El Paso Locomotive Hold Off Sacramento 2–1 to Stay Unbeaten in USL Championship
Goals from Amando Moreno and Alex Méndez gave El Paso a 2–0 halftime lead, and the club survived a red card and a late penalty to win in Sacramento on Saturday night.
By Valentina Cruz ·
El Paso Locomotive FC extended its unbeaten start to the 2026 USL Championship season on Saturday night, beating Sacramento Republic FC 2–1 at Heart Health Park in California.
El Paso took the lead in the 25th minute. Amando Moreno scored from the center of the box after a pass from Eric Calvillo. Before halftime, Moreno drew a foul inside the penalty area, and Alex Méndez converted the resulting penalty into the top corner in the 37th minute to make it 2–0 at the break.
The match changed after the interval. Calvillo, who had been booked in the 44th minute, received a second yellow card in the 55th, leaving Locomotive with 10 men. Sacramento pushed forward and finished with 61 percent of possession and a 17–8 edge in shots, including 7 on target to El Paso's 3.
Goalkeeper Sebastian Mora-Mora kept the visitors ahead. Sacramento's only goal came on a penalty in stoppage time, in the 92nd minute, but Mora-Mora made back-to-back saves in the final minute to secure the win. His six saves matched his career high in a USL Championship regular-season match. He also made six saves at Lexington SC on Oct. 11, 2025, and in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Laredo Heat SC on March 19, 2026.
The result carried some club history. It was El Paso's first win at Sacramento since its inaugural 2019 season, when it won 2–1 there on Sept. 28, 2019. Locomotive now lead the all-time series 8–5, and the teams meet again on Oct. 17, 2026, at Southwest University Park. It was also the first time since March 12, 2022, that El Paso scored first in Sacramento. That night Emmanuel Soupe scored in the 27th minute, but El Paso lost 3–1.
Moreno and Méndez each have two goals this season, both of them on the road. Both of Méndez's goals have come from set pieces: a free kick at Monterey Bay and the penalty kick in Sacramento.
Through four matches, Locomotive have scored nine goals, the second-highest total to start a season in club history behind the 11 scored in 2025. Their six regular-season goals are the most the club has scored to open a USL Championship regular season.
El Paso now plays a fourth consecutive match away from home, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M., to face rival New Mexico United in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MT at UNM Soccer Stadium. Locomotive then return home on Saturday, April 4, at 7 p.m. to host Las Vegas Lights FC at Southwest University Park.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: KVIA ABC-7
