Match Preview

It’s a midweek fiesta at Weidner Field as the Switchbacks welcome the Real Monarchs SLC to Colorado Springs for Margaritaville on Wednesday evening.  Gates open at 6pm with $3 margaritas available all evening.  Wednesday’s match will be the first of three games at Weidner Field in just eight days, with tickets for the homestand available HERE.

For those unable to attend on Wednesday, the match against the Real Monarchs will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

The Switchbacks will be without Michee Ngalina against the Real Monarchs, after the Congolese forward was sent off in stoppage time of the Switchbacks’ 3-2 loss to New Mexico United on Saturday night in Albuquerque.  As of Tuesday morning, Ngalina’s eight assists were tied for the most in the USL Championship, while his tally of eight goals is second on the Switchbacks behind the league’s leading scorer, Hadji Barry. 

It’s a midweek fiesta at Weidner Field as the Switchbacks welcome the Real Monarchs SLC to Colorado Springs for Margaritaville on Wednesday evening.  Gates open at 6pm with $3 margaritas available all evening.  Wednesday’s match will be the first of three games at Weidner Field in just eight days, with tickets for the homestand available HERE.

For those unable to attend on Wednesday, the match against the Real Monarchs will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

The Switchbacks will be without Michee Ngalina against the Real Monarchs, after the Congolese forward was sent off in stoppage time of the Switchbacks’ 3-2 loss to New Mexico United on Saturday night in Albuquerque.  As of Tuesday morning, Ngalina’s eight assists were tied for the most in the USL Championship, while his tally of eight goals is second on the Switchbacks behind the league’s leading scorer, Hadji Barry. 

In their only previous matchup this season, the Switchbacks defeated the Real Monarchs SLC 3-1 on Independence Day at Weidner Field behind first half goals from Deshane Beckford, Hadji Barry, and Michael Edwards. The Real Monarchs have lost seven road games during the 2021 USL Championship season and currently sit at the bottom of the Mountain Division.  On August 7th, the Real Monarchs logged their only road win of 2021 by defeating Landon Donovan’s San Diego Loyal 1-0 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.  A 2-0 loss at Indy Eleven followed on August 28th, before Head Coach Jámison Olave’s team fell 3-2 at Toyota Field to San Antonio FC last Wednesday evening.  

“Obviously, we just have to play our game and do what we need to do – we’ve seen the Monarchs before and we’ve gotten a good result against them, so we just need to stick to our game plan and we’ll get a result,” said Sebastian Anderson.  “Wednesday will be a great game and we’re definitely looking to get a good result for our fans at home.  Being able to win our individual duels will be key –  and then just go forward and transition quickly, put in some goals, and make sure we’re solid defensively.” 

In their only previous matchup this season, the Switchbacks defeated the Real Monarchs SLC 3-1 on Independence Day at Weidner Field behind first half goals from Deshane Beckford, Hadji Barry, and Michael Edwards. The Real Monarchs have lost seven road games during the 2021 USL Championship season and currently sit at the bottom of the Mountain Division.  On August 7th, the Real Monarchs logged their only road win of 2021 by defeating Landon Donovan’s San Diego Loyal 1-0 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.  A 2-0 loss at Indy Eleven followed on August 28th, before Head Coach Jámison Olave’s team fell 3-2 at Toyota Field to San Antonio FC last Wednesday evening.  

“Obviously, we just have to play our game and do what we need to do – we’ve seen the Monarchs before and we’ve gotten a good result against them, so we just need to stick to our game plan and we’ll get a result,” said Sebastian Anderson.  “Wednesday will be a great game and we’re definitely looking to get a good result for our fans at home.  Being able to win our individual duels will be key –  and then just go forward and transition quickly, put in some goals, and make sure we’re solid defensively.” 

“We need to come out strong and we need to score early,” said captain Jimmy Ockford.  “When we don’t start strong we seem to fall behind in the match, so I think it’s important to get up early and score as many goals as possible.  We know our principles and what we want to do and what we want to accomplish, so right now it’s about getting the bodies right and mentally prepared.  It’s going to be really nice to be home and be around that energy at Weidner Field.” 

On Saturday evening, the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros travel to Weidner Field on Superhero Night, presented by Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs.  Next Wednesday, September 15th, a post-match fireworks show will follow the contest against the El Paso Locomotive.  Tickets for all three matches of the Switchbacks’ homestand are available HERE.

“We need to come out strong and we need to score early,” said captain Jimmy Ockford.  “When we don’t start strong we seem to fall behind in the match, so I think it’s important to get up early and score as many goals as possible.  We know our principles and what we want to do and what we want to accomplish, so right now it’s about getting the bodies right and mentally prepared.  It’s going to be really nice to be home and be around that energy at Weidner Field.” 

On Saturday evening, the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros travel to Weidner Field on Superhero Night, presented by Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs.  Next Wednesday, September 15th, a post-match fireworks show will follow the contest against the El Paso Locomotive.  Tickets for all three matches of the Switchbacks’ homestand are available HERE.

After a five-goal outburst last weekend, the Switchbacks head to the Queen City on Saturday evening to face the Charlotte Independence at 5pm MT.  The match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 4:30pm MT.

Last Saturday evening in Edinburg, Texas the Switchbacks stormed to a 5-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros behind goals from Thomas Amang, Michee Ngalina, Darren Yapi, and a brace from the USL Championship’s leading scorer Hadji Barry. 

On Tuesday, Barry was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the fourth time this season.  “Every week is a fresh start for him and I don’t think he cares about that stuff at all and I think that’s part of what makes him so good,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke when asked about Barry’s most recent inclusion on the Team of the Week.

Barry has now scored 18 times in 2021– already a Switchbacks single-season record.  “I’ve seen players get hot, but nothing like this,” said Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “My feeling is that he’ll keep it going through the end of the year for us.”  The Switchbacks have 14 regular season matches remaining, starting with Saturday’s trip to American Legion Memorial Stadium in central Charlotte, North Carolina.

After a five-goal outburst last weekend, the Switchbacks head to the Queen City on Saturday evening to face the Charlotte Independence at 5pm MT.  The match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 4:30pm MT.

Last Saturday evening in Edinburg, Texas the Switchbacks stormed to a 5-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros behind goals from Thomas Amang, Michee Ngalina, Darren Yapi, and a brace from the USL Championship’s leading scorer Hadji Barry. 

On Tuesday, Barry was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the fourth time this season.  “Every week is a fresh start for him and I don’t think he cares about that stuff at all and I think that’s part of what makes him so good,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke when asked about Barry’s most recent inclusion on the Team of the Week.

Barry has now scored 18 times in 2021– already a Switchbacks single-season record.  “I’ve seen players get hot, but nothing like this,” said Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “My feeling is that he’ll keep it going through the end of the year for us.”  The Switchbacks have 14 regular season matches remaining, starting with Saturday’s trip to American Legion Memorial Stadium in central Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Switchbacks played with three at the back in the aforementioned 5-2 win against RGV, with Jordan Burt and Matt Mahoney flanking Michael Edwards.  “It was a really entertaining game and I think we did great – Coach told us to be super aggressive, we were, and it worked out really well in our favor,” said Jordan Burt.  “I can’t really complain about our forwards scoring five goals.  As a defender, you love when your guys up top score five goals.  I love playing and my body is feeling better than it has and it’s icing on the cake when we get such a good three points.  We’ve been on the road a lot and we’ve performed well.  The fact that we’ve been able to get some good results on the road gives us confidence and it should be another good trip.  Saturday needs to be more of the same with us putting our stamp on the game, trying to be aggressive in everything that we do and being the dominating force.”

