The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC host the Seattle Sounders 2 on Saturday knowing a victory would secure a playoff game at Switchbacks Stadium for the second consecutive season.
Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh’s squad confirmed their place in the 2016 USL Playoffs after a comfortable 2-0 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday, September 11th at Thunderbird Stadium on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
“Our first step was to make the playoffs and we achieved that in Vancouver,” said Trittschuh after the victory in Canada. “The players have been at another level these last few games so we really need to keep the momentum going into the last two matches of the regular season.”
Led by a brace and Man of the Match performance from captain Luke Vercollone, the Switchbacks dominated the Whitecaps 2 after a red card to Matthew Baldisimo dented Vancouver’s chances of finishing in the USL Western Conference’s top four.
Vercollone’s offensive exploits were complimented by a stifling defensive performance from the Switchbacks that limited WFC2 to just three shots on goal. Full backs Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt supported Vercollone and the Switchbacks’ attack at every opportunity, and that persistence paid off just before the hour mark as Burt delivered a pinpoint cross that Vercollone bravely headed past WFC2 goalkeeper Marco Carducci.
Although stamping their place in the 2016 USL Playoffs, the win in Vancouver still leaves the Switchbacks locked in a tooth-and- nail battle for a priceless top four position as seven clubs have their eyes on the prize of hosting a playoff game.
“It obviously feels great to secure a playoff spot, but our sights have been set on getting a home playoff game and we still have a lot of work to do to achieve that,” said Jordan Burt after the victory in Vancouver. “Scoring goals and getting shutouts is a huge confidence booster.”
The Seattle Sounders 2 are more than familiar with the perils of fall soccer in Colorado Springs as a 2-0 defeat to the Switchbacks on September 25th of 2015 knocked the team from the Emerald City out of the Western Conference Playoffs in the First Round.
At the time of writing the Sounders 2 stood in 10th place in the Western Conference – the top eight at the end of the regular season will earn a berth into the 2016 Playoffs. Depending upon this week’s results of San Antonio FC and the Orange County Blues FC, the Sounders 2 could vault into the all-important 8 th place with a win on Saturday at Switchbacks Stadium.
“The Sounders 2 are a team in need of maximum points to be able to qualify for the playoffs so they will be desperate to win,” said Steve Trittschuh. “We need to play the way we’ve been playing defensively and create and finish our chances. The players are determined to finish the season off strong at home.”
Back-to-back draws have the Sounders 2 scuffling as they visit Colorado Springs, although the recent play of striker Victor Mansaray has been a huge boost to the Rave Green. Second on the Sounders 2 in goals with five, Sierra Leone born Mansaray has featured for Major League Soccer’s Sounders as well as represented the United States at youth international level. Still just 19 years old, Mansaray is destined for further playing time at the MLS level with the Sounders – which he qualifies for as a Homegrown Player after attending Fife High School in Fife, Washington.
Mansaray scored S2’s opening goal in a back and forth 2-2 draw with the Oklahoma City Energy FC on Sunday, as S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon kept his team in the match with two early saves at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma’s capital city.
Midfielder Irvin Parra, signed by the Sounders 2 on August 4th from German club FC Kaiserslautern II, assisted Mansaray’s goal against the OKC Energy and is pivotal to the success of the Rave Green. Dangerous from any central position with his passing range, Parra is one of the key contributors to an S2 attack that is bolstered by the slick offensive play of winger Mark O’Ojong.
Leading the Sounders 2 with 26 appearances in 2016, O’Ojong is most comfortable using his considerable speed from S2’s left wing. A native of one of Central Africa’s most important financial centers and its largest port, Douala, Cameroon, O’Ojong represented his country at the 2016 African Cup of Nations. Formerly of the fabulously named Rainbow Bamenda FC of Bamenda, Cameroon, O’Ojong is a ferociously fast player who has the quality to cause the Switchbacks’ defense headaches on Saturday evening.
Two consecutive shutout wins have the Switchbacks in the 2016 Playoffs. Knowing the value of hosting a playoff game, any thoughts of rest or an end-of- season malaise were immediately dismissed by Jordan Burt when asked about maintaining the Switchbacks’ momentum as the postseason beckons.
“I think we’ve done a good job all season of focusing on the process of becoming a great team,” said Burt. “Throughout a season you are inevitably going to have ups and downs, but it seems like we are on the verge of peaking and I think that’s a result of our consistent approach to growing as a team. We will keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
A Switchbacks Stadium record crowd of 4,112 witnessed the Switchbacks sweep aside the Los Angeles Galaxy II in the most recent match played in Colorado Springs on September 2nd . Buoyed by the home support, the Switchbacks produced some of their finest offensive soccer of the season as the Galaxy II were treated to a breathless display that Head Coach Steve Trittschuh hopes will be replicated for the final regular season game of 2016 on Saturday evening: “It would be fantastic to have a great crowd for our last home game and to be able to qualify for a first round playoff game in front of our fans. We play very well at home so I’m sure the players will be hyped-up to perform at their best!”
