Locomotive FC head coach Mark Lowry named USL Championship Coach of the Month
(Courtesy: El Paso Locomotive FC)
EL PASO, Texas - Head Coach and Technical Director Mark Lowry was named USL Championship’s Coach of the Month for July following a six-game undefeated month.
This is Lowry’s first time being named Coach of the Month by USL Championship.
“It’s a credit to the guys and how they’ve worked and the sustained success they’ve had,” said Lowry. “The staff – Matt [Williams], Dom [Casciato], JC [Garzon], Saul [Soto], Ricardo [Ruiz], Nate [Soto] – those guys make my job a lot easier on a daily basis. It’s a great staff we’ve put together and a great group of players. We continue to do well, which is a credit to them and the club.”
In his third season with El Paso Locomotive FC, Lowry has built a winning culture that has seen nothing but success as the club claimed five wins and one draw through July.
Lowry led the Locos to three straight wins starting on July 3, as the Sun City club downed New Mexico United and Las Vegas Lights at home, 2-1 and 1-0 respectively, while claiming all three points on the road in Utah with a 3-1 win over Real Monarchs in between.
The Loco Blue closed out the month of July with a hard-fought road point against New Mexico United in its first visit to Isotopes Park before taking two back-to-back wins against Copa Tejas rivals San Antonio FC (2-0) and Austin Bold FC (3-0).
The undefeated July has paved the way for Locomotive to take the top spot of not just the Mountain Division but the USL Championship with 37 points after 16 matches.
“It feels good to be at the top at the halfway point. We obviously want to be at the top and stay there,” shared Lowry. “We want to get the top of the Mountain Division and the overall standings. The hard part is staying there though. This has been a continued effort from Day One to get to where we are now. Two and half years of preparation, of work on the field every single day, sticking to the process, believing in what we do. Now we have to stay there but I think we have a squad of players that are resilient. They can manage tough moments and tough schedules like we’ve had the last couple of weeks. These guys give us a great chance of being successful this season.”
Lowry received 52 percent of the vote to take the third monthly award of the season.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Bob Lilley finished in second on 18 percent after leading the Hounds to four wins in five games during an undefeated month, while Louisville City FC’s Danny Cruz finished third on 17 percent after leading his side to a 5-1-1 record that saw the club record 16 goals across its seven games.
The USL Championship’s Coach of the Month award is voted upon by the USL Championship National Media Panel and the USL Championship Technical Committee, with each group responsible for 50 percent of the overall vote.
