After a stirring comeback win last weekend, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks head to the Holy City for an early Saturday evening showdown with the Charleston Battery. The match will kick off at 5:30pm from Patriots Point Soccer Stadium in the Palmetto State, with live coverage by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, beginning at 5pm on XTRA Sports1300AM from the Trailheads watch party at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub and Restaurant.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Midfielder Drew Skundrich. Skundrich opened his Switchbacks ledger with a 70th minute game-winner last Saturday at Weidner Field against New Mexico United: “It was a great feeling to get that goal – that game winner – and an even better feeling to get the three points and hold on to it. We were solid defensively after that. It was a really good team play and team build-up [for the goal]. Maalique [Foster] had an incredible turn to beat his defender, Speedy [Williams] was in a great spot and put it back across into a good area and luckily I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Head Coach Stephen Hogan: “Drew has brought the legs and the energy that myself and Brendan [Burke], Chambo [James Chambers], and Al [Alan McCann] knew that he would. [Drew] did mention that he was a bit restricted at D.C. [United] so he was very eager to get back to the way he plays. His ground coverage, his numbers of distance is Premier League [level] – it is actually Premier League numbers and people don’t recognize that enough. His willingness to work on what he needs to work on is fantastic – it makes him a top, top pro. And then that goal [vs. New Mexico] is a Drew goal. He’s just in that place, it came off him and he would say it’s a great goal because it’s a little touch off the outside of his foot, but it’s a Drew goal because he’s in that area because he’s running. His contribution to the team is definitely brilliant because his energy helps the locker room – they’re all like, ‘I want to get there, I want get to that [level].’
“After the first half performance everyone was excited to get going in the second half. It was our mistake [for the New Mexico goal], simple as that: our mistake by three players. We went over it, got through it, and then [our] character came through and we changed – we went back to two up top, and it really put [New Mexico] under a lot of pressure. I thought we controlled the game and even the stats proved that, but you still need to put the ball in the net and thankfully we did that.”
Charleston Checkup:
The unbeaten Charleston Battery enter week eight of USL Championship play atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-0-3. Leading goal scorer Augustine Williams will miss Saturday’s match against the Switchbacks after being sent off in Charleston’s 0-0 draw against Louisville City last weekend.
“Thankfully August is suspended so that’s going to help – his goals and his expected goals numbers are outrageous,” said Head Coach Hogan. “[Head Coach] Ben [Pirmann] as a coach he’s coming through the ranks quickly, he’s very good, he’s very good at spotting things in the opposition, and then figuring things out for his own team. Every game in this league does matter and every game in this league is very hard, but if we can get our ball movement in the right way, we’ll be a threat to anyone. [Charleston] with their press – their new press – and their new, aggressive style in certain areas of the field – especially in our defensive third – is what we’ve got to get through.”
“[Charleston] are a solid team,” said Drew Skundrich. “They’ll press us, they’ll work hard, they move the ball well. Obviously their record speaks for itself so it’s going to be a tough test but we just have to go in with the right mentality, be aggressive, play our style and work for each other and hopefully get the win.”
Vargish’s View:
Saturday is another key early test for the Switchbacks. Charleston is as good as any team in the USL Championship. Mexico youth international Fidel Barajas leads the Battery (and the Eastern Conference) in assists with three, while former Air Force Academy star Tristan Trager remains the effervescent live-wire midfielder that saw him win a legion of fans during his time in Colorado Springs. Nick Markanich, who was a two-time MAC Player of the Year at Northern Illinois, is second in the entire league in shot attempts.
The Switchbacks showed true grit in fighting back to defeat New Mexico last weekend in downtown Colorado Springs, and on Saturday they’ll need to display similar tenacity to leave Charleston with a positive result. The match will play out as a battle of two pressing defenses, as both teams will want to force quick turnovers. Keeping the ball moving and limiting turnovers around their own 18 will be key for the Switchbacks, who must also try and force Charleston’s attacking midfield three into wide positions.
