March 24, 2008 - With the 2008 El Paso Patriot try-outs completed this past weekend, the Patriots are very pleased with the results. With twenty one participants at this years event the coaching staff was able to look at several potential players for the team. “We had a good group come out this year”, commented head coach Miguel Murrillo. “I will be making some calls this week to invite a few of the guys into our training sessions”. “I am anxious for the season to start”, added Murrillo. 

The 2008 Patriot regular season will get underway May 3^rd with a home match up versus the Austin Aztex. The Aztex, as a new expansion team in the United Soccer Leagues, (USL) Premier Development League, (PDL) will transition into a USL First Division team for the 2009 season. The home match up against the Aztex is an important game for the Patriots as it is the first of four qualifiers into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  The Open Cup tournament is a very prestigious event that allows teams from the amateur levels as well as the professional level.

The Patriots will be playing pre-season games against West Texas A&M and at home versus the University of New Mexico . The UNM match up will be on April 18^th with kick-off at 7:30 pm. “With the season only one month away, we have a lot of work in front of us”, stated Murrillo. “We have our returning local players as well as several recruits from the collegiate level and now we can look at some of the players from our try-out”. 

With the recent expansion of the Patriot Youth Academy and new Sponsors for 2008 the Patriot organization is truly becoming an Ambassador to the sport of soccer in El Paso . 

For more information on the Patriots 2008 schedule and tickets please log onto www.elpaso-patriots.com or by phone at 915-771-6620.