After ending San Antonio FC’s unbeaten start to the 2017 USL season, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Weidner Field this Saturday evening as Steve Trittschuh’s team play host to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. Fireworks will follow the match, courtesy of Oakwood Homes, as the Switchbacks celebrate Independence Day.
A record crowd of 4, 429 saw the Switchbacks defeat San Antonio FC 1-0 last Saturday at Weidner Field, as the Switchbacks begin their push to solidify their position towards the top of the USL’s Western Conference.
RGV FC defeated the Switchbacks 3-1 on April 12th at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas behind a brace from Memo Rodriguez and a strike from Camilo Monroy. Chris James pulled a goal back for the Switchbacks, who ultimately bounced back from the loss in Texas to defeat the Real Monarchs SLC 2-1 just three days later on April 15th at Weidner Field.
Memo Rodriguez leads RGV FC in scoring with three goals in 2017, while Eric Bird, Rubén Luna, and Kyle Murphy are all tied with two goals each. Luna remains one of RGV FC’s most dangerous players, despite coming off the bench in recent weeks. Midfielders José Escalante, Charlie Ward, and Eric Bird are players who will demand attention from the Switchbacks on Saturday. Escalante is at his best when starting out wide, whereas Bird excels in the Number 10 role just behind lone striker Luna. Birmingham, England native Charlie Ward, the human metronome of RGV FC’s play, sits deep in center midfield – most effectively alongside Jorginho James.
Rio Grande Valley FC’s association with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo makes pinpointing a starting XI for Saturday’s visitors to Weidner Field difficult. On Wednesday afternoon the Dynamo will host Sporting Kansas City in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 clash at BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas’ largest city.
“We don’t know who exactly will face us on Saturday because Rio Grande can bring guys down from Houston,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “Houston have the Open Cup game tomorrow so we’ll watch that and get a better idea about who might be in Rio Grande’s lineup here this weekend.”
Since a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on June 10th at H-E-B Park, the Toros have lost two games in a row. A narrow 1-0 loss to the Galaxy II on June 17th was followed last Wednesday by a 6-2 hammering at the hands of a resurgent Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in Sacramento.
“Rio Grande are a team that’s playing well despite the last two results not going their way,” said Trittschuh. “We’ve got to be ready for them. I feel like if we can keep playing as we did against San Antonio we’ll be alright. It was a good win. There are some things we need to clean up and improve, but hopefully, we can keep the winning momentum this weekend.”
The 1-0 victory over San Antonio FC vaulted the Switchbacks into 4th place in the USL’s Western Conference table at the time of writing – six points ahead of 9th-place RGV FC. Sean McFarlane nabbed the lone goal of last weekend’s contest, as the Switchbacks center back deftly flicked Masta Kacher’s devilishly driven free kick past San Antonio goalkeeper Diego Restrepo en route to earning himself Man of the Match honors.
McFarlane was named as a starter on the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday morning. Switchbacks players have now appeared on four of the five most recent USL Teams of the Week. “It feels good,” said McFarlane of the USL’s recognition. “But honestly all the thanks goes to my teammates. I don’t take credit for it, just like the goal; the praise has to go to Masta [Kacher] for the ball.”
“He’s playing well – really well,” said Trittschuh of McFarlane. “He’s a very talented player and he’s been good going forward for us. Those awards help the players and their confidence and if we keep winning hopefully more guys will pick those up. I’m glad we got the goal from a re-start. We’ve been trying to score more of those all season. We play well at home and the guys feed off the confidence that comes from playing here. I’ve told the players that if we can take care of our home games then we’ll be fine.”
“It’s great for Sean,” said Switchbacks captain Rony Argueta. “4 of the last 5 weeks we’ve had players on the Team of the Week. It’s great for the confidence of all of us, and it shows we’re successful as a team.”
