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 El Paso Locomotive FC

Wilmer Cabrera to Lead El Paso Locomotive FC in First Match at Charleston Battery

May 23, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - New Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera will lead El Paso Locomotive FC for the first time this season against league leaders Charleston Battery, looking to bring renewed energy into the side as they look to pick up a result against their toughest test of the 2024 season.

HOW TO WATCH EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC AT CHARLESTON BATTERY - FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2024 @ 5:30 P.M. MT - PATRIOTS POINT

Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network

Listen: SiriusXM FC Channel 157

Watch Party: The Palomino Tavern (205 Cincinnati Ave)

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.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Despite how difficult of an uphill battle it seems Locomotive are in for, it would not be the first time Los Locos upset the Battery. El Paso and Charleston squared off for the first time ever at the tail end of the 2023 season, with the Locos fighting for a playoff spot and Charleston entering the night with a trip to the postseason secured undefeated in its last five matches.

With the odds stacked against them, Locomotive came together to pull off an impressive 3-2 win at Southwest University Park to upset the Battery. This time, Los Locos head to uncharted territory at Patriots Point and will need to find its spark to pull off what would be one of the season's greatest upsets.

EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC

It's been a wild few days in El Paso. With the departure of Brian Clarhaut last Friday, Locomotive quickly turned around to announce Wilmer Cabrera as the club's new Head Coach on Monday morning. A highly-respected veteran coach with winning experience, Locomotive will look to him to help steady the ship and instill a new look confidence to turn things around.

Though he only had a few days to prepare for this match, Cabrera has adopted a highly skilled roster reborn with new confidence and ready to turn the page. When asked about the team's situation at his introductory press conference, Cabrera acknowledged the difficulty of what he has jumped into but projected calmness about the changes the team is going through.

"This is a change that the players are taking well and their attitude has been 'this is a new chapter, let's make things happen,'" Cabrera said. "It's impossible for us to say that today we're in last and tomorrow we'll jump into first. [Change] takes time but we need to see the changes little by little and hopefully we can start sooner rather than later because we need [to get results]."

CHARLESTON BATTERY

The Battery will come into Friday's match looking to continue its historic run to start the 2024 season. Last week's win at Birmingham Legion FC saw them extend their win streak to six matches, a new club record for Charleston. It also extended their record 11-game unbeaten run, which sees them tied for the sixth-longest undefeated run to start a season in league history.

One thing Charleston will have against them ahead of Friday's match is rested legs. The Battery hosted MLS side Atlanta United in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. Pushing the match all the way past overtime and into the penalty shootout, the Battery fell 5-4 in penalties. It's the Battery's first defeat in 2024 across all competitions and it doesn't help that several starters contested heavy minutes in the match. Pirmann will need to be wary of the minutes he subjects his squad to against El Paso.

ADDITIONAL INFO

El Paso Locomotive FC single-match tickets for all 2024 regular season matches are on sale now and are available for purchase online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets. El Paso's USL Championship schedule can be found at eplocomotivefc.com/schedule.

For the best prices and priority seating for every Locomotive home match in 2024, become a Season Ticket Member today! Season Ticket Memberships for the 2024 Season are available now and can be secured online at eplocomotivefc.com/seasontickets, calling (915) 235-GOAL or texting (915) 666-2005.


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