EL PASO, Texas — The USL Championship playoff bracket is locked in, and El Paso Locomotive FC will open its postseason at home in El Paso, Texas, against an in-state rival.
The Locos are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and will host No. 6 San Antonio FC in a quarterfinal on Friday, Oct. 30, at Southwest University Park. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Mountain time. The matchup is a Copa Tejas meeting between the two Texas clubs.
El Paso had a shot at the top seed going into the final night of the regular season, but a stoppage-time goal by New Mexico United’s Valentin Noel handed the Locos a 1-0 home loss on Saturday and sent the No. 1 spot to their rivals instead. A crowd of 5,770 watched in the rain.
El Paso outshot New Mexico 17 to 10 but could not find the back of the net on the night. Goalkeeper Abraham Romero made a key late save before the winner came deep in added time. It was the first time since July that the Locos lost two matches in a row.
This is the second straight fall the club will host a first-round playoff game at its downtown stadium. A year ago, El Paso was knocked out in the first round by Phoenix Rising FC by a 1-0 score.
El Paso finished the regular season with 50 points, sixth best in the league. San Antonio, a former league champion, clinched a playoff berth by beating Orange County 2-1 on the last night.
The bracket is fixed, with no re-seeding between rounds. Conference semifinals are set for Nov. 6-8, conference finals for Nov. 13-15, and the league final is Saturday, Nov. 21.
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