El Paso currently sits in 10th spot in the Western Conference, with 29 points from 21 matches (7 wins, 8 draws, 6 defeats). That’s 18 points less and eight places lower than Rising (14 wins, 5 draws, 2 defeats) over the same number of games.
Locomotive come into this match on a very poor run of form. They haven’t won a game since mid-June, and have lost three of their last five.
A big part of that is down to the team’s struggles in front of goal. El Paso has scored just two goals in their last seven matches, and only one player has scored more than two goals all season – Jerome Kiesewetter.
In fact, El Paso’s goalscoring record is bad enough to leave them in joint-31st place across the whole USL Championship. The only Western teams they’re ahead of are Colorado Springs and Tacoma. Locomotive’s conversion rate is only 11% – well behind Rising’s 20%.
El Paso can be expected to keep the ball on the ground and emphasize a passing style of play. In 10 away games, they’ve averaged 57.6% possession, They are top of the Championship for both number of passes and passing accuracy.
They’re also not too shabby at the back. El Paso is 5th in the Championship with nine clean sheets this season.
A tough side to break down when they’re on the road, El Paso has conceded just nine goals in ten games. They’ve drawn half of those matches, but lost two of their last three at Fresno (3-0) and New Mexico (3-0). In fact, seven of their nine goals conceded on the road this season have been scored in their last three away games.
The majority of El Paso’s goals come either just before, or just after, the half-time interval. They’ve yet to find the net in the first 30 minutes away from home.
They usually fire off 10 shots per away game, with half of them being on target.
The team is also at its best shape defensively early on in each half, conceding most often towards the end of the first half and after the first 15 minutes of the second.
The two sides first met in Texas back in April. Goals from Ben Spencer and Junior Flemmings gave Rising its first win of the season. That was El Paso’s first home defeat at Southwest University Park.
Last Time Out
Last Saturday’s game against Timbers 2 was postponed due to the tragedy at Cielo Vista Mall. El Paso’s last game was a 3-0 defeat to New Mexico United in Albuquerque on July 31. The team lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, but usually favor 4-2-3-1 on the road.
Jermaine Fordah started in goal for El Paso, his second appearance of the year. However, he failed to follow up his first clean sheet, registering just one save in four shots on target in Albuquerque. Originally from London, Fordah has trained with West Ham U-23 and New York Red Bulls II in the past.
Bryam Rebellón was the starting right-back. The last time Rising faced El Paso, Rebellón was leading the side in fouls committed. While he doesn’t top that leaderboard any more, the 27-year-old Colombian has still to receive a card all season. Rebellón is a solid tackler at the back. He’s done the rounds in the U.S. lower leagues, featuring for Swope Park, Jacksonville Armada and Los Dos in recent years.
James Kiffe, El Paso’s starting left-back, has received more than enough cards to make up for Rebellón. Kiffe leads the team with six cautions this year, and is no stranger to committing challenges. His confidence isn’t unearned, however, as he’s won 72% of tackles this season. A native of Santa Barbara, Kiffe made over 80 appearances for Sacramento Republic, before spells with Reno and Charlotte.
Sticking with discipline, central defender Drew Beckie may not always commit fouls (seven in 11 games), but when he does, he gets carded (three yellows). He’s a solid passer out of the back, boasting a 91.1% passing accuracy. Beckie joined from Oklahoma City Energy – where he struggled to get off the bench – in May. He has played at youth level for Canada, and was a part of their 2012 Olympic qualifying squad. However, he missed the final match of that campaign thanks to – you guessed it – yellow card accumulation.
Andrew Fox started alongside Beckie in Albuquerque, and is the only defender from that match who has scored this season. You can expect a safety-first approach from Fox – he’s been responsible for 41 clearances. Fox wasn’t part of the squad that hosted Rising, but he reestablished his spot in the team by the end of May, and has been a common sight at either left-back or centre-back ever since. Fox is originally from Cambridgeshire. This isn’t his first spell in the U.S. – he previously played for St Edward’s University in Austin, as well as the Midland/Odessa Sockers. He joined El Paso from English Football League club Grimsby Town.
Richie Ryan skippered the squad from the heart of midfield in New Mexico, and has featured in all of El Paso’s league matches this season. Expect him to be a key part of El Paso’s build up play, but never at the end of it. He’s yet to score a goal or record an assist this season, but does have a 91.1% passing accuracy, and has contributed 19 key passes. He’s a good reader of the ball, too, with 29 interceptions. At 34, Ryan brings both age and the experience of being part of squads at Sunderland (England) and Royal Antwerp (Belgium). The Irishman joined El Paso from FC Cincinnati.
