Locomotive to Face Rival New Mexico United in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round
EL PASO, Texas – March 20, 2026 – El Paso Locomotive FC will continue its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign with a rivalry matchup against New Mexico United in the Second Round of the tournament.
The second-round matchup is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. MT at UNM Soccer Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
The meeting renews one of the most intense rivalries in the region and marks the second time the two clubs have faced off in Open Cup play. Their last Open Cup meeting came in the Third Round of the 2025 tournament, where Locomotive advanced after a 2–2 draw, winning 4–1 in a penalty shootout.
El Paso and New Mexico United are set to clash three additional times in 2026. Locomotive will travel to Albuquerque on Wednesday, May 6, in league play, before hosting the southwest rivals on Saturday, July 11, as part of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. The two sides will then close out the regular season against each other at Southwest University Park on Saturday, October 24
US OPEN CUP RESULTS
| ROUND | DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | SCORE | LOCATION |
| 2 | 5/15/19 | Forward Madison FC | L | 3-0 | El Paso, TX |
| 2 | 4/5/22 | Central Valley Fuego FC | L | 4-1 | Clovis, CA |
| 2 | 4/5/23 | Union Omaha | L | 2-0 | Omaha, NE |
| 3 | 4/17/24 | Union Omaha | D | 0(5)-0(3) | Papilion, NE |
| 1 | 3/19/25 | Harpos FC | W | 5-1 | El Paso, TX |
| 2 | 4/2/25 | Ventura County FC | W | 3-0 | Carson, CA |
| 3 | 4/16/25 | New Mexico United | D | 2(4)-2(1) | Albuquerque, NM |
| 4 | 5/7/25 | Austin FC | L | 3-2 | Austin, TX |
| 1 | 3/19/26 | Laredo Heat SC | W | 2-0 | Laredo, TX |