“Three at the back is something we came into the season wanting to play and wanting to be able to shift into,” said Head Coach Burke.  “The formation was a little forced at RGV, honestly, but we liked what we saw; it gives us the ability to open up.  I think it’s great that all the forwards have a comfort level playing out wide or inside.  It makes it very hard to predict who’s going to line up where.”

The Switchbacks played with three at the back in the aforementioned 5-2 win against RGV, with Jordan Burt and Matt Mahoney flanking Michael Edwards.  “It was a really entertaining game and I think we did great – Coach told us to be super aggressive, we were, and it worked out really well in our favor,” said Jordan Burt.  “I can’t really complain about our forwards scoring five goals.  As a defender, you love when your guys up top score five goals.  I love playing and my body is feeling better than it has and it’s icing on the cake when we get such a good three points.  We’ve been on the road a lot and we’ve performed well.  The fact that we’ve been able to get some good results on the road gives us confidence and it should be another good trip.  Saturday needs to be more of the same with us putting our stamp on the game, trying to be aggressive in everything that we do and being the dominating force.”

“Three at the back is something we came into the season wanting to play and wanting to be able to shift into,” said Head Coach Burke.  “The formation was a little forced at RGV, honestly, but we liked what we saw; it gives us the ability to open up.  I think it’s great that all the forwards have a comfort level playing out wide or inside.  It makes it very hard to predict who’s going to line up where.”

One of the forwards who impressed last weekend was Cameroonian Thomas Amang.  Amang notched his first goal –  in his first Switchbacks start – with a beautifully taken finish in the 57th minute.  “It feels good to score because I’ve not played for a while so I’ve just got back on track,” said Amang.  “It was good for me to get that feeling and get a goal and of course it’s good for me to learn from the players here who have more experience.  It’s a pleasure for me to learn every day.  This week we’re just preparing for the game in the right way – like we always do – and working on our tactics with the coaches and we’ll try to go there and try to get a result.”

“Thomas is great – obviously you’re always happy when your forward gets his first goal of the season on his first start,” said Jordan Burt.  “He’s gelling with the guys, everyone likes playing with him and he’s another layer to what we have up top.”

“He [Amang] stretches the field really well, but he’s also good when he comes underneath and he can finish – he’s shown that now under the lights and that’s why we brought him here and now we have another dimension,” added Head Coach Burke.

Former Austrian international Christian Fuchs, who won a Premier League title and an FA Cup with Leicester City, has started the last two matches for the Independence after joining on loan from Charlotte FC.  Up top, Jamaican striker Dane Kelly leads the Independence with seven goals, while USL veteran Irvin Parra has scored five times in 2021. 

One of the forwards who impressed last weekend was Cameroonian Thomas Amang.  Amang notched his first goal –  in his first Switchbacks start – with a beautifully taken finish in the 57th minute.  “It feels good to score because I’ve not played for a while so I’ve just got back on track,” said Amang.  “It was good for me to get that feeling and get a goal and of course it’s good for me to learn from the players here who have more experience.  It’s a pleasure for me to learn every day.  This week we’re just preparing for the game in the right way – like we always do – and working on our tactics with the coaches and we’ll try to go there and try to get a result.”

“Thomas is great – obviously you’re always happy when your forward gets his first goal of the season on his first start,” said Jordan Burt.  “He’s gelling with the guys, everyone likes playing with him and he’s another layer to what we have up top.”

“He [Amang] stretches the field really well, but he’s also good when he comes underneath and he can finish – he’s shown that now under the lights and that’s why we brought him here and now we have another dimension,” added Head Coach Burke.

Former Austrian international Christian Fuchs, who won a Premier League title and an FA Cup with Leicester City, has started the last two matches for the Independence after joining on loan from Charlotte FC.  Up top, Jamaican striker Dane Kelly leads the Independence with seven goals, while USL veteran Irvin Parra has scored five times in 2021. 

“[Independence Head Coach] Mike [Jeffries] is a very good coach in terms of possession, and they’re calm on the ball – they’re all experienced players; there are no kids in their group at all,” said Brendan Burke.  “Charlotte will try to dictate the pace of the game, and we need to wrestle that away.  I think we’re going to have chances and we need to be sharp in front of goal.”

The Switchbacks return to Weidner Field on August 28th to host Austin Bold FC.  Gates will open at 6pm on Bucket Hat Night, with the first 600 fans receiving a Pikes Peak National Bank bucket hat.  Tickets for the match against Austin are available HERE.

“[Independence Head Coach] Mike [Jeffries] is a very good coach in terms of possession, and they’re calm on the ball – they’re all experienced players; there are no kids in their group at all,” said Brendan Burke.  “Charlotte will try to dictate the pace of the game, and we need to wrestle that away.  I think we’re going to have chances and we need to be sharp in front of goal.”

The Switchbacks return to Weidner Field on August 28th to host Austin Bold FC.  Gates will open at 6pm on Bucket Hat Night, with the first 600 fans receiving a Pikes Peak National Bank bucket hat.  Tickets for the match against Austin are available HERE.

After a win in the outskirts of our nation’s capital, the Switchbacks look to make some noise in the Live Music Capital of the World on Wednesday night against Austin Bold FC.  The match at Bold Stadium will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

On Saturday night the Switchbacks defeated Loudoun United 3-1 in Leesburg, Virginia behind goals from Michael Edwards, Yaya Toure, and the USL Championship’s leading-scorer Hadji Barry.  Toure’s goal came just a minute after his introduction, with the 17-year-old Guinean running directly to embrace his Head Coach Brendan Burke and his Switchbacks teammates after netting what turned out to be the match winner.  

“You love that as a coach,” said Burke.  “It shows that there’s a relationship there and all his teammates were right on top of him as well.  Everyone is happy for Yaya; he works hard, he’s very inquisitive and always asking a lot of questions and he’s been playing his way into more and more minutes for us.”

After a win in the outskirts of our nation’s capital, the Switchbacks look to make some noise in the Live Music Capital of the World on Wednesday night against Austin Bold FC.  The match at Bold Stadium will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

On Saturday night the Switchbacks defeated Loudoun United 3-1 in Leesburg, Virginia behind goals from Michael Edwards, Yaya Toure, and the USL Championship’s leading-scorer Hadji Barry.  Toure’s goal came just a minute after his introduction, with the 17-year-old Guinean running directly to embrace his Head Coach Brendan Burke and his Switchbacks teammates after netting what turned out to be the match winner.  

“You love that as a coach,” said Burke.  “It shows that there’s a relationship there and all his teammates were right on top of him as well.  Everyone is happy for Yaya; he works hard, he’s very inquisitive and always asking a lot of questions and he’s been playing his way into more and more minutes for us.”

“Everyone was excited for the kid,” said Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “He is learning how to give us a spark when he comes in and we love him off the field.  It’s always great to see your young teammates do well.  Even though the Loudoun game wasn’t pretty, a little momentum goes a long way – I love competing and grinding out games like that.  Coming away with six points on the long road trip would be huge for us.”

“That was a huge goal for us, especially with the circumstances of what was going on in the game,” said Matt Mahoney.  “It wasn’t our best game and the turf was hard to play on, so to get a second goal kind of solidified the game before Hadji was able to get that huge third goal for us.  Yaya is always working hard and I know Coach Burke trusts him so it was great to see him go over there and give everyone a hug.”

Midfielder Andre Lewis was hugely impressive against Loudoun United, with the Jamaican playing a key role for the Switchbacks before being replaced in the 80th minute.  Head Coach Brendan Burke provided an update on Lewis and Canadian goalkeeper Sean Melvin on Sunday afternoon in Texas.  “Andre is ok and with Sean we’re just being cautious and working him back slowly,” said Burke.  “Abe [Rodriguez] obviously played very well against Loudoun so that allows us extra time with Sean.  Andre should be fine – no major issue for him.  [Zach] Zandi was a scratch because of a hamstring issue and that’s more day-to-day at this point; it’s not a bad one at all, but we did have to scratch him from the lineup before the Loudoun game.”

