EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC open the 2023 USL Championship season at Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 11 against Sacramento Republic FC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. MT. The game against Sacramento will be the first of three consecutive home matches (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Wednesday, March 15 and Detroit City FC on Saturday, March 18) to start the 2023 season, the first time this has happened in club history.
Tickets for the match are available for purchase online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or within the El Paso Locomotive FC official mobile app.
HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC vs SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC – SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2023 @ 7:30 P.M. MT – SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK
Watch: ESPN+, KTSM.com and Estrella TV El Paso 9.2
Broadcast Talent: Duke Keith (play-by-play), Colin Deaver (color analyst), Rachel Phillips (sideline)
All El Paso Locomotive FC Saturday home matches in 2023 will be simulcast on KTSM.com and Estrella TV El Paso 9.2
All USL Championship regular season and playoff games will be available to stream on ESPN+ in 2023.
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.
GAME PROMOTIONS
To celebrate the beginning of El Paso’s landmark fifth season in the USL Championship, Locomotive will open gates at 6 p.m. MT to host its 5th Year Kickoff celebration, which includes a Pre-Match Mariachi Performance by Mariachi Paso Del Norte, a limited-edition poster giveaway and a historical jersey display which showcases every jersey worn by the club over the years.
ALL-TIME SERIES
El Paso Locomotive FC and Sacramento Republic FC have previously met six times across all competitions. Los Locos lead the series 5-1-0 which includes one postseason win (3-0 in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals). El Paso are unbeaten at home in all competitions against Sacramento, with Southwest University Park hosting the last time these two met (a 1-0 win in favor of Locomotive).
TEAM OVERVIEWS
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC (2022 SEASON: 8TH WESTERN CONFERENCE, 13-14-7, 46 PTS)
TURNING A NEW CHAPTER – 2023 will mark a new beginning for El Paso Locomotive FC. Los Locos have set a target to return to the postseason after having missed out on last year’s playoffs in the final matchday of regular season play. Now under the helm of Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut – who returns to coach in the United States after a seven-year stint in Sweden —, coupled with several offseason signings, El Paso are looking to bounce back to the winning ways fans have grown accustomed to in the club’s short history.
THE SQUAD – 16 players return for 2023, including El Paso’s 2022 Golden Boot winner Luis “Lucho” Solignac, El Salvador men’s international midfielder Eric Calvillo and Ricardo Zacarias, who shared the top spot for assists last season. Additionally, 2023 will be the fifth season for three key players who have been with El Paso since its inaugural season in 2019: veteran captain Yuma, El Paso native Louis “Chapa” Herrera and Locomotive’s all-time leading goal scorer Aaron Gomez.
Locomotive added eight new players to the team roster, including former La Liga and English Premier League defender Marc Navarro, 2018 Hungarian Cup winner Bence Pavkovics and the dynamic Swedish midfielder Petar Petrovic, as well as Ukrainian Denys Kostyshyn, new starting goalkeeper Benny Diaz from Liga MX side Club Tijuana and the club’s youngest ever signing, Luis Moreno (16).
REMATCH OF THE 2022 SEASON OPENER – For the second consecutive year, El Paso kicks off its season against Sacramento, this time welcoming the California side as opposed to hitting the road. In last season’s opener, English forward Emmanuel Sonupe opened the scoring to give El Paso the lead in the 27th minute. Despite that promising start, Sacramento would rally on to equalize before the half and eventually win the match with two late goals in the final minutes. That match was also the first time El Paso lost to Sacramento in all competitions.
Now with an opportunity to turn things around at home where they remain undefeated against Sacramento, El Paso will look to get off on the right foot for 2023.
A CHANCE AT HISTORY – Speaking of season openers, Clarhaut has an opportunity to etch himself into the Locomotive history books if he’s able to get a win against Sacramento. El Paso are 0-2-2 in season openers, so a win on Saturday would make Clarhaut the first ever Locomotive head coach to lead the club to a win in a league opening match. A historic win like that could go a long way towards the team’s confidence at the beginning of the season.
SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC (2022 SEASON: 4TH WESTERN CONFERENCE, 15-11-8, 53 PTS)
Sacramento Republic FC, who are celebrating their tenth season in the USL Championship, is riding high into 2023 after a dream run in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, knocking out three Major League Soccer teams (San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City) along the way to become the first non-MLS team to reach the final since 2008. Sacramento took the trip down to Florida to face off against MLS’ Orlando City SC with an aspiration to become the first non-MLS team to win the tournament since 1999, yet despite a hard-fought performance, Republic allowed three goals in the final 20 minutes of the match and returned home empty handed. Nevertheless, their cup run was something for Sacramento to be proud of.
Republic’s Open Cup run wasn’t their only success in 2022. Their regular season play was a complete turnaround from their 2021 season (13th Western Conference, 8-12-12, 36 PTS). Finishing fourth in the Western Conference, Sacramento knocked out New Mexico United in the Conference Quarterfinals before falling to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in extra time of the Conference Semifinals.
Veteran captain Rodrigo Lopez returns for his second consecutive season (fifth overall) with Sacramento and will continue to be a key factor in Republic’s midfield for 2023 after a career best season with multiple individual accolades including being named to the USL Championship All-League First Team.
Other key returners include midfielder Luis Felipe, defender Jack Gurr and goalkeeper Danny Vitiello. Republic’s one major addition was former Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Russell Cicerone, who’s scored double-digit goals in his last two seasons.
LO QUE ESTAN DICIENDO
Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut on his expectations for the team
“It’s going to be a lot of emotion, a lot of fight and we need to match that fight. It’s a home opener, key word being “home.” We have an advantage to play our style of football and we want to control the match in all aspects.”
Captain and defender Yuma on the challenge of opening the season with three home games in the span of seven days.
“Never in my career have I opened a season like this but everyone on the team is ready to help. Right now, we are focusing on Sacramento. We know how important this first game is to us and the fans, so after the match is done, we’ll turn our focus towards [the next two matches].”
Midfielder Louis “Chapa” Herrera on his return to the field for his fifth season after recovering from an injury that sidelined him last year.
“It’s been a long time for me, but with the help of my family, friends and the club, I was able to push through it and now I’m here. I feel confident and ready to play.”
UP NEXT: Wednesday, March 15 vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Kickoff 7 p.m. MT @ Southwest University Park. Purchase tickets here. Promotions for this match include a free commemorative flag giveaway, available to the first 1,500 fans who enter the stadium!
ON THE HORIZON: Saturday, March 18 vs Detroit City FC. Kickoff 7:30 p.m. MT @ Southwest University Park. Purchase tickets here. Locomotive will host St. Paddy’s on the Pitch, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with all Locomotive fans, as well the first post-match fireworks show of 2023!
ADDITIONAL INFO
The full 2023 match schedule can be found HERE. All USL Championship regular season and playoff games will be available to stream on ESPN+ in 2023.
All tickets for 2023, including Individual Match, Season Tickets and Pick Six Membership are on sale now and are available for purchase online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or within the official mobile app.
Fans who would like to secure full season tickets for the 2023 season can lock in their season ticket membership online by clicking HERE, calling (915) 235-GOAL or texting (915) 666-2005. You can also call (915) 235-GOAL for more information on Group Outings and Premium Suites. El Paso Locomotive FC does offer military discounts, which can be purchased HERE.
To check out the full 2023 promotional schedule, click HERE.
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.