El Paso Locotomotive cruise to comfortable away victory over Phoenix Rising
El Paso Locotomotive claimed a 3-1 victory against Phoenix Rising in the Group Stage of the USL Championship on Saturday evening at the Phoenix Rising Stadium. The visitors took control early and never looked back, finishing the match with three goals to one despite a late red card for their hosts. El Paso moved clear at the top of the table with the win, while Phoenix dropped further down.
R. Rubin opened the scoring in the 11th minute, catching the home defence off guard with a well-taken effort. R. Czichos doubled the advantage before the break with a clinical finish in the 41st minute. E. Calvillo added a third shortly after the restart, and Rubin completed his brace in stoppage time at 90+6 minutes to seal the result.
The match was never particularly open, with Phoenix struggling to create clear-cut opportunities despite enjoying more possession. El Paso's defence sat deep and soaked it up, then picked them apart on the counter. The visitors were more efficient with their chances, carving them open when it mattered most.
Phoenix's problems multiplied when L. Biasi received a red card in the 80th minute, leaving the home side to finish with ten men. The hosts made several changes in the final stages, bringing on D. Gomez and D. Rivera at 66 minutes, followed by A. Moreno and A. Mendez at 72 minutes. El Paso made their own substitutions, taking off R. Czichos at 83 minutes and E. Calvillo at 90+2.
Phoenix dominated possession at 53 per cent but could only manage four shots on target from 13 attempts, giving them a 24 per cent accuracy rate. El Paso were more clinical, hitting five of their nine shots on target for a 45 per cent conversion rate. The visitors created two big chances compared to Phoenix's three, but took them far more effectively.
The result extends El Paso's lead at the summit of the table to 13 points over their nearest challengers. They sit on 46 points from 25 games, with 14 wins and four draws. Phoenix remain in 10th place on 33 points, having won eight and drawn nine of their matches so far.
