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Sisters FC Juarez, Locomotive give El Paso soccer fans a fun, friendly show
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- Sisters FC Juarez, Locomotive give El Paso soccer fans a fun, friendly show
The friendliest of friendlies at Southwest University Park was summed up by Kelly Sorenson and her family.
A regular at El Paso Locomotive games , she was proudly decked out in her lime green FC Juarez Bravos jersey to see the friendly between her Liga MX team and her USL club.
Daniel Fernandez of 8th Notch fan club for Locomotive FC gets fans excited as the Derby Paso Del Norte begins between FC Bravos and El Paso Locomotive FC on March 20, 2024 at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas.
Next to her was her son Andrew Gemoets in his blue Locos jersey, same as his children 8-year-old Sofia and 6-year-old Aaron.
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"I love it, I'm excited about it," Sorenson said. "Sister cities, two home teams!"
Her son was of similar sentiments.
"I'm a Locos fan, but I'm for both teams," Andrew Gemoets said. "Sister cities. This is a great deal, this is exciting. I've been waiting for this."
Sofia and Aaron said they were Locomotive fans, but when reminded what she was really cheering for, Sofia shouted "Everything!"
For the record, she had more goals to cheer about for FC Juarez, as the team at Mexico 's highest level beat the team from the United States' second level, 3-0, with all the goals coming in the second half.
Cristian "Chino" Alarcon of 8th Notch fan club for Locomotive FC gets fans excited as the Derby Paso Del Norte begins between FC Bravos and El Paso Locomotive FC on March 20, 2024 at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas.
There was a lot of cheering for everything at Southwest University Park on Wednesday night for an unsanctioned friendly between the MountainStar Sports sisters. It marked the fourth time the clubs have met in some capacity, but the first time north of the border, the first time it was branded the Derby del El Paso Norte and the first time they've sold tickets.
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According to an e-mail from the Locomotive that went out at 11:33 a.m. Wednesday, they sold all of them, pretty much assuring that this will happen again. The official attendance of 8,372 was the second biggest in club history.
The festivities were kicked off by Leandro Carijo, who sounded the Locomotive horn. He was with FC Juarez from 2015-20, then finished it with 40 appearances for the Locomotive from 2020-21. He was wearing an FC Juarez jersey for this game and laughingly pointed to it when asked who he was rooting for, but, like so many in the packed stadium Wednesday, he was all about a good time.
"For me it's so beautiful to watch this game, watch this night," he said. "I'm excited. I want a good show. The fans win."
Judging by jerseys in the stands and by sound, the crowd was evenly divided. Juarez's Cartel supporters' club wasn't officially representing like the 8th Notch in the South end zone, but the Cartel was evident in the upper deck alongside the North goal and in the grass behind it.
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In the stands and on the field, El Paso's mascot Ozzy, a bat, and FC Juarez's Bennie, a horse, hung out together and spent much of their time posing together with fans for pictures. Fans cheered both national anthems, something that doesn't always happen when the Mexican national anthem and the Star Spangled Banner are played at soccer matches.
The Locomotive lineup included three loan players from FC Juarez, generally a no-no in these friendlies but waived for this one.
Like Carijo said, this was about the fans, who clearly were the winners.
"For both teams this is an historic moment: Playing in front of a sold-out crowd, on the border, Liga MX, USL Championship," MountainStar president Alan Ledford said. "We're thrilled, obviously the community is thrilled based on the fact that it's a sellout."
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"I just want to see a good match," said local soccer expert Joe Rodriguez, who works for 600 ESPN El Paso and closely follows both teams. "Given the form both teams are in, they could use it."
Andres Gonzalez and his friend Eason Patterson were two of the first fans in Southwest University Park when the gates for the 7:30 p.m. match opened at 6 p.m., and the two, wearing Mexican national team jerseys, were representative.
"Honestly, not going to lie: The Bravos are my team, so a Bravos win," Gonzalez said.
Said Patterson: "I'm 50-50, I'm looking for a good game."
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They got that. There were ample substitutions for both sides, who were coming off a Saturday match and looking at another this coming Saturday, but there was action on both ends, and action of the best kind in the stands with two friendly, overlapping fan bases in a midweek sellout.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: FC Juarez, Locomotive give El Paso soccer fans a fun, friendly show