Jordan Burt, Argueta, Kevaughn Frater, and McFarlane have all been starters on the Team of the Week in the last five weeks – with Frater the Player of the Week after his two-goal performance against the Los Angeles Galaxy II on June 10th.
“It was huge to get that win against San Antonio,” continued Argueta. “It was a big confidence booster going into these next two games at home which we know will be tough. A lot of guys are looking really good in training and we’ll do everything to keep our momentum going into Saturday. Rio Grande are a good team, they move the ball well, and they’re dangerous. But I think here at home we’ll bring the game to them.”
On a negative note, Switchbacks left back Josh Suggs will be suspended for Saturday’s contest against RGV FC after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. Suggs, who was superb last weekend against San Antonio FC, will be available for the visit of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 to Weidner Field on July 8th as Kneaders Bakery & Café will sponsor the 4th Poster Giveaway Night. “Rio Grande are a really good team and the guys have to expect a battle,” said Suggs after a midday practice at the Pride Soccer Club in eastern Colorado Springs on Tuesday where on-field temperatures reached into the triple digits. “The win against San Antonio helps a lot – we expect to win at home, and it always helps our confidence.”
Numerous options abound as Suggs’ potential replacement on Saturday, with defenders Conner Bevans, Pascal Eboussi and Diego Gutierrez all ready to step in and replace one of the Switchbacks’ most consistent performers.
Saturday brings a close to the 2017 series between the Switchbacks and RGV FC. With RGV FC just a solitary point out of 8th place – the final playoff position in the Western Conference – a playoff rematch could be in store for Saturday’s opponents.
“Rio Grande are a technical team so we must be compact and keep the pace high and use the altitude,” said Switchbacks Assistant Coach Wolde Harris. “Saturday will be about building on the momentum from the win against San Antonio and improving our game in the final third.”
“I expect a tough game this weekend – same as in April against Rio Grande,” said Sean McFarlane. “They beat us the first time, but now we’re at home and we need to come out ready.”
Tickets for Saturday's match start at just $12 and are available here.
After ending San Antonio FC’s unbeaten start to the 2017 USL season, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Weidner Field this Saturday evening as Steve Trittschuh’s team play host to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. Fireworks will follow the match, courtesy of Oakwood Homes, as the Switchbacks celebrate Independence Day.
A record crowd of 4, 429 saw the Switchbacks defeat San Antonio FC 1-0 last Saturday at Weidner Field, as the Switchbacks begin their push to solidify their position towards the top of the USL’s Western Conference.
RGV FC defeated the Switchbacks 3-1 on April 12th at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas behind a brace from Memo Rodriguez and a strike from Camilo Monroy. Chris James pulled a goal back for the Switchbacks, who ultimately bounced back from the loss in Texas to defeat the Real Monarchs SLC 2-1 just three days later on April 15th at Weidner Field.
Memo Rodriguez leads RGV FC in scoring with three goals in 2017, while Eric Bird, Rubén Luna, and Kyle Murphy are all tied with two goals each. Luna remains one of RGV FC’s most dangerous players, despite coming off the bench in recent weeks. Midfielders José Escalante, Charlie Ward, and Eric Bird are players who will demand attention from the Switchbacks on Saturday. Escalante is at his best when starting out wide, whereas Bird excels in the Number 10 role just behind lone striker Luna. Birmingham, England native Charlie Ward, the human metronome of RGV FC’s play, sits deep in center midfield – most effectively alongside Jorginho James.
Rio Grande Valley FC’s association with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo makes pinpointing a starting XI for Saturday’s visitors to Weidner Field difficult. On Wednesday afternoon the Dynamo will host Sporting Kansas City in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 clash at BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas’ largest city.
“We don’t know who exactly will face us on Saturday because Rio Grande can bring guys down from Houston,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “Houston have the Open Cup game tomorrow so we’ll watch that and get a better idea about who might be in Rio Grande’s lineup here this weekend.”