New Switchbacks signing Thomas Amang could feature against the Bold on Wednesday night, with the Cameroonian striker set to join up with his teammates in Texas on Monday.  “Amang will be down here in Austin,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “I’m not sure if he’ll be at the fitness level yet that we want and that we’re comfortable in exposing him to a game, but he’s very close.”

“Everyone was excited for the kid,” said Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “He is learning how to give us a spark when he comes in and we love him off the field.  It’s always great to see your young teammates do well.  Even though the Loudoun game wasn’t pretty, a little momentum goes a long way – I love competing and grinding out games like that.  Coming away with six points on the long road trip would be huge for us.”

“That was a huge goal for us, especially with the circumstances of what was going on in the game,” said Matt Mahoney.  “It wasn’t our best game and the turf was hard to play on, so to get a second goal kind of solidified the game before Hadji was able to get that huge third goal for us.  Yaya is always working hard and I know Coach Burke trusts him so it was great to see him go over there and give everyone a hug.”

Midfielder Andre Lewis was hugely impressive against Loudoun United, with the Jamaican playing a key role for the Switchbacks before being replaced in the 80th minute.  Head Coach Brendan Burke provided an update on Lewis and Canadian goalkeeper Sean Melvin on Sunday afternoon in Texas.  “Andre is ok and with Sean we’re just being cautious and working him back slowly,” said Burke.  “Abe [Rodriguez] obviously played very well against Loudoun so that allows us extra time with Sean.  Andre should be fine – no major issue for him.  [Zach] Zandi was a scratch because of a hamstring issue and that’s more day-to-day at this point; it’s not a bad one at all, but we did have to scratch him from the lineup before the Loudoun game.”

New Switchbacks signing Thomas Amang could feature against the Bold on Wednesday night, with the Cameroonian striker set to join up with his teammates in Texas on Monday.  “Amang will be down here in Austin,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “I’m not sure if he’ll be at the fitness level yet that we want and that we’re comfortable in exposing him to a game, but he’s very close.”

Austin Bold fell 3-0 at Bold Stadium on Saturday night to San Antonio FC in a match that saw the Bold pick up seven yellow cards.  It was the first loss for Head Coach Marcelo Serrano’s team since they fell 3-2 to the Switchbacks on June 22nd.  “With these divisional games, we already play each other so many times that we have a pretty good idea of what we’re walking into on Wednesday,” said Brendan Burke.  “We’ll focus these next couple days in terms of breaking down the video and understanding Austin’s substitution patterns.  There were a lot of guys that came off early for Austin in the San Antonio game and we know that we’ll get a wave of energy from Austin in the first 20 minutes after they were turned over at home.  We’re looking forward to Wednesday.  We got a good result last time against Austin, but we were a little lucky to push with 10 men and get two goals back, so we certainly want to control the game a little better right off the bat.”

Defender Matt Mahoney has proved an invaluable signing for the Switchbacks, with the former Temple Owl being used across the backline.  “Matt was one of the first people we called; anywhere I go I would bring Matt for his versatility and toughness,” said Head Coach Burke.  “He’s intelligent, he’s hard, he’s bought in and he’s willing to bounce around in order to stay on the field.  When we’re at full strength as a team – which I still don’t think we have been this year – we’re going to have great internal competition, and that will ultimately make us a sharper team.”

Austin Bold fell 3-0 at Bold Stadium on Saturday night to San Antonio FC in a match that saw the Bold pick up seven yellow cards.  It was the first loss for Head Coach Marcelo Serrano’s team since they fell 3-2 to the Switchbacks on June 22nd.  “With these divisional games, we already play each other so many times that we have a pretty good idea of what we’re walking into on Wednesday,” said Brendan Burke.  “We’ll focus these next couple days in terms of breaking down the video and understanding Austin’s substitution patterns.  There were a lot of guys that came off early for Austin in the San Antonio game and we know that we’ll get a wave of energy from Austin in the first 20 minutes after they were turned over at home.  We’re looking forward to Wednesday.  We got a good result last time against Austin, but we were a little lucky to push with 10 men and get two goals back, so we certainly want to control the game a little better right off the bat.”

Defender Matt Mahoney has proved an invaluable signing for the Switchbacks, with the former Temple Owl being used across the backline.  “Matt was one of the first people we called; anywhere I go I would bring Matt for his versatility and toughness,” said Head Coach Burke.  “He’s intelligent, he’s hard, he’s bought in and he’s willing to bounce around in order to stay on the field.  When we’re at full strength as a team – which I still don’t think we have been this year – we’re going to have great internal competition, and that will ultimately make us a sharper team.”

“Coach Burke and the team that he’s built is a big reason that I’m here with the Switchbacks,” said Mahoney.  “With the [Bethlehem] Steel I could see the type of person Brendan is off the field.  The trust is huge – but not just in me.  I think the staff trust the entire team, and with the stretch we have coming up that’s hugely important because we’re going to have to rotate with playing games every three days.  It’s nice for Coach to say those things, but it means a lot that he trusts the whole group and that everyone is contributing.” 

The Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field against Hartford Athletic on Saturday for Galactic Night, presented by Centura Health.  The first 4,000 fans through the gates at 6pm MT will receive lightsabers, courtesy of Centura Health.  Tickets for the match against Hartford are available HERE.

“Coach Burke and the team that he’s built is a big reason that I’m here with the Switchbacks,” said Mahoney.  “With the [Bethlehem] Steel I could see the type of person Brendan is off the field.  The trust is huge – but not just in me.  I think the staff trust the entire team, and with the stretch we have coming up that’s hugely important because we’re going to have to rotate with playing games every three days.  It’s nice for Coach to say those things, but it means a lot that he trusts the whole group and that everyone is contributing.” 

The Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field against Hartford Athletic on Saturday for Galactic Night, presented by Centura Health.  The first 4,000 fans through the gates at 6pm MT will receive lightsabers, courtesy of Centura Health.  Tickets for the match against Hartford are available HERE.

Goals are guaranteed on Friday evening at Weidner Field as the Switchbacks welcome Louisville City FC to downtown Colorado Springs.  Tickets remain available HERE for Signature Trophy Night courtesy of FOX21 News.  The first 500 fans through the gates at 6pm will receive a special edition signature trophy of the USL Championship’s leading goal-scorer, Hadji Barry.  

The match against LouCity will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

Louisville City are currently flying high, with Head Coach Danny Cruz’s team leading the USL Championship’s Central Division after having already amassed eight wins in 2021.  Led by former Tottenham Hotspur striker Cameron Lancaster, LouCity have scored at least two goals in each of their last eight games.  

Goals are guaranteed on Friday evening at Weidner Field as the Switchbacks welcome Louisville City FC to downtown Colorado Springs.  Tickets remain available HERE for Signature Trophy Night courtesy of FOX21 News.  The first 500 fans through the gates at 6pm will receive a special edition signature trophy of the USL Championship’s leading goal-scorer, Hadji Barry.  

The match against LouCity will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 6:30pm MT.

Louisville City are currently flying high, with Head Coach Danny Cruz’s team leading the USL Championship’s Central Division after having already amassed eight wins in 2021.  Led by former Tottenham Hotspur striker Cameron Lancaster, LouCity have scored at least two goals in each of their last eight games.  

