Saturday night sees a top-of-the-table clash as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks square off
with Sacramento Republic in California’s capitol city. The match will kick off at 9pm from Heart
Health Park, with coverage by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, beginning at
8:30pm on XTRA Sports1300 AM.
Back-to-back 1-0 wins mean Switchbacks enter Saturday’s match just one point behind USL
Championship Western Conference leaders Sacramento. Jamaican striker Romario Williams
scored the Switchbacks’ game-winner against Loudoun United on April 1st in Leesburg, Virginia
before notching the only goal of the match at Weidner Field last Saturday as the Switchbacks
defeated the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Romario Williams: “It’s definitely a good feeling [to score in back-to-back games]. As a striker
you want to get on the score sheet every single game, but obviously that’s not always the case.
It was good to get that first one against Loudoun and get the monkey off the back and kind of
get things rolling. The confidence is there. The guys have been putting me in good spots and
giving me good opportunities to score and I’ve been able to execute the last two games – it’s
important for me to just keep this momentum going. As a team we’ve set ourselves a goal
[with] the amount of goals that we want to concede on the season. After conceding the first
three games of the season it’s good to bounce back with back-to-back clean sheets and
hopefully going into the game this weekend hopefully we can execute that again.”
Switchbacks Head Coach Stephen Hogan: “Romario [Williams] is a proven goal-scorer in our
league. All the noise you hear around people and the league [about the Switchbacks’ potential
scoring struggles in 2023] is useless. [Romario] just needed a bit of time and a little bit of love
and we’ve given it to him. In the box he is frightening – he rarely misses the target when he’s
inside the 18.
“We talked about [our defense] at the beginning of preseason and said that if we keep our
structure – and I always use that word – it’s very hard to break us down. You’ll have moments
in games where you have to ride that little bit of luck, and Christian [Herrera] or whoever is in
goal has to take some pressure off us, but in terms of confidence and keeping us sound
defensively, it helps everyone [for us to be solid defensively]. Even the forwards and the
wingers and the attacking players really understand that and they’re proud of it – and it needs
to continue.”
Sacramento’s Style:
“[Sacramento] are similar to ourselves in terms of how structured they are,” said Head Coach
Hogan. “[Republic Head Coach] Mark [Briggs] is phenomenal in really figuring out how to get
the best out of his team, and this is no different. I’m not surprised they are top of the West.
They’re competing, their energy is phenomenal, and that’s why we’ve been a little bit
aggressive [in training] because we have to match them.
“I had to coach the team there last year because Brendan [Burke] was out and I obviously got
spanked; I got destroyed by Mark – he’s a phenomenal coach and they’re a phenomenal
organization. It’s the atmosphere there – it’s similar to one or two of the best atmospheres in
the league in terms of noise and in-your-face and all that. We have to go and match that
straight away to then let our transition game and our pressing game and our ball-speed take
over. If that happens the right way, we will create chances. It’s just depends on – and it’s the
same question – if we can put the ball in the net.”
“It’s going to be a battle just like every game in this league,” said Romario Williams.
“[Sacramento] are going to come at us – they’re at home, they’re in a good run of form right
now – we expect a good battle. We expect a physical game and we expect them to press us
and make it very difficult for us in possession. It’s important for us to go in there and match
their intensity. I think if we go in there and play with the energy that we’re capable of playing
with and execute the game plan, I think we can come out with a positive result.”
Vargish’s View:
This is going to be a really good game. The Switchbacks are going to have to weather an early
deluge of pressure from the Republic. Buoyed by a partisan late-night crowd, Sacramento will
look to bully and harry the Switchbacks and continue their unbeaten start to the 2023 season.
The Republic have outscored opponents 7-1 at Heart Health Park in Sacramento this season –
including a 5-0 mauling of Louisville City FC on April 1st.
The last two games have perfectly illustrated what the Switchbacks are about: defensively
they’ve been as good as anyone in the league. On Saturday the Switchbacks will have to absorb
pressure, hit fast on the break, and discombobulate the Republic’s midfield. This is going to be
the biggest test the Switchbacks have faced this season, but if the early pressure from the
Republic can be thwarted, the Switchbacks will have a great opportunity to further stake their
claim as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
