Vargish’s View: Switchbacks Look For Third Home Win In A Row Against San Diego Loyal SC
It’s Club and Country Night as the red-hot Switchbacks conclude a three-game homestand on Friday evening by welcoming San Diego Loyal to Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs. Tickets are available HERE with the first fans through the gates at 6pm receiving a special edition US Women’s National Team scarf, courtesy of Fox21.
The Switchbacks have won their last four matches at Weidner Field by a combined score of 12-0. On Independence Day, the Switchbacks captivated a capacity crowd with a thundering 4-0 WIN over Monterey Bay FC. San Diego Loyal are 7-5-6 in 2023 following a comfortable 2-0 victory last Saturday against Hartford Athletic in Connecticut.
What the Switchbacks Say:
Head Coach Stephen Hogan: “It’s been fantastic [at Weidner Field] – it’s been four clean sheets on the bounce at home. We’re answering the question of trying to keep this place a fortress. We’ve got eight [games] to go at home and how many can we take of them? If you can set up two road trips with a win here on Friday, it’s a massive bonus.
“[The coaching staff] were complimenting the work [of Stevie Echevarria] before the strike [for his second goal]. We had a good passage of play in moving it, we lose it a little bit in a duel, and [Stevie] recovers it really well and continues his run to connect to the ball again. It obviously sat up nice for him and he struck it fantastically. I think everyone in the building and everyone on the staff was delighted for him because of who he is. The stuff he does for us on the field is invaluable.”
Midfielder Stevie Echevarria, who was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week after a stunning brace against Monterey Bay: “It’s everything [to have the confidence of the coaching staff]. Anyone will tell you that if you’re playing in an environment where the coach trusts you, it allows you to play so much more freely. I love playing here and I love playing under this staff and I’m hoping we can keep things rolling. In this building [and] with the fans we have, we can annihilate teams, and I think a lot of teams are starting to get scared to come into this building. We’re just focusing on ourselves and making sure we bring it on gameday. There are no words [for how much the fans at Weidner Field mean]. Last game I don’t think there was an empty seat in the stadium. In the dying moments of a game when we’re holding a lead, or trying to claw back into a game, it gives us so much more energy. I think all the guys will say that we prefer playing here than playing on the road.”
Little Look at the Loyal: “[San Diego] have a unique way of playing,” said Head Coach Hogan. “They move the ball quite well. They’re a little bit transitional-based right now – that’s how I think they beat Hartford. If we can bring the energy and the way we’ve been playing at home and hit them in their weaknesses, then I think we could have real good success. [South African striker Tumi] Moshobane is very, very good. His movement is very good – he probably should have more goals on the season than he has, but he’s creating a lot more, especially for [Evan] Conway. Conway is your normal 9 – he’s very good in the box and if you give him half a yard, he’ll find the target. And then you just have to look at the structure of their whole midfield. We’ve really rated Nick Moon for years now, so he’s someone to keep an eye on as a wing-back. And then they have [Ronaldo] Damus coming off the bench who we’ve talked about might start against us because of their addition of transition [play]. Those four players are really good USL players.”
Vargish’s View: Friday’s match has all the markings of a tense thriller. At the time of writing, the Switchbacks sit in 4th place in the USL Championship Western Conference, with San Diego Loyal just one point behind in 5th. Despite last Saturday’s win against Hartford being the Loyal’s first victory away from Southern California since May 27th, San Diego have compiled a respectable 3-3-4 record on their travels and will not play again until hosting the Switchbacks at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium on July 30th.
The recent form guide hugely favors the Switchbacks on Friday, as Colorado Springs looks to continue to establish Weidner Field as the most difficult away destination in the USL. The Switchbacks have seamlessly swept aside their last four opponents in downtown Colorado Springs through relentless pressure, devastating counter-attacking pace, and clinical finishing. There’s no reason to think another three points for Friday’s hosts aren’t there to be taken.