“Louisville are a very good team and they play, which is great because it sets up another wide open game,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “They’re an experienced team and they’ve knocked me personally out of the playoffs with two of my teams in Bethlehem, so we know exactly what we’re walking into.  They’re probably the best group that we’ve seen so far this year.  It will be nice to not have to play one of the same teams – we’ve played the same two teams six times in our first twelve games, which is almost anti-competitive.  So this will be good to just break that monotony.  We have huge respect for Louisville and I was one of Hack’s [former Head Coach John Hackworth] assistants in MLS and I was sorry to see him go, but Danny Cruz was one of our players in Philly at that time and I have big respect for Danny too.  Danny is carrying on what Hack left off in Louisville and we know that if we make a mistake we’ll get punished, so this week we’ll focus a lot on the defensive side.” 

“Louisville are a very good team and they play, which is great because it sets up another wide open game,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “They’re an experienced team and they’ve knocked me personally out of the playoffs with two of my teams in Bethlehem, so we know exactly what we’re walking into.  They’re probably the best group that we’ve seen so far this year.  It will be nice to not have to play one of the same teams – we’ve played the same two teams six times in our first twelve games, which is almost anti-competitive.  So this will be good to just break that monotony.  We have huge respect for Louisville and I was one of Hack’s [former Head Coach John Hackworth] assistants in MLS and I was sorry to see him go, but Danny Cruz was one of our players in Philly at that time and I have big respect for Danny too.  Danny is carrying on what Hack left off in Louisville and we know that if we make a mistake we’ll get punished, so this week we’ll focus a lot on the defensive side.” 

Eight Louisville City players have scored at least two goals in the 2021 USL Championship season, led by the aforementioned Cameron Lancaster who has logged a team-high seven goals.  Former Notre Dame standout Chris Hubbard is LouCity’s undisputed starting goalkeeper behind a backline that usually includes Sean Totsch and Alexis Souahy.  Seventeen-year-old defender Jonathan Gomez was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on Tuesday after the defender recorded a pair of assists in LouCity’s 3-1 victory against the OKC Energy last Wednesday.  

“This week we’ll really focus defensively to stay connected in the back four,” said goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez.  “We have the players to play a good football match against this team and we’re going to go out there and compete.  For me, I’ve always looked to my family for motivation and I thank God for everything as well.  Mentality wise I always make sure I’m giving 110% on the field no matter what and make sure I give it my all.”  

Eight Louisville City players have scored at least two goals in the 2021 USL Championship season, led by the aforementioned Cameron Lancaster who has logged a team-high seven goals.  Former Notre Dame standout Chris Hubbard is LouCity’s undisputed starting goalkeeper behind a backline that usually includes Sean Totsch and Alexis Souahy.  Seventeen-year-old defender Jonathan Gomez was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on Tuesday after the defender recorded a pair of assists in LouCity’s 3-1 victory against the OKC Energy last Wednesday.  

“This week we’ll really focus defensively to stay connected in the back four,” said goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez.  “We have the players to play a good football match against this team and we’re going to go out there and compete.  For me, I’ve always looked to my family for motivation and I thank God for everything as well.  Mentality wise I always make sure I’m giving 110% on the field no matter what and make sure I give it my all.”  

The Switchbacks will have defender Sebastian Anderson available for selection on Friday after Anderson served a one match suspension last weekend.  “It’s definitely good to be back in the group,” said Anderson immediately following Tuesday’s training session at Weidner Field.  “Louisville is a very good team, but we’re looking forward to getting a good result.  They’re a good attacking force, but at the same time so are we.  We know we can put a few goals in and it’s up to everyone to put in a good shift and try to hold them scoreless.  We obviously don’t see them as much as some of the other teams, but it’s the same preparation as always.”  

Anderson was replaced last Saturday in a 3-2 loss to San Antonio FC by Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “Jordan is an important piece of the group,” said Head Coach Burke.  “He’s definitely in our fourteen to sixteen-man squad all the time and it’s good to get him back rolling again with 90 minutes and I thought he was good for us when he was asked to step in after a long time out.  I was happy for Jordan and I’m happy that we have him back up and running.  I think, right now, it’s Seb’s position and it’s someone else’s job to knock him out of that position because of his quality on the ball.”  

Last Friday the Switchbacks announced the signing of 23-year-old Cameroonian striker Thomas Amang Olivier.  “He’s at the final stages of getting his visa, so he should have it any day now and we’ll have him on a plane by the weekend, and we’re buzzing to get him in here,” confirmed Head Coach Burke on Tuesday.  “He gives us another dimension up top.  We can stretch the line, but we haven’t been able to rotate much.  [Darren] Yapi has done great coming on for a kid his age and Yaya [Toure] has contributed too.  But Amang is experienced at a really high level for a young player.”

Following Friday’s match, the Switchbacks will head east to the Commonwealth of Virginia to take on Loudon United FC at Segra Field on Saturday, July 31st.

The Switchbacks will have defender Sebastian Anderson available for selection on Friday after Anderson served a one match suspension last weekend.  “It’s definitely good to be back in the group,” said Anderson immediately following Tuesday’s training session at Weidner Field.  “Louisville is a very good team, but we’re looking forward to getting a good result.  They’re a good attacking force, but at the same time so are we.  We know we can put a few goals in and it’s up to everyone to put in a good shift and try to hold them scoreless.  We obviously don’t see them as much as some of the other teams, but it’s the same preparation as always.”  

Anderson was replaced last Saturday in a 3-2 loss to San Antonio FC by Switchbacks veteran Jordan Burt.  “Jordan is an important piece of the group,” said Head Coach Burke.  “He’s definitely in our fourteen to sixteen-man squad all the time and it’s good to get him back rolling again with 90 minutes and I thought he was good for us when he was asked to step in after a long time out.  I was happy for Jordan and I’m happy that we have him back up and running.  I think, right now, it’s Seb’s position and it’s someone else’s job to knock him out of that position because of his quality on the ball.”  

Last Friday the Switchbacks announced the signing of 23-year-old Cameroonian striker Thomas Amang Olivier.  “He’s at the final stages of getting his visa, so he should have it any day now and we’ll have him on a plane by the weekend, and we’re buzzing to get him in here,” confirmed Head Coach Burke on Tuesday.  “He gives us another dimension up top.  We can stretch the line, but we haven’t been able to rotate much.  [Darren] Yapi has done great coming on for a kid his age and Yaya [Toure] has contributed too.  But Amang is experienced at a really high level for a young player.”

Following Friday’s match, the Switchbacks will head east to the Commonwealth of Virginia to take on Loudon United FC at Segra Field on Saturday, July 31st.

Fun in the Sun awaits at Noon on Saturday as the Switchbacks welcome San Antonio FC to Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs, with tickets remaining available HERE.  The match will be nationally televised on ESPN2, and will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 11:30am MT.

Last Friday evening, the Switchbacks fell 3-1 to New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, in a match that saw Sebastian Anderson sent off in the 53rd minute.  Anderson will not be available for Saturday’s noon-time kickoff against San Antonio through the resulting suspension. 

“New Mexico turned that game into a brawl and they were allowed to do that,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “It was tough to watch, but we can’t overreact the way Seb did and he knows that, so he’ll pick up – he’s a young player – and he’s been playing fantastic and he’ll move through that and we expect him back right away after his suspension.”

Fun in the Sun awaits at Noon on Saturday as the Switchbacks welcome San Antonio FC to Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs, with tickets remaining available HERE.  The match will be nationally televised on ESPN2, and will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 11:30am MT.

Last Friday evening, the Switchbacks fell 3-1 to New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, in a match that saw Sebastian Anderson sent off in the 53rd minute.  Anderson will not be available for Saturday’s noon-time kickoff against San Antonio through the resulting suspension. 

