COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 5, 2022) – The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC announced Monday it had signed central midfielder Drew Skundrich, previously of D.C. United of Major League Soccer. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.
“I’m excited to join the Switchbacks in 2023 and compete for titles with the club,” said Skundrich. “The steps that have been made in the past few years have been massive and I can’t wait to be a part of it. Having familiar faces there will be a huge bonus and will make 2023 that much more enjoyable.”
Skundrich, 27, has played the past two seasons with D.C. United where he has notched over two thousand minutes in 39 games played. He is coming off his most productive season with D.C., where he assisted on two goals and completed 320 passes with an accuracy rate of 82.5%. This past year he made 19 appearances for the United club in which he was named to nine starting XI groups and played a total of 880 minutes; he also played a full 90 minutes in five of those matches.
This signing will mark Skundrich’s return to the USL Championship after his two seasons of MLS time. His most recent USLC service came with Sacramento Republic in 2020 for a squad that also donned current Switchback Matt Mahoney. In 2020, Skundrich played in 14 matches and scored two goals for the Republic, appearing for 1,201 minutes across the year. He also spent time with the Bethlehem Steel, where he played in 26 matches, scored two goals, and grabbed three assists during the 2018 season.
Before making the jump to the professional game, Skundrich played college soccer at Stanford. He played all four years for the Cardinal, for a total of 82 matches played and 69 starts. Notching just over six thousand minutes and netting nine goals, Skundrich also assisted 13 goals to submit a total of 31 goal contributions in his college days. His senior year he was named a captain while also being selected to the All Pac-12 First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region First Team, and named a Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention. He would cap his collegiate career when he was selected 40th overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.
“Drew is a fantastic signing for us. He will allow us to grow again as a club this year and his work ethic, ground coverage and IQ are second to none at this level,” said Head Coach and GM Brendan Burke. “Our whole staff and locker room are looking forward to working with him again.”
Name: Drew Skundrich
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5′ 11″
Date of Birth: September 17th, 1995
Age: 27
Hometown: Landcaster, PA