pair of Major League Soccer that were in Florida for preseason as the USMNT U-20’s prepares for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

New players such as Emmanuel Sonupe, Ander Egiluz, and Nick Hinds have been with the team since the start of preseason, but they have now been joined by Martin Payares, Christiano Francois, and Evan Newton. All returning players from the last season have made the training sessions as well making Harry Brockbank the only missing player to have yet reported to El Paso as his visa to the United States gets finalized. With most of the team now in El Paso, not only can Coach Hutchinson and his coaching staff he can truly start to help the team understand exactly what they want for them, but the players can start building the team they would like to be.

There are plenty of new players to have joined the Locomotive roster, joining players that have been with the club from the beginning or for multiple years, but there hasn’t been any problem in the new guys fitting into the club.

“The players that were here, that I inherited from Mark [Lowry] and the club, are really good people and on top of that they are good footballers, so you get the best of both worlds,” said Hutchinson. “They are the ones that are driving the culture, the environment, and what they want to be. You’ve got some incredible human beings here – Richie Ryan, Yuma, [Matt] Bahner, [Andrew] Fox, [Eder] Borelli, [Aaron] Gomez – you go through the list, and they are all incredible people. They have this environment of work they want to create.”

So far that environment is a competitive but fun one. Every player on the squad is competing for a stater’s position, which can only bring out the best in each other. For the players, this kind of environment introduces a variety of different challenges. It adds more intensity and more drive on the training fields and in games while pushing one another in supportive ways while having fun playing a game these players have grown up loving. No Starting XI spot is guaranteed, and each player knows it as Coach Hutchinson has told the team that the players in the best form will play on the weekend. Everyone understands what they need to do and how they need to do it.

Of course, since the last preseason update, there have been several other challenges, not which of least was the weather.

“The snow day was a big challenge,” Hutchinson said with a grin and a laugh. “It was a huge issue. If it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have bought a big jacket. I was just thinking ‘It’s Texas.’ All of a sudden people are telling me about snow, I turn up, and the fields are all snowed in, we had to cancel training, and the next day they are all iced, and it was a mess! Obviously, that was an issue. Now I’m hearing for the next two months it’s going to be blowing dust.”

Locomotive is set to hit the ground running on March 12 against Sacramento Republic SC, fowling up the season opener with two quick succession games at Southwest University Park against New Mexico United and Las Vegas Lights. However, with all the training sessions, preseason games, and the competitive environment the team is building for itself, the club will be ready to continue its winning ways in the 2022 season.

El Paso Locomotive FC unveiled today its new Black Primary kit for the 2022 USL Championship season. The new jersey is available for purchase now online at locomotiveteamshop.com or by visiting the Locomotive Team Shop at Southwest University Park.

As part of its ongoing partnership with world-renowned sports and leisure brand adidas as its official kit supplier, Locomotive continues to grow its brand in bigger, more modern ways. The newly introduced Black Primary Kit boldly features a modern Southwest design, containing a dynamic pitch black and charcoal zig-zag chevron atop laddered lines that span across the jersey. The front is adorned with the iconic adidas logo on the chest and familiar three stripes along the shoulders in Locomotive West Texas Sky Blue. The club’s ongoing front jersey sponsor, Southwest University, returns alongside the jersey’s sleeve sponsor, GECU, and two back sponsors, Helen of Troy and Estrella Jalisco, with their logos also printed in the West Texas Sky Blue. The beloved El Paso Locomotive crest completes the jersey as the club ushers in a new era for the 2022 USL Championship season.

El Paso Locomotive players will begin wearing the Black Primary kit throughout the 2022 USL Championship season, along with a new unannounced kit for field players and two unannounced goalkeeper kits. The additional kits will be announced at a later date prior to the start of the USL Championship season.

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its fourth season in the USL Championship against Sacramento Republic SC on the road at Heart Health Park on March 12 at 8:00 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Locomotive begins its 2022 home campaign with its Home Opener on March 19 against its fierce rival, New Mexico United. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT. Tickets are available now at https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL. The first 3,000 fans to enter the stadium with paid admission will receive a limited-edition Locomotive flag.

The U.S. Soccer Open Cup Committee approved the competition format and set the round of entry for each Division into the 2022 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup during its meeting yesterday.

The 2022 tournament will see changes that were ratified after the conclusion of the 2019 tournament but never saw implementation when the 2020 and 2021 editions of U.S. Soccer’s National Championship were canceled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Revised Competition Format
In a significant change, the competition format for 2022 will see 17 Division I clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) enter in the Third Round, one round earlier than MLS teams entered in 2019.

The remaining eight MLS clubs, which will include the four USA entrants to the 2022 Concacaf Champions League and the next two best American regular-season finishers in each of the league’s Eastern and Western Conferences, will enter in the Round of 32.

