El Paso Locomotive FC sign defender Lucas Stauffer from Las Vegas Lights FC
(Courtesy: El Paso Locomotive FC)
EL PASO, Texas - El Paso Locomotive FC has signed defender Lucas Stauffer from Las Vegas Lights FC ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season, the club announced today.
The transaction is pending league and federal approval.
"It’s nice and exciting to bring Lucas to El Paso,” Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut said. “He is an extremely technical competitor with top mentality who leaves everything on the field and is a student of the game. He is an experienced right back who has high level games in the USL Championship as well as in Germany. Our roster grows stronger by adding Lucas and I can’t wait to get him on the pitch to show our fans what he is capable of!”
Stauffer, a 28-year-old Kentucky native, arrives after a strong season with Las Vegas in 2023, playing in every match of the regular season to finish as the club’s assist leader (6), chance creation leader (49) and minutes leader (2,938).
Additionally, he scored three goals and was third in duels won (157) and tackles won (47) for Lights FC.
"I’m grateful to add to the culture, community and sporting success that has already been established,” Stauffer said. “I’m excited to get down to El Paso, meet [the fans] and have an exciting 2024 season.”
Prior to his arrival in Las Vegas, Stauffer spent four seasons playing in Regionalliga Nordost, the German fourth tier, with FSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen (2019-20) and FC Carl Zeiss Jena (2020-22).
In total between both clubs, Stauffer made 73 appearances, assisted 19 and scored once.
With Carl Zeiss Jena, he was a three-time winner of the Thuringia Cup, a regional cup competition that sees cup winners qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the most prestigious domestic knockout cup competition in German football.
Stauffer got his professional start in the USL Championship with New York Red Bulls II in 2018, appearing in 20 matches and scoring twice in the club’s run to the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final.
Stauffer played college soccer at Creighton University between 2014-17 and was named Big East Conference All-Rookie Team in 2014, First Team All-Big East Conference in 2016, and USC Second Team All-Great Lakes Region and First Team All-Big East Conference in 2017.
While in college, Stauffer spent time with USL League Two sides Capital FC (formerly Portland Timbers U23), Ocala Stampede and Des Moines Menace.
Future roster transactions will be announced as Locomotive prepares for its sixth season in the USL Championship.
El Paso Locomotive FC’s 2024 roster as it currently stands is listed below, alphabetically by position.
Goalkeepers (2): Javier Garcia, Jahmali Waite
Defenders (6): Tony Alfaro, Noah Dollenmayer, Nick Hinds, Miles Lyons, Elijah Martin, Lucas Stauffer
Midfielders (8): Diego Abarca, Bolu Akinyode, Arun Basuljevic, Eric Calvillo, Chris Garcia, Luis Moreno, Petar Petrovic, Liam Rose
Forwards (5): Justin Dhillon, Amando Moreno, Tumi Moshobane, Joaquin Rivas, Ricardo Zacarias
