Colorado Springs, CO (April 8, 2026) – The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup officially announced today that Talen Maples has been named to the Team of the Round bench for Round 2 of the 2026 U.S. Open Cup Tournament.
Maples played the full 120 minutes in the Switchbacks’ Round 2 match against Spokane Velocity FC, helping lead Colorado Springs to a victory in penalty kicks. He delivered a strong all-around performance, recording two shots, both on target, including one from inside the box.
The breakthrough moment came in the 45′, when Switchbacks’ #10 Adrien Perez delivered a ball from the right side of the penalty area back to the top of the box. Maples met the pass with a one-touch, left-footed strike that cut through traffic and found the bottom-left corner.
In addition to his attacking contribution, Maples led all players with 102 touches and 95 passes, completing 86 for a 90.5% passing accuracy. Defensively, he was successful in his lone tackle attempt.
2026 U.S. Open Cup Team of the Round – Second Round
GK – Jonanthan Burke (One Knoxville SC)
D – Egor Akulov (Vermont Green FC)
D – Julian Cisneros (FC Naples)
D – Lee Desmond (Sacramento Republic FC)
D – Samuel Owusu (Union Omaha)
M – Luis Álvarez (Charlotte Independence)
M – Simon Carlson (Asheville City SC)
M – Dominik Wanner (Sacramento Republic FC)
M – Jamie Webber (FC Tulsa)
F – Kyle Edwards (Sacramento Republic FC)
F – J.J. Williams (Rhode Island FC)
Bench
GK – Matías Molina (Westchester SC)
D – Sam Layton (Richmond Kickers)
D – Talen Maples (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC)
M – Alex Dalou (Detroit City FC)
M – Andrés Ferrín (FC Naples)
M – Eliot Goldthorp (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC)
F – Daniel Mangarov (Chattanooga FC)
Coach
Mike Jeffries (Charlotte Independence)
Colorado Springs will now turn its attention to a busy doubleheader, as the Switchbacks prepare to host Sporting Kansas City on April 14 in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup at 6 p.m. The club will host Monterey Bay FC on April 18 at 3 p.m. To stay up to date on the Switchbacks schedule, head HERE.
