El Paso Locomotive FC Begins August Slate Back Home against Las Vegas Lights FC
USL El Paso Locomotive FC

El Paso Locomotive FC Begins August Slate Back Home against Las Vegas Lights FC

August 1, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park on Saturday, August 2 against Las Vegas Lights FC at 7 p.m. in a Western Conference showdown. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News App.

HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC - SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2025 @ 7:00 P.M. MT - SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK - EL PASO, TEXAS

Watch: ESPN+, El Paso-Las Cruces CW, KVIA.com and the KVIA News app

Tickets: eplocomotivefc.com/tickets Giveaway: Locomotive Bucket Hat - 1500 Fans

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.

KEY STORYLINES

In their final match of the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage, El Paso Locomotive FC held on for a 1-0 victory against Union Omaha last Saturday evening at Werner Park. Locomotive controlled the first half and finally broke through in the 39th minute as Christian Sorto's shot from the left side of the box found the post and then the chest of Beto Avila to make it 1-0 for the visitors. El Paso were forced to defend for most of the second half as the hosts pushed for an equalizer. Sebastian Mora-Mora entered the match for Jahmali Waite in the 65th minute and was able to preserve the club's fifth shutout of the season.

Gabi Torres earned a selection to the USL Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round for Round 4 after his performance in the victory over Omaha. In his second Jägermeister Cup start of the season, Torres played a key role in Los Locos' first win against Union Omaha. He recorded a team-high three tackles while completing 35 of 42 passes. He also made an impact on the offensive end with eight final third entries.

After their final Jägermeister Cup match, Los Locos begin the second half of their regular season slate with a singular focus. Only league play remains as the push for the playoffs revs up in a tight Western Conference.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

F Beto Avila: After a slow few weeks, Avila was able to get going offensively the last two weeks with an assist and goal between the two matches. The Austin, Texas native has six goals and five assists this season across all competitions.

M Gabi Torres: Since arriving in the offseason, Torres has been a midfield maestro for Los Locos pulling the strings both defensively and in the attack. He leads the Championship in interceptions (27) this season and is one assist shy of breaking the club single season record held by James Kiffe (8, 2019).

D Palermo Ortiz: The recent league midseason Defender of the Year nominee has enjoyed a solid year at the back for El Paso. He leads the team in league play with 57 clearances, 29 tackles and 66.2 passes per 90 minutes.

OPPONENT INFO: Las Vegas Lights FC

Los Locos lead the all-time series with Las Vegas Lights FC, 6-4-0. Earlier this season, Locomotive came back to defeat Las Vegas 2-1 on the road behind a brace from Andy Cabrera. He headed home a cross from Frank Daroma to end the first half before turning in a Goal of the Week nominee on a feed from Beto Avila.

Las Vegas have slipped in the standings as of late having lost their lost matches. Raiko Arozarena is tied for the league lead in clean sheets (7) in goal, but his defense has allowed the most goals in USL Championship this season (28). Johnny Rodriguez hopes to ignite the Lights' attack which has scored the fewest goals in the league (13) so far.

KEY LOCOMOTIVE STATISTICS

- Andy Cabrera leads the USL Championship with nine non-penalty goals and 51 fouls won.

- Gabi Torres leads the league with 27 interceptions.

- Frank Daroma leads the Championship in passing accuracy (min. 100 passes) at 92.96%.

- Los Locos have won the most fouls in the USL Championship this season (297).

RECENT LOCOMOTIVE QUOTES

HC Wilmer Cabrera on team focus down the stretch:

"We need to continue to put ourselves in good position for the playoffs. We know we're in a competitive conference, so it's going to be really tough. Everyone is getting better, and everyone is bringing in reinforcements. We need to make sure that we start the second half of the season with three points at home."

Cabrera on taking advantage of summer heat:

"When it's hot, we need to hold the ball. This is important to us. During the summer, if you don't keep the ball, you're going to run and drain yourself mentally a little bit more than the opponent. You need to protect the ball in the heat because that's going to give you the extra energy that you need just to continue running."

Robert Coronado on entering back half of regular season:

"We've been preparing mentally and physically for the second half of the season, and we know it's a tight race in the Western Conference. Anything can happen, but we're ready to go. We were able to use the last two Cup matches to get our confidence and momentum back. If we continue to stay together and locked in, I think we're going to succeed."

Check out the El Paso Locomotive FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 1, 2025


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