Looking for a bounce-back win, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC make their way east to the Constitution State for a Tuesday evening matchup with Hartford Athletic. The match will kick off at 5pm MT from Trinity Health Stadium on the banks of the Connecticut River, with live coverage by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, beginning at 4:30pm on XTRA Sports1300 AM.
Hartford Athletic have endured a difficult 2022 season, and on Saturday the club announced the departure of Head Coach Harry Watling. Former University of Connecticut Head Coach Ray Reid will take charge of Tuesday’s match. Reid, who lead the UConn Huskies to a National Championship in 2000, was serving as the Technical Director of Hartford Athletic.
The Switchbacks suffered just their third defeat of the season last Friday at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs, losing 1-0 to San Antonio FC.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Switchbacks Technical Director Stephen Hogan: “I think the best thing about [moving on from Friday night] is [that] the schedule is the schedule for the next month [seven matches in 25 days] and a game right around the corner actually helps everyone. I think the response is that a lot of people want to go ‘Hartford are getting it!’ and that’s what we want to see – we want that mentality. We knew how physical the San Antonio game was going to go; and it was that. We need another response now after a loss – which we’ve gotten every single time, and [the team] are fired up.
“I think [Hartford Athletic] are struggling, so it could be a dogfight for them – they could make it very very hard for us. Do they sit and try to counter us? I don’t think so. But do they have the quality to beat us on the ball? That’s to be seen. I think we’ll take over the game in possession and hopefully we’ll create a number of chances like we can do. We don’t need to think about Hartford when the whistle starts – with this loss [to San Antonio FC] I think people are really pissed and that it’s going to be, ‘right; we’re coming at you.’”
Winger Michee Ngalina: “It was a hard test [against San Antonio]. We tried our best but it didn’t work out how we wanted it. We just get back again in the business trying to recover fast and to get ready for the next game. I know [Hartford] have a good team. We will try to just push really hard in training to get ready for that game. I think it’s going to be a really hard test but I’m sure we’re going to get that point.”
Defender Matt Mahoney: “It was obviously disappointing to not get a draw or all three points against San Antonio, but I think there were some promising things in the game. We had a couple chances and then one mistake leads to a goal for them and that’s the game. There were definitely positives, offensively and defensively, and now we look to Hartford to go on that away trip and get a win. [We] obviously [don’t have] too much [time to prepare for Hartford] four days after the San Antonio game, but that’s the point of having a squad that we can rotate and have guys that can start that haven’t necessarily gotten a lot of minutes lately. We’re going to have to lean on everybody – we have a tough stretch coming up, but I think we can do it.”
Hartford Athletic Ones to Watch:
Spanish-born Liberian international Joel Johnson leads Hartford Athletic in goals with four during the 2022 USL Championship campaign. Former Switchback Andre Lewis has started 10 matches for the Athletic this season. On Saturday evening, Hartford fell to their ninth loss of the season – a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Louisville City FC at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford.
Vargish’s View:
All stats point to a Switchbacks victory on Tuesday in Connecticut. Hartford Athletic have struggled mightily this season, and while playing at home will undoubtedly help Ray Reid’s team, they don’t have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Switchbacks.
There’s experience and quality on Hartford’s roster, and Ray Reid knows how to coach. But a gap exists between scheming to neutralize the most potent attack in the USL Championship and preparing for the DePaul Blue Demons on a Saturday evening at Morrone Stadium in Storrs. Slow the game down and make it scrappy, and Hartford have a chance to get points at home. If the Switchbacks are able to find their flow, they’ll be returning to Southern Colorado with another three points.
