EL PASO, Texas – The 2023 USL Championship Playoffs kick off this Saturday with El Paso Locomotive FC set to battle it out at Orange County SC in the Western Conference Quarterfinal. Kickoff from Championship Soccer Stadium is set for 8:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC AT ORANGE COUNTY SC – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2023 @ 8 P.M. MT – CHAMPIONSHIP SOCCER STADIUM
Stream: ESPN+
Watch Party: The Palomino Tavern (205 Cincinnati Ave)
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.
ALL-TIME SERIES
El Paso has the lead over OCSC in the all-time series, 3-1-4. In the two meetings they had this season, El Paso fought out a 1-0 to record its first home win of 2023 then drew on the road 0-0 to snap Orange County’s eight-game win streak.
Notably, El Paso is undefeated against Orange County in its last six meetings (2W, 4D) and will look to continue that streak in the first playoff meeting in the overall series.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC, 7-WEST
El Paso (13-13-8, 47 points) is back in the postseason – the fourth time in the club’s five-year existence – and Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut was proud of the team’s efforts to accomplish the goal he set for the club since his arrival.
“I said since day one… this was the objective,” Clarhaut said. “We knew that this was a long season, there’s a lot that could happen. It’s important for our club, our fans to show that we’re a consistent playoff team and that’s the expectation of our club. We were able to do it. I’m super proud of the group and anything can happen now.”
This match will be an interesting one for captain midfielder Eric Calvillo. The last time Calvillo competed in the playoffs was in 2021 with Orange County, where he was a key player in the eventual run to lift the league title. Now, in his individual return to playoff competition, Calvillo will be leading the charge for an El Paso side determined to pull off the upset.
ORANGE COUNTY SC, 2-WEST
Orange County (17-11-6, 57 points) come into the playoffs after closing out the regular season with three straight wins to clinch the second seed, an impressive finish for a side that finished bottom of the West last year
However, Kevin Partida and Marc McNulty will be unavailable on Saturday due to red card suspension, leaving OCSC without two players who contributed greatly to their side’s return to the postseason.
ADDITIONAL INFO
All USL Championship regular season and playoff games will be available to stream on ESPN+ in 2023.
In need of gear to rep your Locomotive and El Paso pride year-round? Visit the official El Paso Locomotive FC Team Shop online HERE, in the team’s official mobile app or visit the physical retail store (1 Ballpark Plaza, El Paso, TX 79901) Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.