On Saturday evening the Switchbacks open the 2022 USL Championship regular season at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs against the reigning Champions, Orange County SC. Tickets are available HERE, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a Switchbacks t-shirt courtesy of Weidner Apartment Homes. Happy Half Hour featuring discounted craft beer will take place on the Modelo Terrace when gates open at 5pm.
Orange County SC knocked the Switchbacks out of last season’s playoffs in the Conference Quarterfinals after a 1-0 win on November 6th at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Head Coach and General Manager Brendan Burke:
“I think it’s a great way to start a season, especially when we do have a talented team. It’s important not to get ahead of yourself, so the best way to not get ahead of yourself is to have to play the team that’s holding the title because we’ll know exactly where we are after week one.
We’re playing the title holders right off the bat, so we’re going to know exactly where the holes are after this weekend. There’s no pressure or panic going into the game – we’re going to attack it with everything we have. We’ll have a much better indication of what we are after this weekend. OC have only added to their quality [in the offseason]. They’re obviously pumping money into it – they’ve brought in captains from Norwegian first league teams, and other guys that have very good resumes for this level. I’d say they’ve made four or five additions that are really impressive, and I’d say they’re stronger now than what we saw in the playoffs last year. But in terms of their approach to the game; they’re still very negative in the way they posture, and they defend with five defenders and three midfielders who have a defensive mindset. So it’s a very negative posture and it’s on us to score first if we can. It’s always difficult [in preseason] to get eyes on other teams, but we’re pretty open about it – we just put stuff out. If you’re going to be better than someone, you’re going to be better. It’s that simple. There aren’t too many secrets at this level, so we know the formation [that Orange County] have been playing and the personnel they’ve been using, and we have our hands on some video now as well.”
Switchbacks’ newest signing Ben Mines, who represented Orange County on loan in 2021:
“I played there last year – they’re a good team and Saturday is going to be a tough match – but we’re more than up for it. We know it’s going to take 90 minutes to try and break them down, but we’re ready for every minute of it.”
Zach Zandi:
“I don’t think you can ask for a better matchup. You want to play against the best competition and Orange County were the best team last year. We have a great opportunity in the first game to go out and show what we’ve worked on in preseason and really show that we’re not messing around this year and that there are big things coming. It’s a big opportunity for us, right from the get-go, to make a statement and see where we are. There’s definitely some revenge in it as well. They knocked us out of the playoffs, and that’s our most recent game we’ve played and the freshest thing in our minds. We’re not happy with how last season ended, so we want to start this year off on a positive note and get that revenge.”
Orange County Ones to Watch:
Haitian striker Ronaldo Damus remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the USL Championship. Damus scored four times from open play in the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs, including two goals in the Championship Final victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Daniel Pederson joined Orange County on February 3rd from SK Brann in Bergen, Norway. A former Danish youth international, Pederson has a wealth of experience playing across Scandinavia, and will join a solid defensive unit ahead of returning goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky.
After a standout career at UCLA, Milan Iloski is looking to establish himself in the USL Championship as he teams up with his brother, Brian, at Orange County SC. Meanwhile, Mikko Kuningas was one of the most consistent performers for Head Coach Richard Chaplow in 2021, with the Finn capping his standout season with a goal in the Championship Final victory over the Rowdies.
