Austin FC avoided an early exit from the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, overcoming a two-goal halftime deficit to defeat USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive, 3-2, at Q2 Stadium.
El Paso shocked the home crowd in the first half behind a pair of goals from a familiar name in Austin soccer circles. Beto Avila, who previously played for the now-defunct Austin Bold in the USL Championship, silenced Q2 Stadium with a pair of goals.
Less than a minute after having a goal called offside, Avila received a pass from Amando Moreno on the left wing. Avila took a couple of touches, gained the penalty box and fired a low shot which beat Austin goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland to the near post in the 20th minute.
Austin FC continued to put pressure on the El Paso goal. Moments after forcing a point blank save from El Paso goalkeeper Jamali Waite, Austin’s Brandon Vasquez put his head to a cross just outside the six-yard box. His header rang off the crossbar in the 32nd minute.
A minute later, El Paso sprang to live on the other end, forcing a diving save by Cleveland on a shot from about 30 yards out. Then shortly after that, in the 34th minute, Avila received a cross but his touch got away from him, only to have the ball deflect off a defender. Avila chased it down in the box and launched a shot to the far post.
The frustration among the Austin supporters was clear as loud boos rang out at halftime with the hosts trailing 2-0.
“What happened here in halftime was we had a real hard, honest talk amongst ourselves and some words were said,” said midfielder Jon Gallagher. “But I think we were addressing the facts and not caring about the guys’ feelings—we’ve got to do our jobs here, and that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Despite the deficit, Austin created several chances—particularly through forward Brandon Vázquez, who was active throughout the first half but couldn’t find the breakthrough. As the saying goes, la red no quería ceder—the ball simply didn’t want to go in.
That changed in the 73rd minute when Vázquez finally got on the scoresheet. There was no celebration, just urgency and a sense of unfinished business. Owen Wolff, who had just entered the game, played Vazquez through to the box and the US international one-timed the ball to cut the lead in half.
“It felt like the goal just wouldn’t come. We were putting in all the work, and finally, I hit the back of the net,” said Vázquez. “It was an incredible feeling—and to come back, score, and win the game made it even better.”
Austin had flipped the momentum. Three minutes later, Vazquez played provider. With his back to the goal, Vazquez chested a ball down to Myrto Uzuni, who settled the ball at the edge of the 18-yard-box and fired a shot to beat a diving Waite, sending Q2 into a roar.
Vázquez added his second of the night in the 80th minute, when Wolff dribbled into the El Paso penalty area and just as he reached the box, he sent a low cross to Vazquez who powered a header into the back of the net. He sprinted to the supporters’ section with a scream of “Believe!” as Austin completed the comeback.
Vasquez’s brace gives him 11 career US Open Cup goals, which moves him into a tie for 7th with Dom Dwyer on the Modern Era (1995-present) goalscoring chart. His goal was his fourth game-winning goal in his Open Cup career, which is tied for second most of any player.
El Paso exit the tournament after a courageous first-half performance, but Austin FC’s second-half response—powered by key substitutions and relentless pressure—proved too much to contain. Austin FC will now face in-state MLS rival Houston Dynamo in the Round of 16, with that match also set to be played at Q2 Stadium.