The format revision increases the number of matches between Division I Major League Soccer teams and those from lower divisions across multiple rounds of the competition, starting with the Third Round.  It also increases the opportunity for up to 24 lower division clubs to reach the Round of 32, up from 11 in 2019. The 2019 tournament saw 11 “David vs. Goliath” matchups involving MLS sides over the first four rounds, while 2022 will have 17 clashes in the Third Round plus up to 16 others (depending on Third Round results and the Round of 32 Draw) in the following round.

Additionally, the Open Cup Committee determined that all eligible professional Division II and Division III sides will enter in the Second Round, while teams from the Open Division – which encompasses all clubs and leagues outside of the three professional divisions – will begin in the First Round.

Expanded Competition Calendar
In July of 2021, the Committee ratified the 2022 competition schedule, with the First Round set for March 22-23, the earliest start in the Open Cup’s modern era (1995 to present).

The expanded tournament calendar will allow rounds to take place at least two weeks apart, providing additional time for home teams to market and sell tickets and for visiting clubs to arrange travel earlier at lower cost. In 2019, only one week separated the First and Second Rounds, as well as the Rounds of 32 and 16.

As importantly, for the first time in the Open Cup’s modern era when all eligible pro teams are participating (2012 to present), all rounds involving professional clubs will take place outside of national team call-up periods. This scheduling feature, customary for all major domestic cup competitions throughout the world, will allow all the top players, barring injury or suspension, to be available for selection for every round.

2022 First Round Clubs
The First Round will feature matchups of teams from the Open Division: the 11 Open Division Qualifiers that advanced this fall; Landsdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.), the 2021 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion; and a number of clubs to be determined from the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two, nationwide amateur leagues that both elected the Open Division National Leagues track (using league results from 2021) for qualifying teams for the 2022 Open Cup.

Match-Up Determination Coming
The method for determining pairings for each round and the number of berths allocated to NPSL and USL League Two sides will be decided by the Open Cup Committee after the pro team confirmation deadline on Dec. 31, 2021 and announced in early January.

ESPN+ to Broadcast Matches
Matches from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup return to ESPN+ in 2022. The broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Competition Schedule
Jan. 6                                         Open Division berth allocation announced
Jan. 19                                       First Round pairings announced
Jan. 26                                       Second Round pairings and possible pairings announced
March 22-23                          First Round (Open Division teams enter)
April 5-7                                   Second Round (Division II and III teams enter)
April 8                                       Third Round Draw
April 19-21                              Third Round (17 Division I teams enter)
April 22                                    Round of 32 Draw
May 10-11                               Round of 32 (remaining 8 Division I teams enter)
May 12                                     Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw
May 24-25                               Round of 16
June 21-22                              Quarterfinals
June 23                                     Semifinal/Final Hosting Draw
July 26-27                                Semifinals
Sept. 6-7 or 13-14                 Final

2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Participating Teams

Professional Division Teams Eligible to Participate:

Division I – Major League Soccer
Teams entering in the Round of 32 (8): Colorado Rapids, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City

Teams entering in the Third Round (17): Atlanta United FC, Austin FC, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire FC, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami CF, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes

Division II – USL Championship (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline

Division III – USL League One (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline 

Division III – National Independent Soccer Association (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline

Division III – MLS NEXT Pro (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: Rochester NY FC, St. Louis City SC

Open Division Teams, entering in First Round:

Local Qualifiers (11):
East Region: Brockton FC United (Mass.), Lynchburg FC (Va.), Nova FC (Va.), Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.)
Southeast Region: City Soccer FC (Fla.), Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.)
Central Region: Azteca FC (Colo.), D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas)
West Region: Contra Costa FC (Calif.), Escondido FC (Calif.), San Fernando Valley FC (Calif.)

2021 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion: Landsdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.)

National Premier Soccer League: To be named after confirmation of the Open Division berths available. The NPSL entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2021 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2022 tournament.

USL League Two: To be named after confirmation of the Open Division berths available. USL League Two entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2021 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2022 tournament.

El Paso Locomotive FC welcomes defender Martín Payares the club, pending league and federation approval. Payares is the second new member of Locomotive FC for the 2022 USL Championship season, bolstering the defensive lineup in El Paso.

Payares, 26, comes to El Paso from the Primera A league in Colombia, where most recently he played 18 matches with 14 starts as a centerback for his third stint with Boyacá Patriot. The Colombian native has played his entire career in the Colombian top-flight, beginning in 2015 with Cortuluá, where he made his professional debut at 19, going on to make 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts with one goal.

Since his debut year, the six-foot central defender has played single seasons across the Primera A, playing for Deportivo Pasto for a season making nine appearances and eight starts and ultimately three seasons with Boyacá Patriot for a total of 41 starts across 45 appearances with a goal and an assist found in his 2019 season. Payares also played two seasons with Club Atlético Bucaramanga where he made 12 appearances with eight starts overall.

