Midfielder Sebastian Velasquez looked up at the Fresno FC goalkeeper ready to shoot a penalty kick in the final minutes of the first playoff match for El Paso. A tied game and a chance for an upset was a spot Velasquez knew well. In 2013, in his second season in Major League Soccer, he faced a penalty kick for a chance to win the MLS Cup for Real Salt Lake. He missed.
Velasquez had grown by leaps and bounds following that experience, overcoming depression and alcoholism before arriving back in the USL. He had been on one of the best teams in the league and yet had not surpassed the first rounds of playoffs. Fast forward to present day, he was back on the spot with a historic semifinal at stake for this first-year team. Supporters back in El Paso had the local bars filled, watching in suspense.
A few steps forward, marking his spot in the back right corner of the net, the Colombian shot a bullet off his left foot powering past the keeper for the win. Stunned with joy and relief, he ran to his teammates who stormed the field to celebrate. The team would be coming home for the semis.
Velasquez was a late addition to the Sun City, signing with Locomotive FC in July after a short stretch with a club in South Korea. The MLS veteran had plenty of offers to choose from, including a dream opportunity to play first division soccer with Atlético Huila in his native Colombia.
“I also had a lot of offers here in the USL, Phoenix wanted me but it was the teams that could afford it that stuck with it,” Velasquez said speaking exclusively to ISNSoccer.com Wednesday. “When Coach [Lowry] reached out to me, he asked me what I wanted and what my intentions were; a bunch of different things to see what I was interested in.”
The 28-year-old also had a baby on the way. He wanted to raise his family in the United States but wanted to be sure El Paso was the right fit. Locomotive FC and Head Coach Mark Lowry were happy to offer a short, six-month contract that Velasquez signed to begin his season with the Sun City team in July.
“My girlfriend was at her eighth month in pregnancy so I needed to be somewhere where I knew she was going to be safe and healthy,” he said. “I had to make that decision and figure out what I wanted to do.”
After settling in from overseas and getting back to fitness, Velasquez quickly got to work. The team had suffered a rocky summer facing injuries and a tough string of losses. Coach Lowry set high standards and the players delivered, finishing as the sixth seed, the highest of any expansion team in the Western Conference. Fresno FC had finished second behind Phoenix before being eliminated last weekend. Saturday, the Locomotive will face Sacramento, who they have beaten already twice this season.
“We’re in a situation where we are at home and we have a chance to make it to the conference final? It’s a massive thing,” Velasquez said. “The USL has grown so much in the last couple of years. We have so much professionalism here in El Paso and a beautiful stadium. This feels like division 1 soccer, like MLS, when you have such a big stadium packed and people are screaming, with the fireworks, the nice pictures after the games, that’s top notch.”
Yellow and blue lights along with Locomotive FC flags have flooded the downtown area around the stadium in anticipation for Saturday’s match, hoping to give the boys that extra push to reach the finals.
“Apart from being focused on the field, trying to execute the plan and beat another team is to see the crowd and hear how loud they are,” he adds. “El Paso has created an environment that has put us in such a position to be successful now and in the future. I think it’s starting to show from the players to the staff to the results we’re having. Saturday will be the biggest game in the history of El Paso soccer.”
Beyond all the fan fare and competition, he emphasizes the significance of these opportunities that allows for contracts and putting food on the table for the players. His own contract is set to expire at the end of November with no news expected until after the championship campaign. Before ending the interview, Velasquez confirms the happy news his family has just closed on a house.
“It seems like El Paso is going to be our new home.”
Photo Credit: El Paso Locomotive FC
