El Paso Locomotive FC has signed 20-year-old forward Emiliano Rodriguez to his first pro contract, making him the third Locomotive Academy graduate to sign professional terms with the club. | Photo courtesy Ivan Pierre Aguirre / El Paso Locomotive FC
EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC announced on Monday it had signed Academy forward and Ciudad Juárez native Emiliano Rodriguez to his first professional contract, making the 20-year-old the third homegrown academy product in club history. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.
“We could not be any happier or prouder of Emiliano, who now carries a flag for all young footballers in the Borderplex,” said Locomotive Academy Director Ivan Militar. “Emiliano is a prototype player, who showed up unexpectedly at the Academy's doorstep. He was technical, smart and crafty and over time, proved that being talented isn’t just about being skillful, but that being talented also means you have the desire to work hard. On his first training session with the Academy, he was grateful for his ‘last chance’ as he called it. Turns out, it wasn’t his last chance but rather the beginning of a new life for him in football.”
Rodriguez has appeared in three matches so far for the Locos across all competitions and has been present in several gameday rosters throughout the season. He also featured in the inaugural Derby Paso Del Norte against FC Juárez and has been a part of First Team training since the start of the year.
“Emiliano is an incredibly talented young man and we are excited to sign him to a full professional contract with El Paso Locomotive FC,” said Locomotive Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera. “This is truly a significant moment in Locomotive history, and we are thankful to the Locomotive Academy for the job they have done developing players with high quality and strong mentality like Emiliano. We hope Emiliano can help pave a future path for more players in the Borderplex and we look forward to seeing him continue his soccer career with our team.”
Rodriguez’s signing is the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. As a youngster he went to Mexico City to chase his dreams of becoming a professional player. However, things did not pan out the way he would have liked, and he eventually returned home to Juárez. He eventually moved to El Paso in his early teens, where he heard about the Locomotive Academy. Following a successful tryout he earned his way into the Locomotive Academy U-20 side. He was an integral part of the U-20's historic USL Academy season last year and helped the team earn its first ever appearance in the USL Academy League Finals, earning selection to the All-Tournament Second Team.
“[I’m] happy, there's nothing else I can say to describe this feeling,” said Rodriguez. “It’s the first contract I sign with a team, so I’m thankful to all coaches and staff. They took me in and cared about me. They accepted me, the way I play and the way I am, so I'm just happy to be here.”
Since its founding in 2020, the Locomotive Academy has excelled in its mission to provide the El Paso community a platform for success through competitive soccer. By providing El Pasoans a supportive and competitive environment, the Locomotive Academy paves the way for its players to reach success at either professional and/or collegiate levels.
The Locomotive Academy has made great strides since its establishment, having signed two other players to professional contracts in an historic announcement back in 2022 and graduating 15 local homegrown players to play collegiate soccer.