ECNL Boys promotes two Texas-based clubs from Regional Leagues to national platform

The ECNL Boys announced the promotion of FC Westlake (TX) and the addition of El Paso Locomotive FC (TX) for the 2024-25 season.

FC Westlake currently leads the standings in three of the six age groups in the ECNL Regional League Boys – Texas, and have demonstrated consistent excellent performance across multiple age groups for several years. At ECNL St. Louis this past fall, FC Westlake’s B11 team shined against ECNL Boys clubs, posting an undefeated 2-0-1 record at the event, while at ECNL Las Vegas the B08 team posted a 2-1 record. This is yet another example of a club taking the pathway from the ECNL Regional League into the ECNL Boys.

FC Westlake Executive Director Stephen Ferguson described how the promotion will only help elevate the development of players within the club.

“I am thrilled to announce FC Westlake’s promotion into the ECNL Boys for the upcoming 2024-25 season,” said Ferguson. “This marks a significant milestone in our club’s journey, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Our pathway through the ECNL Regional League has been instrumental in preparing our players for this level of competition, and we believe that entering the ECNL Boys will further elevate the standard of development for our talented players.”

“Our goals extend beyond the field; we aim to instill a culture of excellence, foster growth, and provide a platform that challenges our players and nurtures their passion for the beautiful game. This promotion into the ECNL Boys league is a testament to our commitment to creating a positive and competitive environment for our players, ensuring they are well-equipped for success both on and off the pitch.”

FC Westlake began their ECNL journey in the ECNL Regional League – Texas in the 2022-23 season, and this promotion reflects their remarkable rise and growth.

Located in a geographically isolated area of West Texas, El Paso Locomotive FC will join the ECNL Boys Mountain Conference for the 2024-25 season, based upon its proximity to New Mexico. With a professional team in the USL Championship and a multi-club model that puts them under the same ownership umbrella as Liga MX’s FC Juarez, Locomotive is the only organization in the United States that has a professional team in both Mexico and the United States .

In a statement from club leadership, El Paso Locomotive FC says that this move to the ECNL will help them continue to achieve their goals of providing the best pathways for the future of their players.

“This is one of the most important, if not the most important announcement since we established our Academy a couple of years ago. It is amazing to see how far we have come in such a short period of time. Joining the ECNL is a huge step forward for our membership, but also it is a clear declaration of our goals for the future. We want to provide the best of the best when it comes to youth soccer, showing a clear pathway to the next level for our players, whether it is continuing their academic and athletic careers in college or playing professionally. We believe that the platform ECNL provides will help us achieve those goals in the immediate future.”

Prior to his time at El Paso Locomotive FC, Academy Director Ivan Militar previously spent time with Richmond United (2019-2021) where he served as the Head Coach of their U15 and U16 teams, helping lead both teams to the ECNL Playoffs.

“Our unveiling of FC Westlake and El Paso Locomotive FC as new members of the ECNL Boys reinforces our commitment to identifying tangible and direct pathways for clubs willing to prove their competitive level while recognizing the country has talented players deserving of the very same opportunities even when not previously represented within national league structures,” said ECNL Boys Commissioner, Jason Kutney. “Westlake will promote into one of the nation’s most dominant youth soccer conferences in Texas and Locomotive will help to elevate the growing competitive level of our Mountain Conference.”

Along with these two additions, the ECNL is also thrilled to announce the merger of two ECNL Boys clubs in New Mexico, Rio Rapids SC and New Mexico Rush beginning in the 2024-25 season. This merger further strengthens the competitive player pool in New Mexico, and with the addition of El Paso Locomotive, will tremendously increase competition in the southeast corner of the Mountain Conference.

“We believe our two clubs, coming together, represents an opportunity for our players to compete at a higher level,” the leadership of both clubs announced in a statement. “We are excited for the two most successful clubs in the history of New Mexico soccer to come together to create a club with one singular vision. The merger will put the New Mexico soccer community in a stronger position to highlight our players’ talent all across the country, as well as provide a first-rate local infrastructure for players of all levels.”

Further ECNL Boys additions will be announced in the coming weeks.