“New Mexico turned that game into a brawl and they were allowed to do that,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “It was tough to watch, but we can’t overreact the way Seb did and he knows that, so he’ll pick up – he’s a young player – and he’s been playing fantastic and he’ll move through that and we expect him back right away after his suspension.”

“It was a tough result [in New Mexico], but I thought we played well throughout the full 90-minutes,” said center back Michael Edwards.  “We were unlucky on a set piece, and then got caught in the run of play, but if we stick to how we’re training I think we can get a good result against San Antonio.  The guys need to step up – we have good depth in the backline.  I know that Jordy [Burt] or Lamar [Batista] or whoever it may be will be able to step up and play that role this weekend.  We need to stick to the script, play how we play, and not try to play their game.”

“In terms of who we call on going into the San Antonio game, we have a number of options, but the reality is that some of our more experienced players are probably going to have to step-up now,” added Head Coach Burke.  “We expect guys who have a couple hundred games in this league to be able to slot right in.  In terms of preparing for San Antonio: their games are very chaotic, they are very back-to-front, and they don’t try to play through you very much at all.  That was a game that we were very much on top of last time around and resulted in red cards all over the place, so I just hope that the referees are able to get ahold of the game early on.”

“It was a tough result [in New Mexico], but I thought we played well throughout the full 90-minutes,” said center back Michael Edwards.  “We were unlucky on a set piece, and then got caught in the run of play, but if we stick to how we’re training I think we can get a good result against San Antonio.  The guys need to step up – we have good depth in the backline.  I know that Jordy [Burt] or Lamar [Batista] or whoever it may be will be able to step up and play that role this weekend.  We need to stick to the script, play how we play, and not try to play their game.”

“In terms of who we call on going into the San Antonio game, we have a number of options, but the reality is that some of our more experienced players are probably going to have to step-up now,” added Head Coach Burke.  “We expect guys who have a couple hundred games in this league to be able to slot right in.  In terms of preparing for San Antonio: their games are very chaotic, they are very back-to-front, and they don’t try to play through you very much at all.  That was a game that we were very much on top of last time around and resulted in red cards all over the place, so I just hope that the referees are able to get ahold of the game early on.”

San Antonio FC defeated the Switchbacks 3-0 in the opening match of the 2021 USL Championship season behind a hat trick from Santiago Patiño at Toyota Field in Texas.  Colombian striker Patiño was sent off during a 1-1 draw on June 5th against the Switchbacks at Weidner Field.  Patiño leads San Antonio FC in goals with 5, while Justin Dhillon has scored 3 times in 2021 – including a last-gasp equalizer in the aforementioned match on June 5th.  

Zach Zandi has trained for the Switchbacks this week after the former Villanova Wildcat was forced out of Head Coach Brendan Burke’s rotation following a facial injury.  “This is my first day of full contact, so I’m just really happy to be back playing again,” said Zandi on Monday afternoon in Colorado Springs.  “I’m really happy to be able to get back into it – I feel good and I’m excited.  This week we need to continue what we’ve been doing well, which is creating chances going forward.  We need to clean up small things and how we defend set-pieces, and remain positive as we look forward to this game that’s going to be nationally televised.  It’s a really big game for us to bounce back; we have an edge to us for this game.  The game time is different, but everything else for us remains the same.”

San Antonio FC defeated the Switchbacks 3-0 in the opening match of the 2021 USL Championship season behind a hat trick from Santiago Patiño at Toyota Field in Texas.  Colombian striker Patiño was sent off during a 1-1 draw on June 5th against the Switchbacks at Weidner Field.  Patiño leads San Antonio FC in goals with 5, while Justin Dhillon has scored 3 times in 2021 – including a last-gasp equalizer in the aforementioned match on June 5th.  

Zach Zandi has trained for the Switchbacks this week after the former Villanova Wildcat was forced out of Head Coach Brendan Burke’s rotation following a facial injury.  “This is my first day of full contact, so I’m just really happy to be back playing again,” said Zandi on Monday afternoon in Colorado Springs.  “I’m really happy to be able to get back into it – I feel good and I’m excited.  This week we need to continue what we’ve been doing well, which is creating chances going forward.  We need to clean up small things and how we defend set-pieces, and remain positive as we look forward to this game that’s going to be nationally televised.  It’s a really big game for us to bounce back; we have an edge to us for this game.  The game time is different, but everything else for us remains the same.”

“Zach looked fantastic in training today and obviously he hasn’t played in weeks, so it’s going to be some time before he can go from the start again, but hopefully he’s tracking towards being able to be on the bench this weekend,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “San Antonio are a very good team and they’re a deep, talented roster just like New Mexico, so they have a lot of answers and a lot they can throw at you.  They shouldn’t be discounted and they generate a ton of chances even though they don’t have much of the ball – they’re very purposeful when they do have possession – and they have a couple very high-end forwards.  We know we’re in for a really difficult game this weekend, especially playing at midday.  The noon kickoff is not ideal to be playing at altitude with the intensity of the sun.  We have a way of playing and we probably won’t get away from that, but we would prefer to be playing at night.” 

On July 23rd, the Switchbacks will round out their two match homestand at Weidner Field by hosting Louisville City FC on Special Edition Signature Trophy Giveaway Night, presented by FOX21 News.  Tickets for the matches against San Antonio and Louisville are available HERE.

“Zach looked fantastic in training today and obviously he hasn’t played in weeks, so it’s going to be some time before he can go from the start again, but hopefully he’s tracking towards being able to be on the bench this weekend,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “San Antonio are a very good team and they’re a deep, talented roster just like New Mexico, so they have a lot of answers and a lot they can throw at you.  They shouldn’t be discounted and they generate a ton of chances even though they don’t have much of the ball – they’re very purposeful when they do have possession – and they have a couple very high-end forwards.  We know we’re in for a really difficult game this weekend, especially playing at midday.  The noon kickoff is not ideal to be playing at altitude with the intensity of the sun.  We have a way of playing and we probably won’t get away from that, but we would prefer to be playing at night.” 

On July 23rd, the Switchbacks will round out their two match homestand at Weidner Field by hosting Louisville City FC on Special Edition Signature Trophy Giveaway Night, presented by FOX21 News.  Tickets for the matches against San Antonio and Louisville are available HERE.

Winners of four of their last five games, the Switchbacks head south into the Land of Enchantment to face New Mexico United on Friday evening.   The match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 7pm MT.

Sunday evening saw the Switchbacks defeat the Real Monarchs SLC 3-1 behind goals from Deshane Beckford, Michael Edwards, and the USL Championship’s top-scorer Hadji Barry.  On Wednesday morning, the Switchbacks announced a two-year contract extension with Guinean striker Barry.

Winners of four of their last five games, the Switchbacks head south into the Land of Enchantment to face New Mexico United on Friday evening.   The match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com, with coverage beginning at 7pm MT.

Sunday evening saw the Switchbacks defeat the Real Monarchs SLC 3-1 behind goals from Deshane Beckford, Michael Edwards, and the USL Championship’s top-scorer Hadji Barry.  On Wednesday morning, the Switchbacks announced a two-year contract extension with Guinean striker Barry.

Goalkeeper Sean Melvin had a standout performance for the Switchbacks on Sunday against the Monarchs, which culminated in the Canadian stop-stopper superbly saving a penalty kick in the 88th minute.  “It would have been hard for us to give one up there late and we would have been under a lot of pressure,” said Melvin.  “We watch players and work a lot on film to get a read on guys and how they play and which way they’ll go – and I was fortunate enough to make an educated guess and get across and make the save.”

