Saturday, Republic FC’s 133-day offseason wait ends when the USL Championship season kicks off on the road against El Paso Locomotive FC. The contest officially marks the start of the club’s 10th season, and the quest to lifting silverware. The club takes on a squad in El Paso that brings in some new faces, but remains a contender for the West entering the new campaign.
El Paso’s Preseason
Locomotive FC made the preseason trip Tucson for the Desert Showcase in February to start their preseason preparations. In exhibitions the last five weeks, they claimed two wins and lost once, defeating MLS side Real Salt Lake and defending USL Champions San Antonio FC.
2023 Outlook
A frequent contender for the playoffs since their inaugural 2019 season, El Paso finished 2022 under the playoff line for the first time. Behind a new man at the helm – Brian Clarhaut, the club will be looking to return to more consistent winning ways. He joins a club that will field a mixture of returners and new faces, that on paper will likely be a tough opponent for someone every Saturday night.
Offseason Moves
Perhaps their biggest moves of the offseason were bringing in ex Watford and Espanyol defender Marc Navorro, Swede Erik McCue and former Seattle Sounders product Nick Hinds to boost the backline. In Navarro, El Paso adds a player with top-5 league experience, looking to re-establish his career in the states. Alonside the Spaniard, they welcomed a pair of talented players to the roster from their youth system in Diego Abarca and Joel Maldonado. The bulk of the club’s regular contributors from past seasons return; among them, Yuma, Luis Solignac, and Ricardo Zacarias signed on to come back and lead the attack. Former midfielder and captain Richie Ryan departed the club to retirement following last season.
Head to Head
Historically, El Paso has had the upper hand, with Sacramento claiming just one victory all-time, and falling five times. One of those results came in the 2019 USL Championship Playoffs.
Mark Briggs’ Men played the Texas outfit well in 2022, claiming a 3-1 win in exciting fashion on opening night, and proving difficult to break down in a 1-0 defeat on May 18. In the opening night victory, Carlos Saldaña saved an early penalty for the visitors before Rodrigo Lopez converted from the spot to equalize just before the break and Douglas Martinez netted the winner with less than 10 minutes remaining.
