El Paso Locomotive Cruise In First Preseason Match

El Paso Locomotive FC had their first preseason match versus Texas United on Saturday afternoon at their training facility. The Locomotive got their first win of the preseason by a score of 3-1. In a match that consisted of 2 abbreviated halves of play, El Paso dominated possession with little effort for its duration.

The first goal of the match came in the 16th minute of play when center defender Chiro N’Toko scored off of a corner kick. N’Toko headed the ball and placed it in the lower right corner of the goal.

Forward and local favorite Omar Salgado would score in the 36th and 66th minute of play.

As for what you saw from this team from a technical standpoint, well it can summed up in one word, "interesting". The Locomotive came out in what appeared to be 4-1-4-1 formation that allowed for the team to attack in numbers. The defensive line of 4 was solid, and while they were not tested with great frequency on Saturday they showed order and disciple. The three center defenders that saw action and the right back stood out.

It will be interesting to see this team’s play style and philosophy develop over the course of the preseason, because after this first match you can already see that it is in its infancy stages but the seed has been firmly planted. The team runs as one across all 3 sectors of the field of play with the idea of looking to attack as quickly as possible.

El Paso’s next preseason match will be next Saturday, February 2nd at 2pm versus the Hooligans. The match will take place at the Locomotive training facility, behind closed doors, with no access to the public.