“I was telling Hadji [Barry] that if they’d have scored that PK it was going to be a tough game for us in the last four or five minutes,” said midfielder José Torres.  “We had a full crowd on the Fourth of July and thank God that Sean – who was man of the match –  had a big save, and after the game I gave him a big hug and told him that he saved us.”

“Sean is starting to settle in,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke when asked about the contribution of Melvin, who missed the start of the 2021 season through injury.  “He’s getting better each week and this is the first good run of games that he’s had in a long time.  I’m very happy to see him progressing the way that he is and that was a big save because it took all the air out of the game.”

Goalkeeper Sean Melvin had a standout performance for the Switchbacks on Sunday against the Monarchs, which culminated in the Canadian stop-stopper superbly saving a penalty kick in the 88th minute.  “It would have been hard for us to give one up there late and we would have been under a lot of pressure,” said Melvin.  “We watch players and work a lot on film to get a read on guys and how they play and which way they’ll go – and I was fortunate enough to make an educated guess and get across and make the save.”

“I was telling Hadji [Barry] that if they’d have scored that PK it was going to be a tough game for us in the last four or five minutes,” said midfielder José Torres.  “We had a full crowd on the Fourth of July and thank God that Sean – who was man of the match –  had a big save, and after the game I gave him a big hug and told him that he saved us.”

“Sean is starting to settle in,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke when asked about the contribution of Melvin, who missed the start of the 2021 season through injury.  “He’s getting better each week and this is the first good run of games that he’s had in a long time.  I’m very happy to see him progressing the way that he is and that was a big save because it took all the air out of the game.”

New Mexico United have lost three matches in a row – a streak that started with a 3-1 loss to the Switchbacks at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs on June 25th.  The Switchbacks fell 3-1 to New Mexico United at Isotopes Park on May 21st despite going ahead in the 2nd minute through Hadji Barry.  

“New Mexico are a very combative and direct team and they have quality all over the field, so if you take a second off you’re going to get burned,” said Head Coach Burke.  “It’s a difficult environment to play with the field being in the state that it’s in.  With the size of the crowd there’s going to be a lot of energy and combativeness.  We have to be better prepared for them than we were last time.  They ran a good set-piece and beat us to a spot and that can’t happen again.  Putting the game on our terms is going to be really hard in their place and we respect that and we understand that, but we wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t attempt to do that every weekend.”  

New Mexico United have lost three matches in a row – a streak that started with a 3-1 loss to the Switchbacks at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs on June 25th.  The Switchbacks fell 3-1 to New Mexico United at Isotopes Park on May 21st despite going ahead in the 2nd minute through Hadji Barry.  

“New Mexico are a very combative and direct team and they have quality all over the field, so if you take a second off you’re going to get burned,” said Head Coach Burke.  “It’s a difficult environment to play with the field being in the state that it’s in.  With the size of the crowd there’s going to be a lot of energy and combativeness.  We have to be better prepared for them than we were last time.  They ran a good set-piece and beat us to a spot and that can’t happen again.  Putting the game on our terms is going to be really hard in their place and we respect that and we understand that, but we wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t attempt to do that every weekend.”  

Former Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs is one of five New Mexico United players who have scored twice in the 2021 season.  “We know New Mexico like they know us,” said José Torres.  “It’s going to be a very tough game – especially with them being at home with their crowd –  but I think we know how to handle it.  We have an experienced team and we’re just going to keep doing what we know how to do.  We’ve been playing well these few games and if we can continue to play that way it will be difficult for any team to stop us. For me, I’m trying to stay as healthy as I can.  I had an injury for three weeks and it was tough for me to get back and thank God for the confidence that my teammates gave me – they kept pushing me and the coaching staff was always pushing me and they trusted me.  I do what I can when I’m out there and I try to help the group as much as I can –  I try to go as many minutes as possible and if I can get the full 90-minutes, fine.  And if not, I know I have teammates that will be pushing and are always ready to go.” 

“In New Mexico we need to keep the same mentality that we’ve had,” said Sean Melvin.  “We bounced back really well on Sunday and we need to keep that momentum going and have the same mentality and the same aggression in our game.  We’ll focus on ourselves and what we’re doing right and try to continue that and bring it into the game on Friday.”  

“We came through the game on Sunday fine,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “It’s still a quick turnaround for us – just not as quick as the last one.  The schedule is really funky this year so we have to be careful about how hard we’re training and when we’re training and how we get messages across, so we’re just spending the extra time to try to prepare the guys well and allow them to recover at the same time.” 

Following Friday’s match, the Switchbacks will return home for a Fun in the Sun fixture against San Antonio FC on July 17th at noon MT.  Tickets are available HERE.

Former Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs is one of five New Mexico United players who have scored twice in the 2021 season.  “We know New Mexico like they know us,” said José Torres.  “It’s going to be a very tough game – especially with them being at home with their crowd –  but I think we know how to handle it.  We have an experienced team and we’re just going to keep doing what we know how to do.  We’ve been playing well these few games and if we can continue to play that way it will be difficult for any team to stop us. For me, I’m trying to stay as healthy as I can.  I had an injury for three weeks and it was tough for me to get back and thank God for the confidence that my teammates gave me – they kept pushing me and the coaching staff was always pushing me and they trusted me.  I do what I can when I’m out there and I try to help the group as much as I can –  I try to go as many minutes as possible and if I can get the full 90-minutes, fine.  And if not, I know I have teammates that will be pushing and are always ready to go.” 

“In New Mexico we need to keep the same mentality that we’ve had,” said Sean Melvin.  “We bounced back really well on Sunday and we need to keep that momentum going and have the same mentality and the same aggression in our game.  We’ll focus on ourselves and what we’re doing right and try to continue that and bring it into the game on Friday.”  

“We came through the game on Sunday fine,” confirmed Head Coach Burke.  “It’s still a quick turnaround for us – just not as quick as the last one.  The schedule is really funky this year so we have to be careful about how hard we’re training and when we’re training and how we get messages across, so we’re just spending the extra time to try to prepare the guys well and allow them to recover at the same time.” 

Following Friday’s match, the Switchbacks will return home for a Fun in the Sun fixture against San Antonio FC on July 17th at noon MT.  Tickets are available HERE.

It’s an Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular presented by the Phil Long family of dealerships on Sunday evening as the Switchbacks host the Real Monarchs of Salt Lake City at Weidner Field.  Gates open at 4pm MT, with the match to kickoff 6:30pm MT.  For those unable to attend, the match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.

On Thursday evening the Switchbacks were hard done by as they fell 2-0 in downtown Colorado Springs to Orange County SC.  “It’s an emotional feeling for us right now because we had that game taken away from us,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke immediately following Thursday evening’s game.  “The fact that we can pin-back a top team in the west that goes and parks the bus against us is a great sign on where we are and where we’re headed.”

“We created eight to ten excellent goal-scoring chances tonight, and just didn’t put them away,” continued Burke.  “We’re going to have those nights and I said that to the guys.  I’d be concerned if we didn’t create that many good goal-scoring chances.  We did our jobs.  Everyone did.  All eleven guys I thought performed well, for the most part.  Now this week becomes about the players managing themselves physically and turning around so that we have enough pop to punish RSL for coming out and playing because we know that we’re very good when we’re out in space.  We’re looking forward to this weekend’s matchup, hopefully the weather cooperates and we see our first sellout crowd – these fans deserve wins, and we’re starting to produce them.  Tonight would have been another win if it wasn’t for all the interventions from above, but the reality is that we’re on the right track.”

“It didn’t go the way we wanted [against Orange County] but I still think we outplayed them for the majority of the game – if not the whole game,” said Switchbacks captain Jimmy Ockford.  “We had a lot of possession and we got some chances, we just couldn’t finish them, so honestly we just need to keep creating chances on Sunday and if we do that then we can get three points.  It’s a short turnaround for Sunday, so our regeneration will be key to make sure we recover in the right way.”

