USL announces return to play on July 11

EL PASO, Texas -- The El Paso Locomotive are closer than ever to returning to the pitch.

On Friday, it was made official after the USL Championship and its players’ association came to a “formal agreement” to open its season on July 11.

In a news release from the USL, the league said both sides are actively preparing for a July 11 restart to the 2020 season, and that negotiations are continuing for a collective bargaining agreement.

The collective bargaining agreement would be the first in the USL Championship’s history.

The news means that at the very least, soccer will return to the Sun City, and the El Paso Locomotive will resume their season/

However, there are a few details that are still unknown at this time.

The Athletic is reporting that games will be played in home stadiums.

And while it appears USL games will played in local markets, the question of whether fans will be allowed to attend is still up in the air.

Another bit of good news for USL players is that they will not see a decrease in their salary.

The El Paso Locomotive were only able to play one game of the 2020 season before it was suspended due to covid-19.

That game was played on the road, and the Locomotive have yet to play a game at home in 2020.