Wednesday evening sees a collision in California’s capitol city as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks face Sacramento Republic FC at Heart Health Park. The match will kick off at 9pm MT, with live coverage by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, beginning at 8:30pm on XTRA Sports1300 AM.
On July 1st, the Switchbacks swept aside Sacramento Republic 3-0 at Weidner Field through a goal from Elvis Amoh and a brace from Hadji Barry. Since that match, Head Coach Mark Briggs’ Republic are 2-2-3, and currently sit in 5th place in the USL Championship’s Western Conference. Sacramento Republic have also made a historic run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and will play Orlando City of Major League Soccer in the Final on September 7th.
The Switchbacks tied a wild game 4-4 against El Paso Locomotive on Friday night at Weidner Field after Aaron Wheeler notched a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer. Bret Halsey started at right back in his first match for the Switchbacks after being acquired last week. Following the match in Sacramento on Wednesday evening the Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field for four consecutive matches, with tickets available HERE.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Switchbacks Head Coach and General Manager Brendan Burke: “[Bret Halsey] was great [against El Paso] and none of that [El Paso comeback] was on him. I mean it’s on all of us collectively when you concede a bunch of goals, but I thought for [Halsey’s] first performance with us, he was pretty close to excellent. Every week is a little bit better for us [on the injury front]. We are starting to get more healthy bodies in the building so we can challenge each other for positions more. I would expect that in three or four weeks, if all goes well, that we will be back to the form we were in early in the season – it’s just been a brutal summer.”
Striker Aaron Wheeler, who joined the Switchbacks this year after stepping away from professional soccer in 2017: “It feels obviously fantastic [to have scored on Friday] when you think that whole part and that whole feeling of your life is like gone five years ago. That was the first thing [I said] when I got in the car afterwards with my wife, and I told her ‘thank you for giving me the opportunity to just have this feeling again.’ You literally can’t explain it. Especially for it to be a big moment: it just makes it that much more special. It’s not the ideal situation [for the team] two weeks in a row to have to come back, but it shows that we have some character and a little bit of grit about us and it’s just about executing and making sure people aren’t coming back on us once we take the lead. [We need to] find a way to just step on their throat and kill the game.”
Quick Look at Sacramento Republic: “[Sacramento] obviously like to play a lower line – specifically on the road,” said Brendan Burke. “So [Sacramento] at home is a different animal. They have won huge games this year in their [Lamar Hunt U.S. Open] Cup run and they are far more aggressive at home. They can hit you with creative players out of midfield. Rodrigo López has come back into great form for them this year, so [along with Keko], those are players that you have to eliminate the space [where] they can hurt you from, which is right in front of our back four. We’ll focus more on those players than the line breaking players up top, but I personally think Maalique Foster has been their best weapon.”
“We’re going to expect a team that’s ready,” said Aaron Wheeler. “Obviously, [Sacramento] had a difficult result on the weekend [1-0 loss at Monterey Bay F.C.], but they know the playoffs are at stake and a home-field advantage game is at stake, and we’re taking that same mentality into the game. It’s a big one. They have other ambitions going on as well, but we don’t expect them to look past us.”
Vargish’s View: Sacramento are difficult to predict in 2022, and the fact remains that their heaviest defeat of the season came at the hands of the Switchbacks on July 1st. Wednesday’s match will be won in midfield, with the Republic possessing oodles of quality in the aforementioned Keko and Rodrigo López, as well as Scotsman Nick Ross, Luis Felipe, and former Cal Poly Mustang Matt LaGrassa. The Switchbacks will have to withstand bouts of Sacramento controlling possession, and if Brendan Burke’s team can force turnovers inside the Republic half, goals will follow.