El Pasoan Louis “Chapa” Herrera also started in midfield on July 31. Originally signed as a local trialist with no previous professional playing time, Herrera has featured in every El Paso match since they faced Rising, and has never been left out of the matchday squad. A card in the Valley this weekend will see him suspended for accumulation. Herrera’s passing numbers are impressive (90.3%), but like Ryan, he doesn’t pose much of a threat towards goal.
21-year-old Edson Partida replaced him in the second half in New Mexico. Partida has bagged two goals this season, which isn’t bad considering his appearances have almost exclusively been off the bench. He’s currently on a season-long loan from Mexican side Toluca.
Nick Ross completed the midfield trio. Ross has contributed one goal and one assist. Both of those came in a 2-2 draw at home to RGV on March 23. A solid tackler (81.8% success rate) Ross previously featured for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Dundee, and has a solitary cap and goal for Scotland’s U-21 team.
Ross made way for Yuma as the first half came to a close. The Spanish midfielder, who boasts a decent record in both tackling (82.6%) and passing (90.7%), has one assist and eight key passes in his 11 appearances this year. Don’t expect him to get too far forward though – he’s only taken one shot all year, and that was off target. Yuma first moved to North America with the short-lived NASL side Rayo OKC, before moving on to Puerto Rico, Jacksonville and finally El Paso.
Sebastian Velasquez is still a relatively new face on the El Paso squad. However, he’s no stranger to the Western Conference, and was named to the all-USL First Team in 2017 while with Real Monarchs. Velasquez signed from Suwon in South Korea’s K-League 2, and has appeared twice for El Paso since then.
He was replaced in the 69th minute in New Mexico by Sebastian Contreras, who continued his streak of playing in all of El Paso’s games this season. Contreras isn’t the best in front of goal, converting only around 7% of shots, but he can cause problems for defenses, and leads the team with 38 chances created. Unfortunately for him, with El Paso’s abysmal goalscoring record, that’s translated to just four assists.
Derek Gebhard started up top in Albuquerque. He has scored two goals so far this season, but both of those came within the first three games of the season. Gebhard is not the strongest in the air, winning just 28.6% of aerial duels despite being 6-ft tall . He signed with El Paso last year ahead of their debut, and was sent to Charlotte in the interim. He’s spent the majority of his professional career with Jacksonville in NASL.
Omar Salgado has featured in every one of El Paso’s 21 league matches to date. The local boy, who signed for Locomotive last season and went on loan to Vegas in the interim, has picked up just two goals this year, despite leading the team with 37 shots. Salgado boasts MLS experience with the Vancouver Whitecaps, and was on the books with Tigres when El Paso came knocking. He’ll have to be careful this weekend, like Herrera, as he’s just one yellow card away from suspension.
Rest of the Roster
Logan Ketterer has been El Paso’s goalkeeper of choice for most of this season, but has fallen out of the starting spot in the last two matches. In his 19 appearances, he’s recorded eight clean sheets and conceded 20 goals, giving him a 66.1% save rate. Ketterer spent the last two years as a backup with Colombus Crew.
Chiró N’Toko is finding himself slowly edged out of the side. He started the season as captain at centre-back, missing only their match against Rising up until mid-June. However, N’Toko has made only one appearance since their win over Tulsa on June 15, and has been on the bench for the last three matches. He’s performed well on the ground with a passing accuracy over 90%, but has let himself down in the air.
Moses Makinde is a fairly new acquisition for El Paso. He joined in July from Tulsa as part of a swap deal with Calvin Rezende. Makinde has been on the bench in each game since then, making two appearances for his new club. Given El Paso’s passing style, it will be interesting to see how coach Mark Lowry expects Makine to fit in, given his 71.7% passing accuracy over the season.
Jerome Kiesewetter not only leads the team in goals (10), but is the only El Paso player to have more than two to his name. However, he hasn’t scored since mid-June. Part of that is down to his recent absence. He hasn’t been in the squad for any of El Paso’s last three games. Locomotive fans will be hoping to see the ex-Stuttgart and Fortuna Dusseldorf man back in action soon.
Man In the Middle
Referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. has been given the whistle for this weekend’s match. Gonzalez served as a Video Assistant Referee in MLS last season, and was given two top-flight assignments back in May. He is predominantly a USL-level official though, and took charge of Rising’s 4-0 victory over Tacoma Defiance in April. Gonzalez made headlines in 2017 in a controversial match between FC Cincinnati and Rochester Rhinos. He awarded Rochester three penalties in the last 12 minutes. He also sent off a Cincinnati player, substitute and coach, leading to both Cincy and USL expressing concerns to the organization responsible for refereeing at the professional level.
From the Ashes Prediction: Once Rising scores two, it’ll be game over.