The Switchbacks return to Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs for the first time in a month as the Oakland Roots visit Southern Colorado on Friday evening for Galactic Night. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a saber courtesy of Centura Health. Tickets remain available HERE.
Oakland Roots enter Friday’s match having won three of their last four, while the Switchbacks concluded a disappointing road trip with a 2-1 loss on the Gulf Coast against the Tampa Bay Rowdies last Saturday.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Head Coach Stephen Hogan: “The last three weeks [have been tough] obviously with the results, but the wear and tear of travel is [also] something we’re starting to see. It’s tough for everyone and we’re trying to manage it, and it’s why I literally only did defensive actions today [Wednesday], I’ll do more attacking options tomorrow, and I normally wouldn’t have done that. Being back home for three weeks is amazing. Hopefully it’s loud! And hopefully the fans just support the guys because right now they all need it. I know Annie [Coffman] from the Trailheads was in Tampa and it was great to see her. I think everyone needs to get behind everyone because I think this place loud is a fantastic place to be.
“We’re very aware of how fast we need to go to stop [Oakland]. Everyone is excited to be back home. If we do it right at home, we’ll still create those chances that we honestly need to execute. We’ve had plenty of chances on the road. The talk all week has been [about] principles, simplifying it, and work-rate and work ethic. The [players] have met as a player-pro group and they’re meeting again tomorrow. They’re taking the responsibility off me and I’m taking the responsibility off them, which is naturally happening when you have a decent group of people. But ultimately, they’ve always been that way but now they’re pissed off. Are we good [when we’re] pissed off? I don’t think we’ve seen ourselves pissed off, so we’ll know after Friday night. If what I’m thinking is true, and we play a certain way and we’re aggressive in certain ideas, I’m pretty frightened to see what we can do.”
Switchbacks Captain Matt Mahoney: “We’ve missed [being at Weidner Field] so much, especially heading East [with] a couple long travel days and poor results. We’re just so happy to be home with our fans and the atmosphere that it provides here – it’s fantastic. Hopefully we can get three points and get back on track.”
Roots Roundup:
“[Edgardo Rito] is a right wing back / right back who’s average position is higher than [forward Johnny] Rodriguez – it’s actually crazy,” said Head Coach Hogan. “They give him free license [and] they transition out his way – it’s not hard to see. They play a little bit more football on the left side, so we have to stop that. We have to protect that left side a little bit more. Our positioning [and] our recoveries in that moment when we get broken – because everyone does – needs to be better than theirs and quicker than [Rito]. [Rito] is very, very good. He’s part of our scouting pool – we do a good job scouting and he’s part of that for reasons and we need to stop him on Friday night.”
“We know that [Oakland] like to play, but they also have pace on the right side in terms of Rito,” added Matt Mahoney. “But really this game is all about focusing on ourselves after a tough road trip – three weeks in a row – and with tough results as well. It’s time to get back to our identity and that’s what we’re hoping for.”
Vargish’s View:
Oakland have recorded a couple great results on the road this season, beating Indy Eleven 3-0 on April 8th, and putting four past Birmingham Legion on May 6th. The Roots are a well-organized and discipled team that are well worth their 5th place position in the USL Championship’s Western Conference at the time of writing.
The Switchbacks desperately need to arrest their recent slide, and there’s no better tonic than a return to a packed house in the altitude of Weidner Field. The general consensus around the Switchbacks is that Oakland is a very good team and have some key players that can cause any team issues, but Friday is about the Switchbacks re-establishing their identity. It was a grueling road trip for the Switchbacks, but Friday begins three consecutive games at Weidner Field where fans will see the energy and tenacity and spirit that defines the Switchbacks.