El Paso Locomotive FC and Phoenix Rising FC shared the spoils in a 1–1 draw in USL Championship action on Saturday, with Alex Méndez and John Scearce trading second-half goals.

The first half produced no goals but plenty of needle. Phoenix picked up three yellow cards before the break — Gilberto Rivera in the 12th minute, Luke Biasi in the 26th, and Scearce in the 35th — as the visitors struggled with discipline early on. Despite the bookings, neither side could find a breakthrough before halftime.

El Paso came out sharp after the interval. Just a minute into the second half, Méndez latched onto a pass from Rubio Rubín and found the net to give Locomotive the lead. The home side looked in control, though Álvaro Quezada picked up a yellow card in the 59th minute, followed by Eric Calvillo eight minutes later, as the match grew increasingly fractious.

Phoenix leveled in the 70th minute. Scearce — already on a booking — finished off a Damian Rivera delivery to make it 1–1. It was a composed finish from a player who could ill afford another rash challenge for the remainder of the match.

Neither side could find a winner in the final 20 minutes, and the points were shared.

The draw keeps both teams in the mix in the Western Conference, though neither will look back on the result as two points gained — more like two points dropped in a match each side had spells of controlling.