EL PASO, Texas (February 18, 2025) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed forward Roberto “Beto” Avila for 2025. The signing is pending league and federation approval, and the terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.
“I am very excited to join the guys in El Paso,” Avila said. “I want to make this year one of the best of my career and make history with the Locos!”
Avila, 24, arrives in El Paso with prior MLS and USL Championship experience, most recently playing for Sporting Kansas City II in MLS Next Pro where he scored nine goals and assisted three in 26 matches throughout the 2024 season
Between 2022-23, Avila fielded for Houston Dynamo II in 19 matches to combine for seven goals and seven assists. His performances for Dynamo II eventually earned him a contract for the Dynamo first team, making Avila the first MLS Next Pro to MLS signing in Dynamo history.
Avila would go on to make eight appearances for Houston’s senior side before going out on loan with Charleston Battery in 2023, scoring three goals and bagging an assist in 26 matches on the Battery’s path to winning the USL Eastern Conference Championship.
“Beto is a player we’ve been following for a couple of years,” Technical Director Ray Saari said. “His versatility, athleticism and goal scoring abilities will prove to be a great addition to our front line in 2025.”
An Austin, Texas native, Avila was a youth product of the USL Championship’s Austin Bold FC. Signed on a USL Academy Contract in 2019 at 18 years old, his appearances impressed the technical staff who went on to offer him a professional contract. Between 2019-2021, Avila scored four goals in 31 games played for Austin. He also spent a brief period on loan with Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton, making six appearances for the side in 2021.
El Paso’s updated roster can be found below listed alphabetically by position.
Goalkeeper (2): Jahmali Waite, Sebastian Mora-Mora
Defender (9): Wahab Ackwei, Tony Alfaro, Memo Diaz, Noah Dollenmayer, Kenneth Hoban, Arturo Ortiz, Alvaro Quezada, Ricky Ruiz, Gabi Torres
Midfielder (4): Eric Calvillo, Robert Coronado, Frank Daroma, Emiliano Rodriguez
Forward (7): Beto Avila, Andy Cabrera, Daniel Carter, Frank Lopez, Amando Moreno, Omar Mora, Tumi Moshobane