 | ||||
| Nickname | The Locos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | March 1, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-03-01) | |||
| Stadium | Southwest University Park | |||
| Capacity | 7,500 | |||
| Owner | MountainStar Sports Group | |||
| Head coach | Vacant | |||
| League | USL Championship | |||
| 2024 | 12th, Western Conference Playoffs:DNQ | |||
| Website | eplocomotivefc.com | |||
 Current season | ||||
El Paso Locomotive FC is an American professional soccer team based inEl Paso, Texas. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in theUSL Championship in 2019.
In February 2018, theUnited Soccer League announced that El Paso was selected as an expansion team for the2019 USL Championship season. The club will be run by MountainStar Sports Group.[1][2] In June 2018, El Paso announced the signing of their first player,Omar Salgado.[3] In July 2018, El Paso announced that their first head coach would beMark Lowry, who had previously coachedNASL'sJacksonville Armada FC.[4] After a 34-game season, El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for the USL Championship play-offs, reaching theWestern Conference finals before falling 2–1 to theReal Monarchs.[5]
WithCOVID-19 shutting down many organizations worldwide, USL followed suit on March 12, 2020, announcing the season would be temporarily suspended.[6] In June 2020, USL Championship announced their return to play would be in an altered format of four team groups, competing for a spot in the playoffs starting in July 2020.[7] After the shortened season, El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for theplayoffs advancing to the Western Conference Finals for a second year in a row, before falling toPhoenix Rising FC 4–2 in a shootout.[8]
The2021 USL Championship season returned to normal scheduling, consisting of a 32 game season, after which El Paso Locomotive FC qualified for their third straightplayoffs,[9] but failing to get past the first round, falling to theOakland Roots 1–0.[10] Though they fell out of the playoffs in the first round, El Paso had a great season, with Coach Lowry and six players being chosen for the USL Copa XI.[11] El Paso earned the title of bestDivision II team in Texas by winning theCopa Tejas Trophy.[12] In addition, El Paso was recognized as the most successful club in Texas, winning the inauguralCopa Tejas Shield.[13] Coach Lowry announced on November 15, 2021 that he would be leaving El Paso Locomotive FC.[14]
In December 2021, El Paso Locomotive FC announced they had hiredJohn Hutchinson as their head coach going into the2022 USL Championship season.[15] 2022 was again a 34 game season for the USL Championship, but for the first time in club history, El Paso failed to make the playoffs, finishing eight in theWestern Conference.[16] After the 2022 season, Coach Hutchinson stepped down as coach to return with his family back to Australia.[17]
In January 2023, El Paso Locomotive announced they had hiredBrian Clarhaut as their head coach going into the2023 USL Championship season.[18] After a 34 game season, El Paso finished in 7th place in theWestern Conference, qualifying for theplayoffs before losing toOrange County SC 1–0 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.[19]
In the2024 season, El Paso started with a 1–8–2 record in their first eleven games. On May 17, the team announced they had parted ways with head coach Brian Clarhaut and assistant coach Jon Burklo.[20]
The Locomotive brand was unveiled on October 4, 2018, beating out finalists Lagartos, Estrellas, Stars, and Tejanos.[21] The crest is shaped in a manner similar toMission Style buildings and features three main colors: West Texas Sky blue, Desert Dusk blue, and High Noon Sun. The crest has 11 vertical stripes that represent the eleven players on the field and resemble the front of alocomotive. A city icon, The Star on The Mountain, adorns the top of the crest, which is shaped in the silhouette of theFranklin Mountains.[22][23]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | BLK | Southwest University |
| 2021–2023 | Adidas[24] | |
| 2024–present | Hummel |
The club play atSouthwest University Park, a baseball stadium in Downtown El Paso that is also the home field for theEl Paso Chihuahuas of thePacific Coast League.
El Paso's primary rivals areNew Mexico United[25][26] andFC Juárez.[27]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Season | USL Championship | Play-offs | U.S. Open Cup | USL Jägermeister Cup | Top scorer1 | Head coach | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | |||||
| 2019 | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 36 | 50 | 6th, Western | Conference Final | Second round | — |  Jerome Kiesewetter | 12 |  Mark Lowry |
| 2020 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 14 | 32 | 4th, Western 1st, Group C | Conference Final | Cancelled | — |  Aarón Gómez | 5 | |
| 2021 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 56 | 34 | 64 | 2nd, Western 1st, Mountain Division | Conference Quarterfinals | Cancelled | — | Aarón Gómez Luis Solignac | 10 | |
| 2022 | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 56 | 52 | 46 | 8th, Western | Did not qualify | Second round | — | Luis Solignac | 16 |  John Hutchinson |
| 2023 | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 41 | 51 | 47 | 7th, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | Second round | — | Luis Solignac | 9 | Brian Clarhaut |
| 2024 | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 27 | 46 | 32 | 12th, Western | Did not qualify | Third round | — |  Amando Moreno | 6 | Brian Clarhaut Wilmer Cabrera |
| 2025 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 45 | 40 | 41 | 4th, Western | R1 | R32 | Group Stage | Andy Cabrera | 10 | Wilmer Cabrera |
| Total | 213 | 84 | 69 | 60 | 302 | 273 | 312 | – | – | – | – | Luis Solignac | 35 | – |
^ 1.Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Lowry | England | July 25, 2018 | November 15, 2021[30] | 57 | 26 | 15 | 16 | 045.61 |
| John Hutchinson |  Australia | December 9, 2021 | November 15, 2022[17] | 35 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 037.14 |
| Brian Clarhaut |  United States | December 15, 2022[20] | May 17, 2024[31] | 48 | 14 | 11 | 23 | 029.17 |
| Wilmer Cabrera | Colombia | May 20, 2024[32] | present | 59 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 035.59 |
*Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
| Year | Reg. season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2019[33] | 6,584 | 7,460 |
| 2020[a] | 1,458 | 1,659 |
| 2021[34] | 6,214 | 7,201 |
| 2022[35] | 6,517 | DNQ |
| 2023[36] | 6,590 | N/A |
| 2024[37] | 5,814 | N/A |
| 2025[38] | 5,273 |
| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Diego Luna | United States | Midfielder | All-League Second Team |
