Opponent: FC Tulsa
Match Date: September 1
Location: ONEOK Field in Oklahoma
How to Listen: XTRA Sports 1300am with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish – coverage starts at 3:30pm MT.
Chambo’s Comments: “[We had a] really good first 30 minutes [against Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night],” said Head Coach James Chambers. “I thought we were excellent. We were really aggressive in and out of possession, which is what we asked for. And then we had a bit of a brain fart [where] we conceded, and for 15 minutes we were rattled. That’s experience that we need to go back and look at and [know] it’s not the end of the world – we were doing well [so] don’t get unsettled [next time]. “The big thing about [the game against Memphis] was responding [well]. We were really [upset] about how we performed here Saturday night [in a 1-0 loss to New Mexico United]. I think tonight the fans got full value and we wanted to respond, which we did, but that’s done. We move on [to Tulsa] who are right being us [in the USL Championship’s Western Conference table]. We’ve got to make sure that we go there and we’re ready to go. “I thought [Jonas Fjledberg] was bright the other night [against New Mexico], but didn’t really
have the end product [and against Memphis] he did! I’m really happy for him. I thought Tyreek [Magee’s] final pass [was great and] I thought Justin [Dhillon] had good contributions in the game. We have got a lot of players who are very, very underrated, and it’s up to them now and up to us [as a staff] to make sure that they become rated. I’m really happy and really proud of Jonas tonight that he stepped up with two goals, and hopefully takes confidence [from that] because he’s a hell of a player! “[Tulsa] obviously lost [striker Phillip] Goodrum [who transferred to Louisville FC], but they went to Detroit last week and got a great result. [Aaron] Bibout the center forward has offered something different for them and they’re obviously without a midweek game, so they’re going to be fresher than us but we have got to go there and make sure that we’re ready to have a road performance.”
Vargish’s View: Tulsa will be buoyed after an impressive and tactically astute 1-0 win over Detroit FC last Saturday night. That victory also gave the artists formerly known as the Tulsa Roughnecks an entire week to prepare for a Switchbacks team that spent Wednesday evening grinding out an impressive win against Memphis 901. Former Scottish youth international Harvey St Clair was sent off in Tulsa’s win in the Motor City and will miss Sunday’s match against the Switchbacks. Entering Sunday’s match, FC Tulsa sit in the 8 th and final playoff position in the Western Conference, with the Switchbacks looking to catch the Las Vegas Lights who currently occupy 5 th place. The Switchbacks will have to make lineup changes on Sunday following their midweek exploits and with temperatures in T-Town in the low 90s at kickoff. Replicating the offensive intensity the Switchbacks showed against Memphis at Weidner Field is a tall task, but it’s required for the Switchbacks to be able to return to Southern Colorado on a winning streak.