The Switchbacks made changes in the center of the pitch against Orange County, with Rony Argueta impressing alongside the tireless work rate of Philip Mayaka and Andre Lewis.  “This week we’re going to continue to solidify and fortify our identity,” said Switchbacks veteran Argueta.  “Against Orange County we had a lot of opportunities, and in the next couple days we’ll continue to focus on ourselves, do what we do, and work on taking those chances.  Last night was just the game; it’s just soccer.  Sometimes they go in, other times they don’t.  I think, for us, it just comes down to focus and staying hungry.  Philip and Andre are both really good players, on and off the ball.  They both work very hard for the team and Coach has mentioned that we have depth there in the middle, which is good because we have a lot of games coming up in a short time span, so we’ll need the fresh legs throughout the team.” 

The Real Monarchs SLC last played on Wednesday evening as they defeated New Mexico United 3-2 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah behind goals from Justin Portillo, Aris Briggs, and Noah Powder.  Former UCLA Bruin Milan Iloski leads the Monarchs in goals with three.  The Monarchs, the USL Championship affiliate of Real Salt Lake, have so far used 35 players during the 2021 season.  

“RSL are a totally different methodology to Orange County; they’re a [MLS] 2 team, they’re developing players for the first team, so they’re going to come out and actually try to play soccer, and that’s a good thing,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Burke.  “But we also have to respect the quality that the Monarchs bring in guys like [Milan] Iloksi and many many others – depending on who they drop in from the first-team.  We saw them turn over New Mexico [United] midweek, but the most important thing to me is our group and our identity.  We will rotate.  I honestly think that some of the guys performed so well tonight that I have to rotate them into our first eleven or first choice group – even on a quick turnaround – because we’re seeing so much quality from them right now.  A guy like Philip Mayaka is standing out for us at this point – I love the way he’s playing.  Andre Lewis is another guy who is pushing that button and that is important in the absence of Zach [Zandi].  We missed Zach tonight, but I thought Andre was good enough to help us win the game.  Our midfield three tonight gives us guys that we can rely on.  I don’t think I’m getting out ahead of myself and saying that we’ve announced ourselves, but now we need to follow through and punish teams.  Eight to ten chances has to result in two to three goals.”

Following Sunday’s match, the Switchbacks will head south to the 505 for a matchup next Friday evening against New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque.  Starting at 7:30pm MT, the game will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.

It’s an Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular presented by the Phil Long family of dealerships on Sunday evening as the Switchbacks host the Real Monarchs of Salt Lake City at Weidner Field.  Gates open at 4pm MT, with the match to kickoff 6:30pm MT.  For those unable to attend, the match will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.

On Thursday evening the Switchbacks were hard done by as they fell 2-0 in downtown Colorado Springs to Orange County SC.  “It’s an emotional feeling for us right now because we had that game taken away from us,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke immediately following Thursday evening’s game.  “The fact that we can pin-back a top team in the west that goes and parks the bus against us is a great sign on where we are and where we’re headed.”

“We created eight to ten excellent goal-scoring chances tonight, and just didn’t put them away,” continued Burke.  “We’re going to have those nights and I said that to the guys.  I’d be concerned if we didn’t create that many good goal-scoring chances.  We did our jobs.  Everyone did.  All eleven guys I thought performed well, for the most part.  Now this week becomes about the players managing themselves physically and turning around so that we have enough pop to punish RSL for coming out and playing because we know that we’re very good when we’re out in space.  We’re looking forward to this weekend’s matchup, hopefully the weather cooperates and we see our first sellout crowd – these fans deserve wins, and we’re starting to produce them.  Tonight would have been another win if it wasn’t for all the interventions from above, but the reality is that we’re on the right track.”

“It didn’t go the way we wanted [against Orange County] but I still think we outplayed them for the majority of the game – if not the whole game,” said Switchbacks captain Jimmy Ockford.  “We had a lot of possession and we got some chances, we just couldn’t finish them, so honestly we just need to keep creating chances on Sunday and if we do that then we can get three points.  It’s a short turnaround for Sunday, so our regeneration will be key to make sure we recover in the right way.”

The Switchbacks made changes in the center of the pitch against Orange County, with Rony Argueta impressing alongside the tireless work rate of Philip Mayaka and Andre Lewis.  “This week we’re going to continue to solidify and fortify our identity,” said Switchbacks veteran Argueta.  “Against Orange County we had a lot of opportunities, and in the next couple days we’ll continue to focus on ourselves, do what we do, and work on taking those chances.  Last night was just the game; it’s just soccer.  Sometimes they go in, other times they don’t.  I think, for us, it just comes down to focus and staying hungry.  Philip and Andre are both really good players, on and off the ball.  They both work very hard for the team and Coach has mentioned that we have depth there in the middle, which is good because we have a lot of games coming up in a short time span, so we’ll need the fresh legs throughout the team.” 

The Real Monarchs SLC last played on Wednesday evening as they defeated New Mexico United 3-2 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah behind goals from Justin Portillo, Aris Briggs, and Noah Powder.  Former UCLA Bruin Milan Iloski leads the Monarchs in goals with three.  The Monarchs, the USL Championship affiliate of Real Salt Lake, have so far used 35 players during the 2021 season.  

“RSL are a totally different methodology to Orange County; they’re a [MLS] 2 team, they’re developing players for the first team, so they’re going to come out and actually try to play soccer, and that’s a good thing,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Burke.  “But we also have to respect the quality that the Monarchs bring in guys like [Milan] Iloksi and many many others – depending on who they drop in from the first-team.  We saw them turn over New Mexico [United] midweek, but the most important thing to me is our group and our identity.  We will rotate.  I honestly think that some of the guys performed so well tonight that I have to rotate them into our first eleven or first choice group – even on a quick turnaround – because we’re seeing so much quality from them right now.  A guy like Philip Mayaka is standing out for us at this point – I love the way he’s playing.  Andre Lewis is another guy who is pushing that button and that is important in the absence of Zach [Zandi].  We missed Zach tonight, but I thought Andre was good enough to help us win the game.  Our midfield three tonight gives us guys that we can rely on.  I don’t think I’m getting out ahead of myself and saying that we’ve announced ourselves, but now we need to follow through and punish teams.  Eight to ten chances has to result in two to three goals.”

Following Sunday’s match, the Switchbacks will head south to the 505 for a matchup next Friday evening against New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque.  Starting at 7:30pm MT, the game will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.

Border country beckons as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC head to Far West Texas on Saturday evening at 7:30pm MT to face off against El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park.  The game in El Paso will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.  

Last Saturday the Switchbacks tied 1-1 with San Antonio FC in a wild match that saw both teams go down to 10-men.  Switchbacks center back Michael Edwards will miss the trip to El Paso after being sent off against San Antonio.  Matt Mahoney partnered captain Jimmy Ockford in the heart of Head Coach Brendan Burke’s defense after Edwards’ dismissal.  “Matt [Mahoney] is comfortable anywhere along the back line so that could definitely be a solve,” said Burke on Tuesday morning.  “We could also look to the [Colorado] Rapids to bring someone down.”

Border country beckons as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC head to Far West Texas on Saturday evening at 7:30pm MT to face off against El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park.  The game in El Paso will be broadcast live by the voice of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman, on XTRA Sports 1300 AM and xtrasports1300.com.  

