On Saturday night, El Paso Locomotive FC saw two players don the Locomotive blue for the first time. Midfielder Edison Azcona entered the match first, stepping onto the pitch in the 61st minute as Locomotive fought to surmount an incredible Oakland Roots lead. Joining Azcona with just about 10 minutes left in the match was Defender Miles Lyons, making his professional debut as a substitute for Ricardo Zacarias as right back.
Both Edison and Miles were officially announced last week as the latest to join the Locomotive roster. Edison brings with him a pedigree in Major League Soccer, having found incredible success within the Inter Miami CF organization. While with Inter Miami CF II, the Dominican midfielder earned All-League Second Team honors in USL League One in 2020, earning him a nomination as a finalist for USL League One Young Player of the Year.
Beyond the club level, Edison recently had a successful outing with the Dominican Republic U-20 Men’s National Team. The 18-year-old captained the U-20 Los Quisqueyanos to the U-20 CONCACAF Championship Final and qualification to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.
While Edison is certainly no stranger to the competition found within the USL and beyond, it was a big night for Miles Lyons.
At 19-years-old, Miles earned his professional debut for El Paso Locomotive after playing four seasons in Casa Grande, Arizona with the prestigious Barcelona Residency Academy.
As a second half substitute, entering the match in the 84th minute. Miles finished out the remaining six minutes of regulation time plus the two minutes of stoppage. In that time, Miles helped shut down an Oakland attack, winning one of two duels. While it may have been for only a brief moment, Miles’ time on the pitch was like a dream come true, and something he has been working at for a long time.
Since he was little, Miles attended his brother’s soccer games, kicking the ball around with other siblings in attendance. From there he knew soccer was something he wanted to pursue. As someone who dreams of playing in Europe and on the national stage with either the United States or Jamaica where he has family heritage, stepping into the professional spotlight for the first time is a massive milestone.
“We are very excited because of all the hard work that Miles has put into his game,” said Paul Lyons, Miles’ father. “This has been a dream of his. We are overly excited and very happy with the opportunity El Paso Locomotive FC can provide him.”
As a student of the game, Miles Lyons had grown up analyzing the sport. A 4.0 student that has excelled in academics, Miles has broken down the game to understand each position, giving him the ability to adapt to different situations. He is a goal-setter that will pour in dedication and hard work to reach the levels he wants to reach.
As his time with the Barcelona Residency Academy was beginning to come to an end, Miles was turning his attention to college. He had committed to the University of Portland before switching to Fullerton a little closer to home. College plans changed however when El Paso Locomotive Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson came knocking.
“El Paso was attractive to me,” said Miles shortly after signing his first professional contract. “[I like] the style of play and the intensity John [Hutchinson] has his team play, where he uses the outside backs in an attacking way. It benefits my game.”
Miles joins the Locomotive roster during a time where he could fill a much-needed vacancy. The question mark over the right back position has been glaring since the departure of Harry Brockbank and after Midfielders Chapa Herrera and Shavon John-Brown suffered season-long knee injuries.
Miles is a natural outside back who loves to get involved in the attack. Astute fans of the game caught glimpses of this in Oakland, with Miles breaking into the final third down the right flank, pairing passes with Midfielder Christiano Francois.
“Miles really deserves it, and we are really proud him,” commented Miles’ mother, Erin Lyons. “He is a really disciplined athlete and has been a student athlete up until this point and has done an amazing job at balancing his priorities. It’s wonderful to see him at this point achieving his goals.” Saturday’s performance, of course, is just the beginning for Miles. Locomotive has 12 games left in its 2022 USL Championship regular season, giving Miles plenty of time and opportunity to make an impact on the field.