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El Paso Locomotive FC
American professional soccer club From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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El Paso Locomotive FC is an American professional soccer team based in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019.
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History
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First season
In February 2018, the United Soccer League announced that El Paso was selected as an expansion team for the 2019 USL Championship season. The club will be run by MountainStar Sports Group.[1][2] In June 2018, El Paso announced the signing of their first player, Omar Salgado.[3] In July 2018, El Paso announced that their first head coach would be Mark Lowry, who had previously coached NASL's Jacksonville Armada FC.[4] After a 34-game season, El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for the USL Championship play-offs, reaching the Western Conference finals before falling 2–1 to the Real Monarchs.[5]
2020
With COVID-19 shutting down many organizations worldwide, USL followed suit on March 12, 2020, announcing the season would be temporarily suspended.[6] In June 2020, USL Championship announced their return to play would be in an altered format of four team groups, competing for a spot in the playoffs starting in July 2020.[7] After the shortened season, El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for the playoffs advancing to the Western Conference Finals for a second year in a row, before falling to Phoenix Rising FC 4–2 in a shootout.[8]
2021–2024
The 2021 USL Championship season returned to normal scheduling, consisting of a 32 game season, after which El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for their third straight playoffs,[9] but failing to get past the first round, falling to the Oakland Roots 1–0.[10] Though they fell out of the playoffs in the first round, El Paso had a great season, with Coach Lowry and six players being chosen for the USL Copa XI.[11] El Paso earned the title of best Division II team in Texas by winning the Copa Tejas Trophy.[12] In addition, El Paso was recognized as the most successful club in Texas, winning the inaugural Copa Tejas Shield.[13] Coach Lowry announced on November 15, 2021 that he would be leaving El Paso Locomotive FC.[14]
In December 2021, El Paso Locomotive FC announced they had hired John Hutchinson as their head coach going into the 2022 USL Championship season.[15] 2022 was again a 34 game season for the USL Championship, but for the first time in club history, El Paso failed to make the playoffs, finishing eight in the Western Conference.[16] After the 2022 season, Coach Hutchinson stepped down as coach to return with his family back to Australia.[17]
In January 2023, El Paso Locomotive announced they had hired Brian Clarhaut as their head coach going into the 2023 USL Championship season.[18] After a 34 game season, El Paso finished in 7th place in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs before losing to Orange County SC 1–0 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.[19]
In the 2024 season El Paso started with a 1–8–2 record in their first eleven games. On May 17, the team announced they had parted ways with head coach Brian Clarhaut and assistant coach Jon Burklo.[20]
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Club crest and colors
The Locomotive brand was unveiled on October 4, 2018, beating out finalists Lagartos, Estrellas, Stars, and Tejanos.[21] The crest is shaped in a manner similar to Mission Style buildings and features three main colors: West Texas Sky blue, Desert Dusk blue, and High Noon Sun. The crest has 11 vertical stripes that represent the eleven players on the field and resemble the front of a locomotive. A city icon, The Star on The Mountain, adorns the top of the crest, which is shaped in the silhouette of the Franklin Mountains.[22][23]
Sponsorship
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Stadium
The club play at Southwest University Park, a baseball stadium in Downtown El Paso that is also the home field for the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Pacific Coast League.
Rivalries
El Paso's primary rivals are New Mexico United[25][26] and FC Juárez.[27]
Players and staff
Roster
- As of July 21, 2025[28]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Front-office staff
- Alan Ledford – president
- Andrew Forrest – general manager
Technical staff
- Wilmer Cabrera – head coach
- Ray Saari – technical director[29]
- Gerson Echeverry – 1st assistant coach[30]
- Gianluca Masucci – assistant coach
- JC Garzon – goalkeeper coach
- Saul Soto – coordinator, equipment and player operations
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Team records
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Year-by-year
- As of August 9, 2025
- Notes
^ 1. Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
- Notes
*Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Average attendance
- Notes
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Honors
Minor
- Copa Tejas (Division 2)
- Copa Tejas (Shield)
- Winners (1): 2021
Player honors
References
External links
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