El Paso Locomotive FC held a halftime lead before falling 2-1 against Liga MX side FC Juarez on Wednesday in a preseason exhibition. Midfielder Chapa Herrera recorded the lone Locomotive FC goal in the first half, before Juarez scored two unanswered in the second half to clinch the win.

“The first half was great,” said Head Coach and Technical Director Mark Lowry. “There was good fitness from the guys, FC Juarez showed up and was a very good team, and it made for a very enjoyable very competitive game. There were some tackles out there and neither team wanted to lose but that’s the best way to play, to develop the relationship across the Borderland, and for us to develop our preseason progress. I’m disappointed not to win, that’s always the case, but all-in-all a really good game.”

El Paso kicked off on the front foot, dominating possession and passing, and that paid off in early attempts on goal through forward Leandro Carrijo and midfielder Dylan Mares. On the opposite end, goalkeeper Logan Ketterer and his backline held off any Juarez attack to keep the game level. Just past the half-hour mark, Los Locos found the breakthrough through Herrera, who cleaned up a shot by Mares that was deflected out by the Juarez goalkeeper.

Going into the second half, Lowry began to play new faces for his squad, putting in trialists throughout the match that included some Locomotive Youth Soccer Club hopefuls. Throughout the half, Locomotive FC was able to put in solid chances towards goal thanks to a strong outing by new arrivals Aidan Apodaca and Luis Solignac with support from Herrera and a trialist, but the Locos attack was unable to find the insurance goal needed. In the end, the experienced Juarez side slipped in two goals to take the advantage unanswered, clinching the preseason win for the Bravos.