El Paso Locomotive FC has reason to celebrate beyond the USL Championship standings. Locos midfielder Sainté has been called up to represent Haiti's national team as the Caribbean nation prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1974 — a historic moment more than five decades in the making.
The call-up is a massive deal, not just for Sainté personally, but for the entire El Paso soccer community. It's a reminder of the global reach that even lower-division American soccer clubs can have, and it underscores the quality that El Paso Locomotive FC continues to attract and develop within its roster.
Haiti's return to the World Cup stage is one of the more compelling stories of the current qualification cycle. The last time Les Grenadiers appeared in a World Cup was at the 1974 tournament in West Germany — a full 50 years ago. Generations of Haitian soccer fans have waited for this moment, and it's arriving at a particularly emotional time given everything the nation has endured in recent decades. Qualifying for football's biggest stage represents far more than just a sporting achievement for Haiti; it's a source of national pride and unity.
For Sainté, the call-up is the kind of recognition that validates the work put in day in and day out at the club level. Playing in USL Championship, one of the most competitive second-division leagues in the United States, Sainté has clearly done enough to catch the eye of Haiti's national team coaching staff. It's a testament to both the player's talent and the environment that Locomotive FC provides for its athletes to grow and compete at a high level.
American soccer fans have a unique reason to pay attention to this story heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With games being played in cities across the U.S., stateside fans will have a front-row seat to Haiti's historic return to the global stage. That proximity makes stories like Sainté's even more meaningful — a local USL player potentially competing in a World Cup on American soil is the kind of narrative that ties communities directly to the tournament.
El Paso, a border city with deep Latin American cultural roots and a passionate soccer fanbase, has always embraced the international dimension of the beautiful game. Seeing one of their own Locos represent a nation on the world's biggest stage will no doubt generate plenty of excitement at Southwest University Park and throughout the local soccer community.
Keep an eye on Sainté as Haiti's World Cup preparations ramp up. This is a story worth following closely — and El Paso soccer fans have every reason to be proud.