Locomotive FC pulls off major upset against Charleston Battery; Cabrera gets first win as Locomotive head coach

(Courtesy: Locomotive FC)

CHARLESTON, South Carolina -

Against all odds, El Paso Locomotive FC came together to pull off what might possibly be the upset of the season by beating league leaders Charleston Battery 2-1 on the road, ending their historic 11-game unbeaten streak.

In a inspiring display of heart, fight and courage, the Locos flourished on the field to pick up their second win of the season under the direction of new Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera, who led El Paso for the first time since taking over this past Monday.

One could sense newfound confidence and energy in the Locomotive side during the first half who, despite being put consistently under offensive pressure by the Battery, did not deter and held its ground. The first half would end scoreless and El Paso knew it would have an advantage coming into the second half after Charleston's Chris Allan was shown the red just before the break.

It would be Amando Moreno who would bring hope to the Locomotive faithful, tapping in a close-range effort to give El Paso the lead in the 70'.

Despite being a man down and battling to equalize, Charleston continued to demonstrate why they top the league with their dangerous attacking play. They would eventually find the equalizer late in the 87' and it seemed as if the Battery were poised to score another before the end of the match. Yet, in a beautiful counter-attacking move, it would once again be Moreno to the rescue with just three minutes remaining.

El Paso would hold out and manage to secure the three points, beginning the Cabrera era on an absolute high and putting everyone on notice that Locomotive is not out of the fight just yet.

NOTES

• Tonight's match was the first in charge for Wilmer Cabrera since he was announced as Locomotive's new Head Coach on Monday.
• With the win, El Paso snapped Charleston's 11-game unbeaten streak in the league (13-games across all competitions).
• Amando Moreno secured his first brace for El Paso to bring his 2024 total to five goals, the most of any Loco this season. It's the first brace in his career since August 30, 2023, scoring the first two goals for New Mexico United in a 3-3 draw vs Las Vegas Lights FC.
• Tumi Moshobane recorded his second assist of the season with a critical pass to Moreno that secured the win.

FORECAST: 79ºF, cloudy

SCORING SUMMARY

• ELP – Amando Moreno 70', Amando Moreno (Tumi Moshobane) 90+2'
• N/A – Jackson Conway (Graham Smith) 87'

LINEUPS 

ELP – (4-2-3-1) Jahmali Waite, Nick Hinds (Javier Nevarez 59'), Tony Alfaro, Brandan Craig, Lucas Stauffer (Yuma 90'), Liam Rose (Noah Dollenmayer 90'), Eric Calvillo-C, Joaquin Rivas (Bolu Akinyode 59'), Tumi Moshobane, Amando Moreno, Justin Dhillon

Subs Not Used: Ramon Pasquel, Eder Borelli, Miles Lyons

CHS – (4-2-3-1) Daniel Kuzemka, Josh Drack (Dossantos 66'), Graham Smith, Leland Archer, Mark Segbers (Jackson Conway 81'), Chris Allan, Aaron Molloy, Juan Torres (Rodriguez 66'), Emilio Ycaza (Robbie Crawford 77'), Diego Gutiérrez (Nick Markanich 46'), MD Myers

Subs Not Used: Enzo Mori, Matthew Dean, Sebastian Palma, Jake LaCava

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

• ELP – Liam Rose (Yellow) 17', Joaquin Rivas (Yellow) 18', Amando Moreno (Yellow) 29', Bolu Akinyode (Yellow) 60', Tumi Moshobane (Yellow) 67', Yuma (Yellow) 90+4'
• CHS – Ben Pirmann (Yellow) 7', Chris Allan (Yellow) 45', Chris Allan (Red) 45+2', Juan Torres (Yellow) 56'

MATCH STATS: ELP | CHS

GOALS: 2|1
ASSISTS: 1|1
POSSESSION: 51|49
SHOTS: 9|24
SHOTS ON GOAL: 2|3
SAVES: 2|0
FOULS: 17|14
OFFSIDES: 2|0
CORNERS: 4|5

UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive FC invites all members of the LGBTQIA+ community to Southwest University to celebrate its annual Pride Night on Saturday, June 1 when the club welcomes Birmingham Legion FC. A full night of celebrating diversity, inclusion, and unity in the community will be capped off with post-match fireworks. Gates at Southwest University Park open at 6 p.m. MT and kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets.