El Paso Locomotive FC to Play Central Valley Fuego FC, Tuesday, April 5 at 8:30 p.m. MT
El Paso Locomotive FC, alongside U.S. Soccer, announced the dates and times for matches in the Second Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. El Paso Locomotive FC will play USL League One’s Central Valley Fuego FC on Tuesday, April 5 with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m. MT. In addition to the time and date, it was announced that El Paso Locomotive FC will now be traveling to Fresno, California for the match.
Twenty-three Division II and 23 Division III pro teams will see their first tournament action starting in the Second Round, joining 16 winners from the previous stage in a week that will feature a modern-record 31 matches in a single round. All 31 games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
This will be El Paso Locomotive FC’s second run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, having previously played against USL League One club, Forward Madison FC in 2019. Prior to the tournament’s two-year hiatus, EL Paso Locomotive FC was set to compete against Detroit City FC in the 2020 edition, though the two clubs will meet on the field in USL Championship regular season in June. Los Locos was also selected as one of four elite USL Championship clubs chosen to represent the league in the shortened 2021 version of the U.S. Open Cup, having reached the USL Championship Conference Finals in 2020.
The Second Round begins on Tuesday, April 5, with 11 matches, followed by another 12 games on Wednesday, April 6. The round concludes on Thursday, April 7, with seven more contests. The Northern California match between Bay Cities FC (NISA) and Monterey Bay (USL Championship) will be played at a date, time and location to be determined.
The 46 professional teams include 23 from the USL Championship (Division II), two from MLS NEXT Pro (Division III), 10 from the National Independent Soccer Association (Division III) and 11 from USL League One (Division III). They will be joined in the Second Round by the 16 Open Division winners from the First Round, set for March 22-23.
As a result of competition parameters and the hosting draw for the Second Round, eight games of the 31 matchups will see First Round winners against Division II clubs, eight First Round winners taking on Division III sides, while Division II vs. Division III will be on the marquee for 15 contests.
For more information on the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup or to see the full schedule as it has been announced thus far, visit the tournament’s website here.
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 www.eplocomotivefc.com/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.