Since a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on June 10th at H-E-B Park, the Toros have lost two games in a row. A narrow 1-0 loss to the Galaxy II on June 17th was followed last Wednesday by a 6-2 hammering at the hands of a resurgent Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in Sacramento.
“Rio Grande are a team that’s playing well despite the last two results not going their way,” said Trittschuh. “We’ve got to be ready for them. I feel like if we can keep playing as we did against San Antonio we’ll be alright. It was a good win. There are some things we need to clean up and improve, but hopefully, we can keep the winning momentum this weekend.”
The 1-0 victory over San Antonio FC vaulted the Switchbacks into 4th place in the USL’s Western Conference table at the time of writing – six points ahead of 9th-place RGV FC. Sean McFarlane nabbed the lone goal of last weekend’s contest, as the Switchbacks center back deftly flicked Masta Kacher’s devilishly driven free kick past San Antonio goalkeeper Diego Restrepo en route to earning himself Man of the Match honors.
McFarlane was named as a starter on the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday morning. Switchbacks players have now appeared on four of the five most recent USL Teams of the Week. “It feels good,” said McFarlane of the USL’s recognition. “But honestly all the thanks goes to my teammates. I don’t take credit for it, just like the goal; the praise has to go to Masta [Kacher] for the ball.”
“He’s playing well – really well,” said Trittschuh of McFarlane. “He’s a very talented player and he’s been good going forward for us. Those awards help the players and their confidence and if we keep winning hopefully more guys will pick those up. I’m glad we got the goal from a re-start. We’ve been trying to score more of those all season. We play well at home and the guys feed off the confidence that comes from playing here. I’ve told the players that if we can take care of our home games then we’ll be fine.”
“It’s great for Sean,” said Switchbacks captain Rony Argueta. “4 of the last 5 weeks we’ve had players on the Team of the Week. It’s great for the confidence of all of us, and it shows we’re successful as a team.”
Jordan Burt, Argueta, Kevaughn Frater, and McFarlane have all been starters on the Team of the Week in the last five weeks – with Frater the Player of the Week after his two-goal performance against the Los Angeles Galaxy II on June 10th.
“It was huge to get that win against San Antonio,” continued Argueta. “It was a big confidence booster going into these next two games at home which we know will be tough. A lot of guys are looking really good in training and we’ll do everything to keep our momentum going into Saturday. Rio Grande are a good team, they move the ball well, and they’re dangerous. But I think here at home we’ll bring the game to them.”
On a negative note, Switchbacks left back Josh Suggs will be suspended for Saturday’s contest against RGV FC after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. Suggs, who was superb last weekend against San Antonio FC, will be available for the visit of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 to Weidner Field on July 8th as Kneaders Bakery & Café will sponsor the 4th Poster Giveaway Night. “Rio Grande are a really good team and the guys have to expect a battle,” said Suggs after a midday practice at the Pride Soccer Club in eastern Colorado Springs on Tuesday where on-field temperatures reached into the triple digits. “The win against San Antonio helps a lot – we expect to win at home, and it always helps our confidence.”
Numerous options abound as Suggs’ potential replacement on Saturday, with defenders Conner Bevans, Pascal Eboussi and Diego Gutierrez all ready to step in and replace one of the Switchbacks’ most consistent performers.
Saturday brings a close to the 2017 series between the Switchbacks and RGV FC. With RGV FC just a solitary point out of 8th place – the final playoff position in the Western Conference – a playoff rematch could be in store for Saturday’s opponents.
“Rio Grande are a technical team so we must be compact and keep the pace high and use the altitude,” said Switchbacks Assistant Coach Wolde Harris. “Saturday will be about building on the momentum from the win against San Antonio and improving our game in the final third.”
“I expect a tough game this weekend – same as in April against Rio Grande,” said Sean McFarlane. “They beat us the first time, but now we’re at home and we need to come out ready.”
Tickets for Saturday’s match start at just $12 and are available here.