Payares joins Emmanuel Sonupé as one of the new Locomotive players for the 2022 USL Championship season. El Paso Locomotive is currently working on additional player announcements for its fourth season and will announce 2022 roster additions once they are confirmed.

Player Information
Name: Martin Payares
Pronunciation: mar-TEEN PAH-yah-rey
Position: Defender
DOB: March 27, 1995
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 172 lbs.
Hometown: Majagual, Sucre, Colombia
Last club: Boyaca Patriotas FC (COL)

El Paso Locomotive FC’s roster as it currently stands for the 2022 USL Championship season is below, listed alphabetically by position:

GOALKEEPERS (0):

DEFENDERS (7): Matt Bahner, Eder Borelli, Andrew Fox, Macca King, Niall Logue, Martín Payares, Yuma

MIDFIELDERS (6): Chapa Herrera, Diego Luna, Dylan Mares, Richie Ryan, Emmanuel Sonupé, Sebástian Velásquez

FORWARDS (3): Aaron Gomez, Luis Solignac, Ricardo Zacarias

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its fourth campaign through the USL Championship in March 2022. Lock in your seats for the entire season by visiting https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/seasontickets or by calling/texting 915-235-GOAL and continue to enjoy world-class Championship soccer at Southwest University Park.

El Paso Locomotive FC, alongside the USL Championship, announced today the competition structure for the 2022 season. The league’s teams will be divided into two conferences with El Paso Locomotive set to compete as one of 13 teams in the Western Conference while the remaining 14 teams will compete in the Eastern Conference.

The 2022 USL Championship season will kickoff March 11 and will see each team play a 34-game regular season schedule that will conclude on October 15, 2022. El Paso Locomotive FC’s home opener and full schedule for the 2022 season will be announced in January 2022.

Every team will play each of its conference foes twice – one at home, once away. Western Conference clubs will see the remaining 10 games be played against a combination of interconference and intraconference opponents – five at home, five away. Eastern Conference clubs will play their remaining eight games being played solely against interconference opponents – four at home, four away.

“Going into our fourth season we are extremely excited for the 2022 slate of games, both home and on the road, ” commented Locomotive General Manager, Business Operations Andrew Forrest. “We have the opportunity to get back to hosting each Western Conference team home and away as well as a healthy slate of Eastern Conference teams that we have never had the chance to play in our previous three years.  This schedule proves to be the best yet and we cannot wait for the home opener to get started.”

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top seven teams in each conference will qualify for the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs. The first overall seed in each conference will receive a bye to the Conference Semifinals of the playoffs. The bracket will be reseeded following the Conference Quarterfinals to ensure the first overall seed in each conference plays against the lowest-seeded remaining opponent. The USL Championship Playoffs will remain a single-elimination format, culminating in the 2022 USL Championship Final on a to be determined date between November 10 and November 14, 2022.

“We are pleased and eager to see the Championship in a traditional two-conference alignment in 2022,” said USL President Jake Edwards. “This regular season format increases the importance of each intra-conference match while also providing the variety and intrigue of more cross-conference matchups. The schedule footprint allows our teams time to compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and finish the playoffs prior to call-ups for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”

The full conference alignment for the 2022 USL Championship season is below:

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its fourth campaign through the USL Championship in March 2022. Lock in your seats for the entire season by visiting https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/seasontickets or by calling/texting 915-235-GOAL and continue to enjoy world-class Championship soccer at Southwest University Park.

El Paso Locomotive FC was awarded the 2021 Copa Tejas Shield, receiving the fan-sponsored trophy earlier this week. El Paso Locomotive is the first Texas team to win the title, beating out three other clubs in the USL Championship, three clubs in Major League Soccer, and one in the National Women’s Soccer League. Unique in design, the Copa Tejas Shield takes the shape of a cowboy hat as an iconic symbol for the Lone Star state.

Created in 2021, The Copa Tejas Shield celebrates the top team in Texas and is awarded to the club with the best Points per Game (PPG) record in the 2021 regular season. Eight teams compete for the trophy including El Paso Locomotive FC, Austin Bold FC, San Antonio FC, and Rio Grande Valley FC from the USL Championship as well as Austin FC, Houston Dynamo, and FC Dallas of MLS, and Houston Dash of NWSL.

El Paso Locomotive FC finished as the top club in Texas with 2.00 PPG record, having earned 64 points after 32 games. San Antonio FC finished as the runner up with 1.62 PPG, having earned 52 points after 32 games. Houston Dash (1.33 PPG) finished fourth on the table behind Rio Grande Valley FC (1.46 PPG), while FC Dallas (0.97 PPG) finished sixth as the highest club from MLS, leading Austin FC (0.91 PPG) and Houston Dynamo (0.88 PPG), while trailing fifth place Austin Bold FC (1.31 PPG) from the USL Championship.

