El Paso USL team names first head coach: ‘We will play attractive, attacking football’
The ownership group behind El Paso’s United Soccer League team named the franchise’s first-ever head coach Wednesday.
During a brief news conference, new coach Mark Lowry said he was drawn to El Paso because the city has a love and passion for football.
“We will play attractive football. We will attack and entertain,” Lowry said, “We will give you a team you will be proud of.”
Lowry previously worked as a staff member with MLS club Orlando City and with two teams in the English Premier League.
Before coming to El Paso, he was the head coach of Jacksonville Armada FC, which has recently competed in the NASL and NPSL – two soccer leagues just a step below the USL.
Lowry has about seven months to put together a team and train them before the club’s first game in March of 2019.
“We have to put a squad together. We have to get a group of 22 players ready and primed on the field, understanding the way I want them to play, understanding each other’s personalities,” he said. “And that involves a lot of homework, a lot of work behind the scenes.”
During the news conference, the team said fans will have to wait a little longer to learn what the team’s name will be. An announcement is expected later this year.
The team also provided an update on the team’s first-ever player: Omar Salgado. The El Paso native is currently on loan with Las Vegas, where he recently came of the bench and scored a game-winning goal, the team said.
