16 games down, 16 left to be played. After El Paso routed Austin Bold FC with a 3-0 victory at Southwest University Park, the club has officially rounded the corner into the latter half of the 2021 USL Championship season. The first half has seen some exciting moments including the return of Sebastian Velasquez, the debut of Diego Luna, the fastest goal scored in Locomotive history, and the historic 100th club goal.
Now in the second half of the season, the USL Championship will collectively be turning their attention towards the playoff picture. Who has all but secured their playoff berth? Who still needs to fight to punch their tickets? What teams will be earning the coveted home-field advantage? Who will each team face? Obviously, we still have a way to go before we get the answers to these questions, but let’s take a moment and look at what if. What if the season ended today?
If the season ended today, El Paso Locomotive would end as the undisputed kings of the USL Championship. Not only would The Boys in Blue hold the top seed in the Mountain Division with its 37 points, but they would also sit atop of the league with 37 points, surpassing Phoenix Rising FC and Louisville City by a single point. The dominance of Locomotive in the opening half of the 2021 Season would earn the El Paso side its first piece of silverware, claiming the USL Championship Regular Season title. But of course, that’s not all the spoils Locomotive would earn after claiming the league.
Holding on to the pinnacle position of the USL Championship means that there is no single team with more points than El Paso. Should the season end now, El Paso Locomotive would have the home-field advantage in every game of the playoffs, including the USL Championship Final. This would be huge for El Paso. Not only would the Sun City play host to the best teams in the USL Championship with high-octane, edge-of-your-seat games, but Locomotive would be able to show what it really means to have home-field advantage. The Loco Blue have not lost a game at Southwest University Park in over one calendar year. That is 18 home games including playoffs undefeated within the walls of the El Paso stadium. Earning the right to play every playoff game at Southwest University Park would provide Locomotive with an undeniable advantage to claim its first-ever USL Championship Title win after only three years of play.
The top of the Mountain Division is slated to face whichever team finds itself just over the playoff line in the Pacific Division. In our what-if scenario of if the season ended today, El Paso Locomotive would be welcoming Tacoma Defiance from the Pacific Northwest. After 15 games played, Tacoma Defiance has been night and day at home and away. At home, Tacoma has put up solid displays, going undefeated after eight games with a record of 5-0-3. On the road, however, Tacoma has been less than satisfactory, coming away without a win in seven games (0-4-3).
With our hypothetical Western Conference Quarterfinal being played in the Sun City Fortress of Southwest University Park, it would be a tall mountain for Tacoma to climb. Locomotive has yet to lose in El Paso since July of 2020, while Tacoma Defiance has not been able to earn a win on the road in the 2021 season. You would be hard-pressed to not agree that should the season end today, El Paso Locomotive would go straight into the Western Conference Semifinal against the winner of Orange County SC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
Of course, this is only a hypothetical look at how the 2021 USL Championship postseason would look if the season ended today. El Paso still has 16 games left on its 2021 schedule, seven of which will be played at Southwest University Park. Be sure not to miss a moment of this incredible and historic season and secure your tickets for any – or all – of the remaining Locomotive games at Southwest University Park as Head Coach Mark Lowry and the Boys in Blue seek to claim the league and the home field through its playoff run. Purchase your tickets online here, through the Official El Paso Locomotive FC App (iOS / Android), or by calling 915-235-GOAL.