El Paso Locomotive FC Acquire Midfielder Alex Mendez
USL El Paso Locomotive FC

El Paso Locomotive FC Acquire Midfielder Alex Mendez

Published on February 26, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has acquired midfielder Alex Mendez from the Tampa Bay Rowdies, pending league and federation approval. The terms of the deal will not be disclosed per club policy.

"Alex is a proven playmaker that is goal dangerous and possesses the competitive mentality we demand within our club," Head Coach Junior Gonzalez said. "He will strengthen our midfield with the ability to make plays from deeper areas along with creating between the lines higher up the field. His experience playing in MLS, Europe, Liga MX, USL and the U.S. National Teams will help both on the field and as a leader in the locker room."

Mendez arrives in El Paso after appearing in eight matches in Tampa in 2025 after arriving midseason. He compiled a goal and three assists and created 14 chances in 615 minutes of action while posting a 77.1 percent passing accuracy rate in the attacking third.

The 25-year-old has prior experience in the Borderplex as he spent two seasons with FC Juárez in Liga MX. Before his time in Mexico, Mendez spent time professionally in Europe both in Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany.

With FC Vizela, Mendez compiled 81 appearances in Primeira Liga tallying four goals and four assists from 2021 to 2024. Prior to his time in Portugal's top flight, he featured for Jong Ajax, the reserve side for Dutch powerhouse AFC Ajax, for three seasons where he posted three goals and six assists in 39 appearances.

Born in Los Angeles, Mendez began his career with LA Galaxy II making his professional debut in the USL Championship in 2017. He then signed with German club SC Freiburg and competed in the U-19 Bundesliga.

At the international level, Mendez has competed at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels within the United States youth national team system. After leading the U.S. to the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship with eight goals and six assists, he earned U.S. Soccer's Young Player of the Year honor.

As of this addition, El Paso's 2026 roster is as follows:

Goalkeeper (2): Sebastian Mora-Mora, Abraham Romero

Defender (8): Tony Alfaro, Memo Diaz, Noah Dollenmayer, Kenneth Hoban, Arturo Ortiz, Alvaro Quezada, Ricky Ruiz, Kofi Twumasi

Midfielder (6): Eric Calvillo, Robert Coronado, Daniel Gomez, Alex Mendez, Carl Sainté, Gabi Torres

Forward (5): Diego Abitia, Beto Avila, Omar Mora, Amando Moreno, Rubio Rubín

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 hosting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at 7 p.m. To learn more about single match tickets, click here.

For the best prices and priority seating for every Locomotive home match in 2026, become a Season Ticket Member today. Season Ticket Memberships for the 2026 Season are available now and can be secured online at eplocomotivefc.com/seasontickets or calling (915) 235-GOAL.

Check out the El Paso Locomotive FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from February 26, 2026


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