The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC begin a three-match road trip next Wednesday as they travel to Portland, Oregon to face a struggling Portland Timbers 2 side in a Noon-time kickoff. Now sharing Portland’s iconic Providence Park with Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, the Timbers 2 will be looking for their first points of 2017 in the Rose City after losing their first three home matches.
So far outscored 9-2 at their new home, the Timbers 2 have managed just three points in 2017; courtesy of an impressive 2-0 victory over Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in California’s capital city. The Timbers 2 played at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field until the start of the 2017 season.
“I’m excited to play there [Providence Park] – I’ve never been there before and I’ve heard great things,” said Switchbacks captain Rony Argueta immediately following the Switchbacks’ dominant 3-0 victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Friday night. “Portland is a young team and we know they’re going to be well organized. We will have a day off tomorrow and we’ll work our practice up to make sure we go to Portland and perform at our best. We’ll be ready as always!”
“We will be excited to play there – playing in that stadium will really help put emphasis on the game against Portland,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “It’s a school holiday in Portland so we have the early kickoff. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re expecting the stadium to be packed. It’s one of those things where we know there will be a lot of people watching – the guys on our team who want to get to the next level know that playing there will be a big opportunity to show what they’ve got!”
Arguably the Switchbacks’ most complete performance of 2017, the shutout victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks at Weidner Field gives the Switchbacks’ players and staff a tremendous confidence boost ahead of a tricky trip to Portland – no matter T2’s current league standing just a point off the bottom of the Western Conference.
“We are going to enjoy this win and take this momentum forward,” said winger Shane Malcolm after a whirlwind individual showing against the Roughnecks that saw Malcolm score the Switchbacks’ second goal with a perfectly-timed diving header. “We know we’ve not been at our best on the road – hopefully we can turn that around. If we keep up our defensive work-rate we’ll be tough to beat. Collectively as a group we showed what we’re capable of tonight. It was a great performance by our goalkeeper and our defense!”
On top of an outstanding collective defensive display against the Roughnecks, the Switchbacks’ offense constantly kept Tulsa on the back foot and might well think themselves unlucky to have finished Friday’s match with just 3 goals. Veteran striker Aaron King was outstanding in his hold-up play, while midfielder Eddy Prugh supported the attacking trio of King, Kacher and Malcolm at every opportunity. Wing backs Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt seemed to spend the vast majority of the match in Tulsa’s half, as midfielders Ricardo Perez and Argueta continued their stout partnership in the center of the pitch.
Far from a bystander against the Roughnecks, goalkeeper Moise Pouaty made key saves to preserve his clean sheet behind the new-look central defensive partnership of Josh Phillips and Sean McFarlane.
“Our attack was very good tonight. If we can do that again I’m confident that we’ll see our results improve on the road,” said Trittschuh. “I’m expecting us to come out and play and really use this win [3-0 against the Roughnecks] to move forward.”
T2 return to Portland to host the Switchbacks after a 2-0 loss to their Pacific Northwest rivals the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Friday evening at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.
“Portland will be a hard place to go,” said Masta Kacher after his man-of-the-match performance against the Roughnecks. “We know Portland are struggling, but we also know they are a fighting team. We will try, as a team, to build on this victory against Tulsa and try to get a big road win.”
Timbers 2 forwards Villyan Bijev and Augustine Williams each have two goals to their name this season, while T2 winger Victor Arboleda is second only to Bijev in both shots and chances. Three goalkeepers have so far seen time for the Timbers 2 in 2017, including Jeff Attinella who has experience in Major League Soccer for both the Timbers and Real Salt Lake. Odds are favorable that Wednesday’s starter in net for T2 will be either Kendall McIntosh or Wade Hamilton.
Following Wednesday’s match, the Switchbacks will fly to Colorado Springs before traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia where on Sunday, May 14th they play the Whitecaps FC 2. The Switchbacks conclude their road swing on Saturday, May 20th against their Rocky Mountain Rivals, the Real Monarchs SLC at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
“It’s a lot of travel and we will go to Portland ready for it,” said Argueta. “On Monday we will all go hard in practice and make sure we travel out on Tuesday with another win on our minds.”
Wednesday’s opponents meet for the second and final time in the regular season on Saturday, August 5th at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
The Switchbacks will return home to Weidner Field on May 27th as they host Reno 1868 FC on Poster Giveaway night sponsored by the Better Business Bureau.
