El Paso Locomotive FC Begin Small Group Training Sessions

After months of inactivity, the United Soccer League is slowly working its way back to the pitch during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this week, the league announced that clubs could resume training, but in small groups. El Paso Locomotive FC started their return to practice with no more than four players per group.

"I actually couldn't go to sleep last night; it felt like Christmas Eve," Locomotive FC head coach Mark Lowry said. "It felt like the first day of preseason again, it really did. It's been a great morale boost, with a lot of smiling faces. To get back out there, the guys are extremely happy and that it was today was all about."

Coach Lowry said that every player on his club filed out a questionnaire last week. One of the questions asked about which four players they spent the most time with over the last two months, which made it easier to assign them in the small groups for their training sessions.

Locomotive FC general manager Andrew Forrest was asked about the possibility of playing in front of no fans. The club has an agreement with ESPN+ to televise all of their matches, and they also have a local partnership with KVIA to put their home matches on the CW. "We are planning some other fun interactive experiences and they have to be more virtual in nature," Forrest said. "We will still do everything we can to get the best fan experience we can to everyone that's interested; from our season seat holders to the 8th Notch and everyone on down. We want people to still consume everything that we are putting out there and we are hopeful that eventually we are able to get fans in (Southwest University Park)."