El Paso Locomotive FC Hope to Clinch Postseason Berth against FC Tulsa
USL El Paso Locomotive FC

El Paso Locomotive FC Hope to Clinch Postseason Berth against FC Tulsa

Published on October 17, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - El Paso Locomotive FC return to Southwest University Park for their final home match of the regular season against first-place FC Tulsa on Saturday, October 18 at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News App.

HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC VS FC TULSA - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025 @ 7:00 P.M. MT - SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK - EL PASO, TEXAS

Watch: ESPN+, KVIA.com and the KVIA News app

Tickets: eplocomotivefc.com/tickets

Giveaway: Locomotive Keychain Bluetooth Speaker (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

Two first-half goals were the difference for El Paso Locomotive FC who held on for an important 2-1 victory over Lexington SC on Saturday night at Lexington SC Stadium as the postseason comes into clearer vision.

Locomotive wasted no time offensively as Memo Diaz headed home an early corner to put Los Locos on top just nine minutes in. Despite the hosts controlling more possession, El Paso created more chances including Beto Avila's finish in the 31st minute which doubled their lead before the break. Lexington came out hot to start the second half and pulled one back in the 55th minute. Locomotive had to hold on through 15 minutes of stoppage time, but a vital goal-line clearance from Kofi Twumasi and huge save from Sebastian Mora-Moraearned the visitors all three points.

Sebastian Mora-Mora earned a selection to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 32 after his six-save performance at Lexington. The six saves for Mora-Mora were tied for his most on the season (Monterey Bay - June 21). His last one in the 93rd minute protected the one-goal lead for Los Locos and helped them hang on and move into fourth place in the Western Conference.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Los Locos can clinch a playoff spot this weekend with the following:

Win/draw against FC Tulsa

OR

Draw/loss by Lexington SC, Orange County SC or Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

OR

Loss by Phoenix

El Paso are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, three points ahead of San Antonio FC. Locomotive could clinch a home playoff match this weekend with the following:

Win against FC Tulsa

AND

Draw/loss by San Antonio

If the gap between El Paso and San Antonio is three points or less entering the final weekend, things would come down to the Copa Tejas clash in the Alamo City.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

F Beto Avila: After a bit of a rough patch offensively, Avila got back on track Saturday night with his fourth goal in league play and eighth across all competitions to go along with six assists. His resurgence in the attack will be key to Locomotive's efforts to make a deep playoff run.

M Gabi Torres: Torres has become an integral part of the Locomotive attack behind Moreno in the formation. He has tallied seven assists in league play which is tied for the club single season mark. When Torres records a goal or assist, Los Locos are undefeated at 6-0-2 which showcases his importance to Los Locos this season.

D Kofi Twumasi: Locomotive would have likely dropped points against Lexington last weekend if not for a spectacular goal line clearance from Twumasi in the second half. An unsung hero for Los Locos this season, Twumasi is preparing to start his 16th consecutive match at center back for Locomotive after shuffling in and out of the lineup early in the season.

OPPONENT INFO: FC Tulsa

El Paso holds the all-time series edge over FC Tulsa, 4-1-4. Los Locos earned a draw on the road back on May 10 with Andy Cabrera scoring the lone goal for Locomotive in the 1-1 result.

Tulsa has wrapped up the one seed in the Western Conference ensuring that the road to the final runs through Oklahoma. Taylor Calheira anchors a potent attacking line with 13 goals on the year while Johan Penaranda has recorded six clean sheets in goal. Los Locos will have their work cut out for them in their home regular season finale.

KEY LOCOMOTIVE STATISTICS

- Frank Daroma leads the Championship in passing accuracy (min. 200 passes) at 93.06% and passing accuracy in the opposing half at 90.32%.

- Los Locos have won the most fouls (506) and faced the second fewest shots (256) in the USL Championship this season.

- With two goals last Saturday, the 2025 Locomotive squad set the single season club scoring record across all competitions with 59 goals (57-2022).

RECENT LOCOMOTIVE QUOTES

HC Wilmer Cabrera on road victory over Lexington SC:

"It was really important for us. I think the team had a good performance in all aspects individually and collectively. We went with the mentality to win that game in a difficult environment, and we were able to. We know that we have to be prepared for anything down the stretch."

Cabrera on defensive improvements over course of season:

"It's the improvement and the progression that you want to see. When you are in a progression, it shows that the players are improving, understanding the concepts and fixing the problems. Right now, I see that the players feel more confident and are ready to face any team. We can fight against any team at any place."

Memo Diaz on potential to host playoff match:

"It gives us some extra motivation for sure. The goal was to make playoffs, but now that we have a chance to host, it's a bit of an extra push. Being able to bring playoff soccer back to El Paso after a bit of an absence would be nice and rewarding for us down the stretch."

Gabi Torres on team focus heading into postseason:

"We've been trying to shift to a less-risk mentality. We just need to keep fighting for everything on the field. If we can build up from the back, we're going to find ways to get the ball forward and create chances. We need to stay together and make sure the concentration level is as high as possible because from here to November, every match is a playoff match, and we still need results."

Check out the El Paso Locomotive FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 17, 2025


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