Lucas Stauffer makes his mark for Locomotive FC with tireless work rate

Lucas Stauffer is a defender for the El Paso Locomotive, and anyone looking at the back of their formation will spot him at some point.

He'll be in the middle of the field at some point, then in the front, then back in the back and everywhere in between.

His whole life, in soccer and, as he'll tell you, beyond, Stauffer has been defined by how hard he works, by being the player covering the most ground, contesting the most possessions and creating the most chances . Just watching him can be tiring, though Stauffer never seems to tire. That's his calling card.

"You control three things: your attitude, your perspective and your work rate, how hard you choose to dedicate yourself to something," Stauffer said. "That's not a soccer thing, that's a life thing.

"As long as you do those three things and you're a good person, good things happen ultimately to good people. That's how I want to be defined as a person and a player."

Said manager Wilmer Cabrera : "That's his capacity. He puts that capacity to the team's service and that makes him very valuable."

This season has been a struggle for El Paso, which will try to get back on track Friday at Phoenix, but the acquisition of the 29-year-old Stauffer after he spent a year with the Las Vegas Lights has been a find. Despite missing three games earlier this year due to injury, Stauffer leads El Paso in chances created (21), tackles (43), and duels won (90) and is second on the team in interceptions (21) and tackles won (26).

That's always been where Stauffer has created his value, going back to his home of Owensboro, Kentucky, where he didn't get much attention out of high school because of a perceived lack of raw physical ability. He did get an offer from Creighton University and went there in 2014, where he became an all-conference star.

"That was an unbelievable time in my life," Stauffer said of his college years. Creighton "took a chance on me. There were a lot of question marks on my athleticism coming out of high school. Now I would say I'm one of the more physical players in the league in terms of strength, distance covered, things like that.

"I've always been able to run. I've always been a pretty fit guy. I get that from my parents. I do the same workout schedule I did in high school. You manipulate the time to make them a little quicker, but I train the same way I've trained since I was a freshman in college.

"That's how I prepared for the MLS draft. That's how I prepare for every preseason. What we do in Owensboro, Kentucky works."

Stauffer was taken late in the first round of the 2018 MLS draft by Vancouver but never signed there and played a year in the USL with New York Red Bulls II. He then got an opportunity to play in Germany and spent four years with two teams in the fourth tier of German soccer.

"It was a great experience; some of my best friends I met over there, I made some life-long relationships and learned a new language," Stauffer said. "I played at a really good level; it was amazing. But as good as it is, it was not home."

He played for Vegas last year, then came to El Paso this offseason, and while the wins and losses haven't added up with his new team, Stauffer has found much to like in the Sun City.

"The results haven't been what we wanted, but for me personally, it's a very welcoming, very calm place to live," Stauffer said. "I've felt nothing but acceptance by the club and the community. I'm very grateful to be here for sure.

"(El Paso is) multicultural; it would be an unbelievable place to raise kids; they'd be bilingual just from being here, which is amazing. Being here for the past few months, I feel my Spanish is in a decent place and getting better and better. The food is fantastic and the people are very kind, helpful, wanting each other to succeed. It's a very nice place."

As for how he describes himself as a player, Stauffer appropriately cited several different things.

"I try to do what's best for the team, always," he said. "Once you understand that and want to help the team, want to get results as a group, within those confines you can express yourself and do things that make you. For me, that would primarily be on the attacking side of the ball."

In short, Stauffer creates value everywhere he goes on the field, which is everywhere.

"He has a lot of strength, he's dynamic, he has energy," Cabrera said. "He's important for us. He's a good defender, he's good with the ball, he passes well. He's overall a solid player for us."

Stauffer has been a bright spot in a challenging season.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.

El Paso Locomotive at Phoenix Rising FC

What, when, where: A USL Championship game, 9 p.m. Mountain time, Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium

TV: ESPN+

Records: El Paso is 3 wins, 12 losses, 3 ties, 12 points, 12th in Western Conference; Phoenix is 5-7-6, 21 points, 9th

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Lucas Stauffer makes his mark for Locomotive FC with tireless work rate