The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC host the Seattle Sounders 2 on Saturday knowing a victory would secure a playoff game at Switchbacks Stadium for the second consecutive season.
Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh’s squad confirmed their place in the 2016 USL Playoffs after a comfortable 2-0 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday, September 11th at Thunderbird Stadium on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
“Our first step was to make the playoffs and we achieved that in Vancouver,” said Trittschuh after the victory in Canada. “The players have been at another level these last few games so we really need to keep the momentum going into the last two matches of the regular season.”
Led by a brace and Man of the Match performance from captain Luke Vercollone, the Switchbacks dominated the Whitecaps 2 after a red card to Matthew Baldisimo dented Vancouver’s chances of finishing in the USL Western Conference’s top four.
Vercollone’s offensive exploits were complimented by a stifling defensive performance from the Switchbacks that limited WFC2 to just three shots on goal. Full backs Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt supported Vercollone and the Switchbacks’ attack at every opportunity, and that persistence paid off just before the hour mark as Burt delivered a pinpoint cross that Vercollone bravely headed past WFC2 goalkeeper Marco Carducci.
Although stamping their place in the 2016 USL Playoffs, the win in Vancouver still leaves the Switchbacks locked in a tooth-and- nail battle for a priceless top four position as seven clubs have their eyes on the prize of hosting a playoff game.
“It obviously feels great to secure a playoff spot, but our sights have been set on getting a home playoff game and we still have a lot of work to do to achieve that,” said Jordan Burt after the victory in Vancouver. “Scoring goals and getting shutouts is a huge confidence booster.”
The Seattle Sounders 2 are more than familiar with the perils of fall soccer in Colorado Springs as a 2-0 defeat to the Switchbacks on September 25th of 2015 knocked the team from the Emerald City out of the Western Conference Playoffs in the First Round.
At the time of writing the Sounders 2 stood in 10th place in the Western Conference – the top eight at the end of the regular season will earn a berth into the 2016 Playoffs. Depending upon this week’s results of San Antonio FC and the Orange County Blues FC, the Sounders 2 could vault into the all-important 8 th place with a win on Saturday at Switchbacks Stadium.
“The Sounders 2 are a team in need of maximum points to be able to qualify for the playoffs so they will be desperate to win,” said Steve Trittschuh. “We need to play the way we’ve been playing defensively and create and finish our chances. The players are determined to finish the season off strong at home.”
Back-to-back draws have the Sounders 2 scuffling as they visit Colorado Springs, although the recent play of striker Victor Mansaray has been a huge boost to the Rave Green. Second on the Sounders 2 in goals with five, Sierra Leone born Mansaray has featured for Major League Soccer’s Sounders as well as represented the United States at youth international level. Still just 19 years old, Mansaray is destined for further playing time at the MLS level with the Sounders – which he qualifies for as a Homegrown Player after attending Fife High School in Fife, Washington.
Mansaray scored S2’s opening goal in a back and forth 2-2 draw with the Oklahoma City Energy FC on Sunday, as S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon kept his team in the match with two early saves at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma’s capital city.
Midfielder Irvin Parra, signed by the Sounders 2 on August 4th from German club FC Kaiserslautern II, assisted Mansaray’s goal against the OKC Energy and is pivotal to the success of the Rave Green. Dangerous from any central position with his passing range, Parra is one of the key contributors to an S2 attack that is bolstered by the slick offensive play of winger Mark O’Ojong.
Leading the Sounders 2 with 26 appearances in 2016, O’Ojong is most comfortable using his considerable speed from S2’s left wing. A native of one of Central Africa’s most important financial centers and its largest port, Douala, Cameroon, O’Ojong represented his country at the 2016 African Cup of Nations. Formerly of the fabulously named Rainbow Bamenda FC of Bamenda, Cameroon, O’Ojong is a ferociously fast player who has the quality to cause the Switchbacks’ defense headaches on Saturday evening.
Two consecutive shutout wins have the Switchbacks in the 2016 Playoffs. Knowing the value of hosting a playoff game, any thoughts of rest or an end-of- season malaise were immediately dismissed by Jordan Burt when asked about maintaining the Switchbacks’ momentum as the postseason beckons.
“I think we’ve done a good job all season of focusing on the process of becoming a great team,” said Burt. “Throughout a season you are inevitably going to have ups and downs, but it seems like we are on the verge of peaking and I think that’s a result of our consistent approach to growing as a team. We will keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
A Switchbacks Stadium record crowd of 4,112 witnessed the Switchbacks sweep aside the Los Angeles Galaxy II in the most recent match played in Colorado Springs on September 2nd . Buoyed by the home support, the Switchbacks produced some of their finest offensive soccer of the season as the Galaxy II were treated to a breathless display that Head Coach Steve Trittschuh hopes will be replicated for the final regular season game of 2016 on Saturday evening: “It would be fantastic to have a great crowd for our last home game and to be able to qualify for a first round playoff game in front of our fans. We play very well at home so I’m sure the players will be hyped-up to perform at their best!”