EL PASO, Texas (March 22, 2024) – El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed 15-year-old goalkeeper Santiago Vargas to a USL Academy contract, making him eligible to be rostered ahead of the league match against Las Vegas Lights FC tomorrow, Saturday, March 23 at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+. 

“When I arrived in El Paso in 2022, Santiago and his family were one of the first I met with privately to discuss the future steps we envisioned for him, which we are now happy to see coming to reality” Locomotive Academy Director Ivan Militar said. “It’s been evident since he was 13 that he is a highly talented shot-stopper and has an ability to play with the ball at his feet. The entire Academy community and staff, especially our goalkeeper coach Ivan Meza, are incredibly proud of Santiago’s development and the USL Academy contract is a testament to the work he’s put in to get to this point.”

Vargas, an El Paso native who has been with the Locomotive Academy since 2021, has played for the U-20 Locomotive side since 2022 and played a big part in helping the Locos secure their historic first berth to the USL Academy League Finals in 2023. Additionally, Vargas has trained with the Locomotive first-team since 2022 and was on the roster for Locomotive’s exhibition match against FC Juarez this past Wednesday.