Jerome Kiesewetter scored his fourth brace of the season Saturday night to help send El Paso Locomotive FC up in the standings with a 3-0 win against LA Galaxy II. Homegrown talent Omar Salgado scored his first goal at home for the third. The win has El Paso in a 3-way tie for 2nd in the Western Conference alongside Portland Timbers 2 and Phoenix Rising FC. After a surprising loss to Sacramento, New Mexico United’s lead has shrunk to two points overall nearing the midway point of the season.
El Paso was up by 1 following the first half after Kiesewetter’s first goal off a cross by James Kiffe in the 43rd minute. Ten minutes into the second, the Galaxy’s Brian Iloski was sent off the field with a red card after a violent tackle. The temperatures were high, as the referee called for a second hydration break of the evening. El Paso head coach Mark Lowry took advantage of the mock time out to light some fire into his team. The strategy worked when they returned, netting two goals, the second again off a cross by Kiffe, and the final with an assist by Derek Gebhard who had subbed in the 68th minute for Sebastian Contreras.
“I think we were a little bit too sure of ourselves,” Kiesewetter said in the post-match press conference. “They had the red card, we controlled the game, we had position, and then we thought, maybe we would keep 1-0 and go home. In the end, the result looks better than the game was, but that’s how it is sometimes. We have to be cold-blooded up front and score and that’s how you bury teams. We were lucky we scored another one, and then Omar scored in his home game, I’m happy for him.”
Adding to the team’s rise in the standings, Kiesewetter is also tied in second for the most goals scored in the league, despite his late signing in April. When asked about his quick adaption and success with the team, the German-born striker admits he is surprised by his early season success.
“I was hoping for the best but you never know how it works out,” Kiesewetter added. “The guys, everybody here has been welcoming, it makes my job so much easier. The teammates support you, your coach, the staff, every body, and that’s when you adjust a little faster. I didn’t imagine it would be that fast but it’s better for us. My confidence is pretty high, but it has been high before.”
El Paso’s FC Locomotive last defeat was April 13 against Phoenix Rising FC. They had a slow start to the season, losing their inaugural home game to OKC Energy, and followed that with two draws. Fans would have to wait until the end of March before celebrating their new team.
As the Locomotive’s began to gain speed, signing Kiesewetter on April 2 was the turning point. They were in the bottom half of the league, struggling to adapt to Lowry’s style of play and their new teammates. Game after game they dominated possession but had a hard time finding the back of the net. May arrived and the train has been charging full-steam ahead since. The midfield has seen impressive growth and adaptation by Argentine Sebastian Contreras, and El Paso native “Chapa” Herrera. They have faced minor injury setbacks but with each call-up, the depth and strength of the bench is on display, each player making the most of their minutes on the pitch.
“It makes me proud, to know that they’re aware and educated now of what is a good performance, what is not such a good performance,” Lowry said. “Today was in our favor. I felt in the second half we made it harder than it should have been on ourselves, and that’s the frustrating part. You have to enjoy winning, you work so hard when you should be able to enjoy the win but also not get carried away. That’s the culture we’re creating here, a group of guys that’s in there that want to be the best, that want to put something beautiful on the field every time they step out there. Today was good but we can do better.”
El Paso goes back on the road to face Tulsa Roughnecks FC next week, currently 12th in the standings, before returning home on June 22.
