Opponent: Oakland Roots
Match Date: April 27
Location: Pioneer Stadium at Cal State University, East Bay in Hayward, California
Kickoff: 8:00pm MT
Last Meeting: Oakland Roots 2, Switchbacks 3. August 19th , 2023, Pioneer Stadium.
How to Listen: Live on the radio on XTRA SPORTS 1300am with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish – coverage starts at 7:30pm. Streaming online at xtrasports1300.com and on the XTRA Sports 1300 app.
Player’s Points: “It felt great [to make my debut],” said Matt Real. Real signed on April 18th on loan from the Philadelphia Union of MLS. “Coming from an environment where I wasn’t getting consistent games, it’s good to come in and contribute right away to the team. Before I got here we went five games without getting any points, so [last Saturday is] something to build on. Obviously we wanted to grab all three at home, but I think it’s a good start to grab our first point of the season and we’re looking to build on that coming into this weekend against Oakland. “I’m new to this league so I’m not sure what the environment is like [at Oakland Roots], but I do know they have a good group of guys out there. We’re going to have to really focus in on training this week to get down our matchups to focus on what we need to do to be successful, and ultimately grab all three points because that’s what we want at the end of the day.”
Coach Chamber’s Comments: “Matt’s quality is undoubted. For someone who hasn’t played in quite a while he was really good getting through the 90 minutes. With 11 men that would have been a real positive, but he did it with [the Switchbacks down to] 10, and he performed extremely well. He gives [us] a lot of quality going up the left-hand side – he had a couple of really good entry balls for Ronaldo [Damus] and then for Maalique [Foster] that could have led to a little bit more for us, but [we’re] just happy to have him and he adds to the group and he fits in well and the boys like him.
“It was a little bit more like us [against Indy Eleven]. Attacking wise we had some real threats and we had probably our most threatening performance in the final third. I think we probably should have been two up – at least – before Indy got back into it. And then second-half I think we were building momentum right after half time and obviously the red card has affected us. At half time we would be disappointed with a point, but after the game I think within the context [of the game] we are content, but we’re not delighted with it.
Opposition Outlook: “[Oakland] have obviously brought in a couple of good players [and] they have a really good game model and Noah [Delgado, Oakland Roots Head Coach] has done a fantastic job there. They play the type of football that we all enjoy so it’s going to be a challenge. They’re pretty strong at home, but we’re excited to get out there. “They’ll be looking to stamp their authority on the game as every team does [on] every weekend. The reality is that they have a couple suspensions, so they’ll have to chop and change here and there, but for us it’s about just building on what we did last Saturday.”
Vargish’s View: Both teams on Saturday will be without starting center backs: Oakland’s towering Georgian Gagi Margvelashvili is suspended following his red card against Detroit City, as is the Switchbacks’ Wahab Ackwei after being sent off against Indy Eleven. Goals are on the menu in the Bay Area this weekend, as neither team has held an opponent scoreless in 2024.
For the Switchbacks, the performance two weeks ago in the Valley of the Sun against Phoenix Rising offers a blueprint, albeit one that requires further drafting. In that match the Switchbacks showed a defensive togetherness and spirit that needs to be replicated on Saturday night. If the Switchbacks can be structurally sound in Oakland, they’ll give themselves a terrific chance of returning to the Springs with points.