Last Saturday the Switchbacks tied 1-1 with San Antonio FC in a wild match that saw both teams go down to 10-men.  Switchbacks center back Michael Edwards will miss the trip to El Paso after being sent off against San Antonio.  Matt Mahoney partnered captain Jimmy Ockford in the heart of Head Coach Brendan Burke’s defense after Edwards’ dismissal.  “Matt [Mahoney] is comfortable anywhere along the back line so that could definitely be a solve,” said Burke on Tuesday morning.  “We could also look to the [Colorado] Rapids to bring someone down.”

“We’re excited after last weekend – we absolutely smashed San Antonio at home and we were unlucky for a number of reasons to not get a result,” continued Burke.  “Obviously the game got out of control, but for our part; I thought we were phenomenal.  We created chance after chance after chance and 95% of the time you win that game.  El Paso play midweek so there’s probably going to be some rotation for them, but for the guys they don’t rotate; we want to push the pace.  We want to play our way and our style and continue to build our identity.”

The Locomotive host Indy Eleven on Wednesday night at Southwest University Park, giving the Switchbacks a rare early-season opportunity to scout El Paso before this weekend’s match.  “Anytime we have an upcoming opponent, we always try to watch and have the guys watch live games and not just rely on our video,” said Burke.  “We understand that we’re going to play a team where their expectation is winning all the time and the quality of their roster is tremendous.  We can’t make mistakes down there or we’ll get punished.  We’ve seen top teams in our conference right off the bat, so we know exactly what we are and what we aren’t.”

This June, for Pride Month, Switchbacks midfielder Zach Zandi is part of Playing for Pride, in support of Athlete Ally and the Black Women’s Player Collective.  “Supporting the LGBTQ community is huge and important, and using my platform in any way possible to spread awareness and to do what I can to help that community is important to me,” said the former Villanova University midfielder.  “I hope it helps to bring attention and awareness to the cause and hopefully people can help out and donate money to help.” 

“We’re excited after last weekend – we absolutely smashed San Antonio at home and we were unlucky for a number of reasons to not get a result,” continued Burke.  “Obviously the game got out of control, but for our part; I thought we were phenomenal.  We created chance after chance after chance and 95% of the time you win that game.  El Paso play midweek so there’s probably going to be some rotation for them, but for the guys they don’t rotate; we want to push the pace.  We want to play our way and our style and continue to build our identity.”

The Locomotive host Indy Eleven on Wednesday night at Southwest University Park, giving the Switchbacks a rare early-season opportunity to scout El Paso before this weekend’s match.  “Anytime we have an upcoming opponent, we always try to watch and have the guys watch live games and not just rely on our video,” said Burke.  “We understand that we’re going to play a team where their expectation is winning all the time and the quality of their roster is tremendous.  We can’t make mistakes down there or we’ll get punished.  We’ve seen top teams in our conference right off the bat, so we know exactly what we are and what we aren’t.”

This June, for Pride Month, Switchbacks midfielder Zach Zandi is part of Playing for Pride, in support of Athlete Ally and the Black Women’s Player Collective.  “Supporting the LGBTQ community is huge and important, and using my platform in any way possible to spread awareness and to do what I can to help that community is important to me,” said the former Villanova University midfielder.  “I hope it helps to bring attention and awareness to the cause and hopefully people can help out and donate money to help.” 

Zandi started and impressed in an attacking midfield role in the match against San Antonio FC last weekend at Weidner Field, earning him the Better Business Bureau Man of the Match on the radio broadcast.  “Zandi was excellent,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “All that’s missing is a goal or an assist now, and those are going to come in bunches for him.  You can’t play as well as he’s played to this point – over the course of all four games – and not come away with anything – we know those will happen.  He has to keep doing what he’s doing.  I was really happy with him – I think he can be special here for us in the long term.” 

“It was great to be in the team and to get into places a little further forward,” said Zandi.  “Now it’s just converting those chances – I had a few and I’m disappointed in myself for not making more of them.  It’s a good sign that I’m in those spots.  It was good to get a good point; we wish it was a win, but the fans were great.  It’s a great atmosphere to play in.” 

El Paso Locomotive defender Macauley King was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week after providing the assist in El Paso’s 1-0 win over the Austin Bold last Thursday evening in Texas’ capital.  The Locomotive have alternated ties and wins this season, with all three of their goals in 2021 having been scored by different players.  

“Our coaches this week will set us up with a great game plan and it will be up to us to execute it,” said Zandi.  “El Paso are a really good team so hopefully we can bring a lot of energy – and they play a midweek game, so we’ll be looking to bring a lot of energy down there and play our game.”

Zandi started and impressed in an attacking midfield role in the match against San Antonio FC last weekend at Weidner Field, earning him the Better Business Bureau Man of the Match on the radio broadcast.  “Zandi was excellent,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke.  “All that’s missing is a goal or an assist now, and those are going to come in bunches for him.  You can’t play as well as he’s played to this point – over the course of all four games – and not come away with anything – we know those will happen.  He has to keep doing what he’s doing.  I was really happy with him – I think he can be special here for us in the long term.” 

“It was great to be in the team and to get into places a little further forward,” said Zandi.  “Now it’s just converting those chances – I had a few and I’m disappointed in myself for not making more of them.  It’s a good sign that I’m in those spots.  It was good to get a good point; we wish it was a win, but the fans were great.  It’s a great atmosphere to play in.” 

El Paso Locomotive defender Macauley King was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week after providing the assist in El Paso’s 1-0 win over the Austin Bold last Thursday evening in Texas’ capital.  The Locomotive have alternated ties and wins this season, with all three of their goals in 2021 having been scored by different players.  

“Our coaches this week will set us up with a great game plan and it will be up to us to execute it,” said Zandi.  “El Paso are a really good team so hopefully we can bring a lot of energy – and they play a midweek game, so we’ll be looking to bring a lot of energy down there and play our game.”

Canadian goalkeeper Sean Melvin started his first match of the season in the Switchbacks’ draw with San Antonio FC last Saturday night after injuries sidelined the former UNC Wilmington Seahawk during the opening matches of 2021.  “It’s been a long time coming – I didn’t get a preseason or anything – so it was really nice to get back healthy and play with these guys and we got a point; but we wanted three points in front of the home crowd,” said Melvin.  “We’re going to put in good work this week and be prepared for the travel and the heat in Texas.  We need to focus throughout the whole game – all 90 minutes – and make sure we finish strong.” 

“We’re hopeful that Sean can get on a run now – that was really his first preseason game, and he did really well considering,” said Head Coach Burke, before being asked about the availability of former USMNT midfielder José Torres.  “José is dealing with a deep bone bruise in his foot, so he’s day-to-day right now.”  

The Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field next Wednesday evening as they host Tacoma Defiance with gates opening at 6pm, with Capelli Sport sponsoring a mask giveaway for the first 500 fans.  Tickets available HERE.

Canadian goalkeeper Sean Melvin started his first match of the season in the Switchbacks’ draw with San Antonio FC last Saturday night after injuries sidelined the former UNC Wilmington Seahawk during the opening matches of 2021.  “It’s been a long time coming – I didn’t get a preseason or anything – so it was really nice to get back healthy and play with these guys and we got a point; but we wanted three points in front of the home crowd,” said Melvin.  “We’re going to put in good work this week and be prepared for the travel and the heat in Texas.  We need to focus throughout the whole game – all 90 minutes – and make sure we finish strong.” 

“We’re hopeful that Sean can get on a run now – that was really his first preseason game, and he did really well considering,” said Head Coach Burke, before being asked about the availability of former USMNT midfielder José Torres.  “José is dealing with a deep bone bruise in his foot, so he’s day-to-day right now.”  

The Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field next Wednesday evening as they host Tacoma Defiance with gates opening at 6pm, with Capelli Sport sponsoring a mask giveaway for the first 500 fans.  Tickets available HERE.