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its Copa Tejas Shield defense as it competes in its fourth USL Championship starting in Spring 2022. Lock in your seats for the entire season by visiting https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/seasontickets or by calling/texting 915-235-GOAL and continue to enjoy world-class Championship soccer at Southwest University Park.

El Paso Locomotive FC announced today it has mutually agreed to part ways with Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer, Midfielder Nick Ross, and Forward Leandro Carrijo.

Logan Ketterer cemented himself as an anchor in goal for El Paso Locomotive. As an ironman for the club, Logan played for a total of 7,500 minutes across 82 appearances for the club, the most of any player in Locomotive history. The Wisconsin native put in outstanding performances between the pipes, recording a total of 30 clean sheets for Locomotive FC while helping lift the club to back-to-back Western Conference Finals in its first two years of play and a third consecutive playoff appearance in its third year. Logan’s time with Locomotive was highlighted through a loan with Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, where he represented the El Paso talent for three games, earning two clean sheets and making a penalty kick save against the MLS All-Time Leading Goal Scorer.

Nick Ross acted as a silent engine from the midfield for El Paso Locomotive FC, playing a versatile role in the Locomotive diamond. Throughout his three years with Locomotive, Nick moved around the midfield playing on the width to help transition from defending to attacking as well as playing more defensively to help lock down one of the best defenses in the league. Nick Ross recorded six goals and eight assists over 5,819 minutes and 75 appearances, including every match in the 2021 USL Championship season.

Leandro Carrijo acted as depth and fresh legs over his two seasons with El Paso Locomotive FC, coming into the game as a late-game substitute to change the flow of the match. Joining El Paso Locomotive in the summer of 2020, Leandro made a massive contribution in the 2020 Western Conference Quarterfinals with two goals against FC Tulsa to send the match into a penalty shootout for Locomotive to advance. In the 2021 season, the FC Juarez leading striker played in 31 games through the regular season, only seven of which were starts. As a late-game catalyst, Leandro found four goals and two assists to help lift El Paso to third-place finish overall in the league. Over his two seasons in all competitions, Leandro recorded six goals and three assists over 33 appearances and 1,401 minutes.

The three left a long-lasting legacy for the Sun City club. El Paso Locomotive FC is thankful for their contributions and wish all three the best in the next steps for their careers.

El Paso Locomotive FC is currently working on additional player announcements for its fourth season and will announce 2022 roster additions once they are confirmed.

El Paso Locomotive FC’s roster as it currently stands for the 2022 USL Championship season is below, listed alphabetically by position:

GOALKEEPERS (0):

DEFENDERS (6): Matt Bahner, Eder Borelli, Andrew Fox, Macca King, Niall Logue, Yuma

MIDFIELDERS (6): Chapa Herrera, Diego Luna, Dylan Mares, Richie Ryan, Emmanuel Sonupe, Sebastian Velasquez

FORWARDS (3): Aaron Gomez, Luis Solignac, Ricardo Zacarias

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its fourth campaign through the USL Championship in Spring 2022. Lock in your seats for the entire season by visiting https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/seasontickets or by calling/texting 915-235-GOAL and continue to enjoy world-class Championship soccer at Southwest University Park.

El Paso Locomotive has re-signed Defender Matt Bahner the club announced today, pending league and federation approval.

Bahner, 31, joined El Paso shortly after the restart in the 2020 condensed season and has since been one of the most versatile utility defenders on the roster. With the unique ability to slot into any spot on the backline from left back to right back, Bahner’s flexibility provides valuable rotation across the backline while maintaining a resourceful and dedicated starter. Over the course of two seasons, the Ohio native has played in 29 games for 1,365 minutes across all competitions, finding one goal and one assist for El Paso.

Bahner becomes the ninth player to have played extensively with El Paso Locomotive in the 2021 season and will rejoin the club for the 2022 campaign.

The club is in ongoing discussions with several players from the 2021 team and will make additional player announcements for the 2022 season once they are confirmed.

El Paso Locomotive FC’s roster as it currently stands for the 2022 USL Championship season is below, listed alphabetically by position:

GOALKEEPERS (0):

DEFENDERS (5): Matt Bahner, Eder Borelli, Andrew Fox, Macca King, Niall Logue

MIDFIELDERS (5): Chapa Herrera, Diego Luna, Dylan Mares, Richie Ryan, Sebastian Velasquez

FORWARDS (1): Ricardo Zacarias

El Paso Locomotive FC will kick off its fourth campaign through the USL Championship in Spring 2022. Lock in your seats for the entire season by visiting https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/eplocomotivefc/seasontickets or by calling/texting 915-235-GOAL and continue to enjoy world-class Championship soccer at Southwest University Park.