EL PASO, Texas (March 20, 2024) – In front of a crowd of 8,372 (the second largest crowd in Locomotive history), El Paso Locomotive FC fell 3-0 to FC Juárez in the inaugural Derby Paso Del Norte.
With Locomotive’s starting eleven consisting of a majority of starters from its last three matches, El Paso came out in the first half strong against its Liga MX opposition, dominating in offense and testing the Bravos backline but unable to put the ball into the back of the net.
30 minutes in, El Paso made eight changes to bring in fresh legs and new faces to close out the half which ended 0-0. Juarez would make several changes of their in to start the second half, including star forward Aitor Garcia who would open the scoring in the 46′.
The Bravos would score twice more in the second half, courtesy of Angel Zapata in the 67′ and Amaury Escoto in the 77′, to close out the match.
Both teams now look ahead to league matches this Saturday, March 23 looking for their first wins of the campaign. El Paso Locomotive FC travel for its first road match of the season against Las Vegas Lights FC whereas FC Juárez play at home against Club Puebla.
NOTES
- The inaugural Derby Paso Del Norte saw 8,372 fans in attendance, the second largest crowd in Locomotive history.
- Javier Nevarez, Ramon Pasquel and Gonzalo Pelua, all on loan from FC Juárez, made their unofficial Locomotive FC debuts.
- Two Locomotive Academy players saw action tonight: 20-year-old midfielder Emiliano Rodriguez and 17-year-old forward Axel Valdivia.
FORECAST: 58ºF, mostly cloudy
ATTENDANCE: 8,372
SCORING SUMMARY
- ELP – N/A
- FCJ – Aitor Garcia 46′, Angel Zapata (Manu Castro) 67′, Amaury Escoto (Zahid Munoz) 77′
LINEUPS
ELP – (4-4-2) Ramon Pasquel (Javier Garcia 30′), Lucas Stauffer (Miles Lyons 30′), Tony Alfaro (Noah Dollenmayer 30′), Bolu Akinyode (Yuma 30′), Javier Nevarez (Elijah Martin 60′), Nick Hinds (Eder Borelli 60′), Eric Calvillo – C (Diego Abarca 30′), Liam Rose (Gonzalo Pelua 30′), Tumi Moshobane (Moreno 30′), Justin Dhillon (Emiliano Rodriguez 30′), Ricardo Zacarias (Axel Valdivia 60′)
Subs Not Used:
FCJ – (5-4-1) Benny Diaz (Carlos Higuera 45′), Edson Da Silva (Angel Zapata 45′), Moises Mosquera, Oscar Ortega (Jose Garcia 45′), Ralph Orquin (Jose Abella 45′), Diego Campillo (Javier Salas 45′), Jesus Venegas (Sebastian Perez Bouquet 45′, Zahid Munoz 76′), Aviles Hurtado (Aitor Garcia 45′), Jairo Torres (Luis Castro 45′), Dieter Villalpando (Denzell Garcia 45′), Michael Santos (Amaury Escoto 45′)
Subs Not Used:
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
ELP – Diego Abarca (Yellow) 40′
FCJ – Edson Da Silva (Yellow) 30′, Dieter Villalpando (Yellow) 45′, Jose Abella (Yellow) 54′, Javier Salas (Yellow) 72′, Edson Da Silva (Yellow) 80′
UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive FC hits the road for the first time this season for a matchup against Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday, March 23, with kick-off scheduled for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+.