Bravos and Bravas Win While Locos Come Up Short in Sin City

FC Juarez men and women along with El Paso Locomotive FC were in action last weekend and on Monday. The Bravos hosted Puebla last Saturday night at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium while the women went on the road to face Necaxa in Augascalientes on Monday. Also last Saturday, Locos went into Sin City to face the Las Vegas Lights in their first road match of the 2024 season.

Bravos end winless streak

They finally did it, FC Juarez ended their winless streak defeating Puebla 4-3. For what was the battle of the two teams that occupied the last two places in the general standings table, that match was more entertaining than what was anticipated as indicated by the scoreline.

The Bravos were able to comeback from a 1-0 deficit to get their first win since October of last year, a streak that spanned 15 matches.

The Bravos got the equalizer in stoppage time to make it 1-1 at halftime. Forward Aitor Garcia was the player of the match, scoring two goals for Juarez 10 minutes apart in the early going of the second half. Still the victory did not come easy as Puebla was able to cut into a 2-goal lead on two occasions making it a thrilling contest until the end.

After the match head coach/technical director for Bravos, Maurico Barbieri said, “It was a victory we were all waiting for. I view it as a part of the process. We have to maintain our feet firmly on the ground as we still have a long way to go. It’s an important victory as it helps our spirit and our confidence.”

Barbieri added, “It’s a win that serves well as we enter the final stretch of the regular season in order to work towards obtaining more victories.”

In closing the Brazilian dedicated the victory to Bravos’ fan base and gave them an eloquent message. “I appreciate the fans. In the amount of time they waited for this win you saw the kind of fans FC Juarez has. You saw the strength and character of a fanbase that is very passionate. I appreciate them and I dedicate this win to them. Everything we do over here as a club is for the fans to enjoy and today I’m very happy they enjoyed this win.”

Up next for FC Juarez will be another home match on Easter Sunday against Santos Laguna. The match, originally scheduled for a 9 p.m. MST kickoff has been moved up to a 7:36 pm. MST kickoff. The match will be Broadcast nationally on Fox Deportes (in Spanish) and FS2 (in English) and on VIX (Televisa & Univision’s streaming app).

Locos lose to Lights in first road match of the season

El Paso Locomotive FC fell to the Las Vegas Lights on Saturday evening by the score of 1-0. A header in the 33rd minute by Las Vegas Lights player Fabien Garcia took a bounce of the post that led to a deflection off of Locomotive goalkeeper Javier Garcia for an official own goal was the difference in this one.

As the match progressed the Locos struggled to find the ability to generate any real threats on goal. In the closing stretch of the game, Locos fans were seeing a team where fatigue was evident from playing five matches in the span of two weeks to begin a regular season.

Fortunately for Locomotive they will not have a match over the Easter weekend to allow for some much needed rest. The time off will also allow for head coach/technical director Brain Clarhaut to work on his team’s offensive attack as El Paso only has one goal in four matches.

Hopefully the break will also allow for the visa paperwork to be processed for the three players on loan (Javier Nevarez, Gonzalo Pelua and Ramon Pasquel) from sister organization FC Juarez so they can be considered for playing minutes by Clarhaut.

The next match for El Paso will be against their biggest rival New Mexico United next Saturday, April 6th. In the first edition of the “Derby del Camino Real” for 2024, the Locos will travel up I-25 approximately four hours north to face the team from the ‘Land of Enchantment” in Albuquerque at Isotopes Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST and will be televised via streaming on ESPN+.

FC Juarez Bravas cruise to 5th win of season

FC Juarez Bravas dominated Nexca winning by the score of 4-1 on Monday afternoon on the road in Aguascalientes. The win allowed the Bravas to move up in the general standings table a couple of places into sixth place with 18 points as a result of five wins, three draws and three loses, placing themselves more solidly into the playoff zone (where only the top eight teams advance).

However, FC Juarez can’t let its guard down as the two teams behind them Pumas (in 7th place) and Leon (in 8th place) also have 18 points on the season. The team in 9th place, Toluca is only one point behind with 17 points. Toluca also happens to be the Bravas’ next opponent as they will host them at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium on Saturday night.

A win or a draw can continue to solidify Juarez’s position in the playoffs with only five matches remaining after the match with Toluca.

Kickoff for Saturday night’s match against Toluca is scheduled for a 9 p.m. kickoff and will be televised on Fox Deportes.