The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC begin a three-match road trip next Wednesday as they travel to Portland, Oregon to face a struggling Portland Timbers 2 side in a Noon-time kickoff. Now sharing Portland’s iconic Providence Park with Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, the Timbers 2 will be looking for their first points of 2017 in the Rose City after losing their first three home matches.
So far outscored 9-2 at their new home, the Timbers 2 have managed just three points in 2017; courtesy of an impressive 2-0 victory over Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in California’s capital city. The Timbers 2 played at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field until the start of the 2017 season.
“I’m excited to play there [Providence Park] – I’ve never been there before and I’ve heard great things,” said Switchbacks captain Rony Argueta immediately following the Switchbacks’ dominant 3-0 victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Friday night. “Portland is a young team and we know they’re going to be well organized. We will have a day off tomorrow and we’ll work our practice up to make sure we go to Portland and perform at our best. We’ll be ready as always!”
“We will be excited to play there – playing in that stadium will really help put emphasis on the game against Portland,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “It’s a school holiday in Portland so we have the early kickoff. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re expecting the stadium to be packed. It’s one of those things where we know there will be a lot of people watching – the guys on our team who want to get to the next level know that playing there will be a big opportunity to show what they’ve got!”
Arguably the Switchbacks’ most complete performance of 2017, the shutout victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks at Weidner Field gives the Switchbacks’ players and staff a tremendous confidence boost ahead of a tricky trip to Portland – no matter T2’s current league standing just a point off the bottom of the Western Conference.
“We are going to enjoy this win and take this momentum forward,” said winger Shane Malcolm after a whirlwind individual showing against the Roughnecks that saw Malcolm score the Switchbacks’ second goal with a perfectly-timed diving header. “We know we’ve not been at our best on the road – hopefully we can turn that around. If we keep up our defensive work-rate we’ll be tough to beat. Collectively as a group we showed what we’re capable of tonight. It was a great performance by our goalkeeper and our defense!”
On top of an outstanding collective defensive display against the Roughnecks, the Switchbacks’ offense constantly kept Tulsa on the back foot and might well think themselves unlucky to have finished Friday’s match with just 3 goals. Veteran striker Aaron King was outstanding in his hold-up play, while midfielder Eddy Prugh supported the attacking trio of King, Kacher and Malcolm at every opportunity. Wing backs Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt seemed to spend the vast majority of the match in Tulsa’s half, as midfielders Ricardo Perez and Argueta continued their stout partnership in the center of the pitch.
Far from a bystander against the Roughnecks, goalkeeper Moise Pouaty made key saves to preserve his clean sheet behind the new-look central defensive partnership of Josh Phillips and Sean McFarlane.
“Our attack was very good tonight. If we can do that again I’m confident that we’ll see our results improve on the road,” said Trittschuh. “I’m expecting us to come out and play and really use this win [3-0 against the Roughnecks] to move forward.”
T2 return to Portland to host the Switchbacks after a 2-0 loss to their Pacific Northwest rivals the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Friday evening at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.
“Portland will be a hard place to go,” said Masta Kacher after his man-of-the-match performance against the Roughnecks. “We know Portland are struggling, but we also know they are a fighting team. We will try, as a team, to build on this victory against Tulsa and try to get a big road win.”
Timbers 2 forwards Villyan Bijev and Augustine Williams each have two goals to their name this season, while T2 winger Victor Arboleda is second only to Bijev in both shots and chances. Three goalkeepers have so far seen time for the Timbers 2 in 2017, including Jeff Attinella who has experience in Major League Soccer for both the Timbers and Real Salt Lake. Odds are favorable that Wednesday’s starter in net for T2 will be either Kendall McIntosh or Wade Hamilton.
Following Wednesday’s match, the Switchbacks will fly to Colorado Springs before traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia where on Sunday, May 14th they play the Whitecaps FC 2. The Switchbacks conclude their road swing on Saturday, May 20th against their Rocky Mountain Rivals, the Real Monarchs SLC at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
“It’s a lot of travel and we will go to Portland ready for it,” said Argueta. “On Monday we will all go hard in practice and make sure we travel out on Tuesday with another win on our minds.”
Wednesday’s opponents meet for the second and final time in the regular season on Saturday, August 5th at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
The Switchbacks will return home to Weidner Field on May 27th as they host Reno 1868 FC on Poster Giveaway night sponsored by the Better Business Bureau.
