EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC announced on Monday the club had signed forward Joaquin Rivas ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Rivas joins El Paso after recording double-digit goals in a season for the second time in his career in the USL Championship, leading Miami FC with 10 goals and three assists in the campaign. Rivas has recorded 42 goals and 15 assists in 173 regular season appearances in the Championship, having also previously competed for FC Tulsa, Saint Louis FC and Sacramento Republic FC

“Joaquin is a technically gifted player with extreme footballing IQ and has a ton of experience in both the USL and internationally with El Salvador,” said Locomotive FC Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Clarhaut. “He had a fantastic year in Miami, and we look forward to welcoming a player like Joaquin whose quality will be enjoyed by our fans and community here in El Paso.”

Rivas is the third El Salvador senior international on Locomotive FC’s 2024 roster, alongside Eric Calvillo and Amando Moreno. Rivas most recently appeared for La Selecta in the September window of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League and has four goals and three assists in 34 matches.

Analysis

Joaquin Rivas adds plenty of experience to El Paso Locomotive FC’s attacking group for the new season, but the goal for the 31-year-old will be to find a higher level of consistency this season after a season in Miami when he produced some big performances – including the first hat trick of his career in the league – but also others where his attacking output was more limited.

Overall this past campaign, Rivas averaged 1.25 shots on target per 90 minutes, 2.44 shots per 90 minutes overall, and 0.87 chances created per 90 minutes. Finding a connection with his new teammates – including fellow forward and El Salvador international Amando Moreno – is going to be important if Rivas is to have the desire impact for Locomotive FC.