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The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Weidner Field this Saturday evening as they host Sacramento Republic FC in a fight for a place in the 2018 USL Playoffs.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive a premium bag and bottle giveaway, courtesy of Heat Depot Home Solutions.

Sacramento Republic FC sit in 4th place in the USL’s Western Conference at the time of writing, while the Switchbacks remain just inside the playoff cut line in 8th position.  Sacramento Republic broke a four-match winless streak with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over the Swope Park Rangers on Tuesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.  Sacramento’s leading goal scorer and native of California’s capital city, striker Cameron Iwasa, bagged a brace against Fresno FC before Christian Eissele finished SPR off with Sacramento’s third.  

Iwasa, one of the most dangerous goal threats in the USL, will assuredly be a marked man this Saturday if he is chosen by Sacramento Republic FC Head Coach Simon Elliot to start after logging 90 minutes in the aforementioned game against the Swope Park Rangers.

“Sacramento are going to come in here with confidence,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “They did well against a good Swope Park team so we know we’ve got to be ready for a solid team. They have really good depth.  [Adam] Moffat didn’t play against Swope Park so he may play on Saturday. They’ve got good players. We can’t let [Cameron] Iwasa get behind us so we’ve got to read the game well and keep track of him.  In Sacramento’s game against Salt Lake City [0-0 draw on July 7th] they were very direct because SLC weren’t pressing very high.  Sacramento can change the way they play – that’s another reason they’re dangerous.”

“On Saturday, we will just try to stop their whole team – they have quality all around,” said Jordan Burt.  “We have to come out flying. Sacramento looked good against Swope Park and we know they’ll come here looking to keep that going.”

“We expect to play against a good team on Saturday,” said Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs.  “Iwasa is consistently good in this league. He scores goals. But we expect to win, especially at home.”

“I look at the big picture – not one player,” said goalkeeper Steward Ceus when asked about the dangers of Iwasa.  “We know they have dangerous players but our goal is to make sure we have top guys on them and force them into tough positions where they don’t want to be.  We’re expecting to play our game and make it a difficult environment for them. We need to force Sacramento to battle.”

Goalkeeper Moise Pouaty started last weekend as the Switchbacks fought back to tie the Oklahoma City Energy FC 1-1 at Taft Stadium in OKC, although Head Coach Steve Trittschuh confirmed that Steward Ceus will be chosen to face Sacramento Republic.  “Stu will be back in. Last weekend we needed to keep Moise sharp – which he was. It was just to get Moise a game and keep him in tune with what’s going on.”

Sacramento Republic defeated the Switchbacks 2-1 at Papa Murphy’s Park on April 18th behind goals from Iwasa and Bulgarian forward Villyan Bijev.  Bijev is one of the first names on Sacramento’s team sheet as the 25-year-old has logged almost 1,500 minutes in USL play in 2018.  California native Josh Cohen is Sacramento’s undisputed number one and has kept six clean sheets this season behind a defense that’s marshalled by Shannon Gomez, Mitchell Taintor, and Justin Schmidt.  

“We had a good start versus Sacramento earlier this season and we have to do that here on Saturday,” said Trittschuh.  “It’s important we make sure that Sacramento know we’re here to play and that we play up tempo, especially in the first part of the game.  Sam [Hamilton] and Kimmy [Kim Taeseong] will be training with us now to get back on track. Kimmy will be available on Saturday. There’s been an illness going through the team, and with injuries we’re down to just fourteen healthy out-field players.”

“There’s nothing we can do about being short on numbers – it’s just about managing our bodies,” said Burt.  “We’ve got some guys coming back soon and we really need that. Only eleven play at the end of the day. We’ve got to take care of business.”

In addition to the returns of Hamilton and Kim Taeseong, the Switchbacks were boosted with the signing of Ghanaian striker Nicholas Amoako on Wednesday.  Amoako will be available for Saturday’s match against Sacramento Republic after the Switchbacks received the necessary international clearance for Amoako on Wednesday.

Next Saturday, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau.  

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Weidner Field this Saturday evening as they host Sacramento Republic FC in a fight for a place in the 2018 USL Playoffs.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive a premium bag and bottle giveaway, courtesy of Heat Depot Home Solutions.

Sacramento Republic FC sit in 4th place in the USL’s Western Conference at the time of writing, while the Switchbacks remain just inside the playoff cut line in 8th position.  Sacramento Republic broke a four-match winless streak with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over the Swope Park Rangers on Tuesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.  Sacramento’s leading goal scorer and native of California’s capital city, striker Cameron Iwasa, bagged a brace against Fresno FC before Christian Eissele finished SPR off with Sacramento’s third.  

Iwasa, one of the most dangerous goal threats in the USL, will assuredly be a marked man this Saturday if he is chosen by Sacramento Republic FC Head Coach Simon Elliot to start after logging 90 minutes in the aforementioned game against the Swope Park Rangers.

“Sacramento are going to come in here with confidence,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “They did well against a good Swope Park team so we know we’ve got to be ready for a solid team. They have really good depth.  [Adam] Moffat didn’t play against Swope Park so he may play on Saturday. They’ve got good players. We can’t let [Cameron] Iwasa get behind us so we’ve got to read the game well and keep track of him.  In Sacramento’s game against Salt Lake City [0-0 draw on July 7th] they were very direct because SLC weren’t pressing very high.  Sacramento can change the way they play – that’s another reason they’re dangerous.”

“On Saturday, we will just try to stop their whole team – they have quality all around,” said Jordan Burt.  “We have to come out flying. Sacramento looked good against Swope Park and we know they’ll come here looking to keep that going.”

“We expect to play against a good team on Saturday,” said Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs.  “Iwasa is consistently good in this league. He scores goals. But we expect to win, especially at home.”

“I look at the big picture – not one player,” said goalkeeper Steward Ceus when asked about the dangers of Iwasa.  “We know they have dangerous players but our goal is to make sure we have top guys on them and force them into tough positions where they don’t want to be.  We’re expecting to play our game and make it a difficult environment for them. We need to force Sacramento to battle.”

Goalkeeper Moise Pouaty started last weekend as the Switchbacks fought back to tie the Oklahoma City Energy FC 1-1 at Taft Stadium in OKC, although Head Coach Steve Trittschuh confirmed that Steward Ceus will be chosen to face Sacramento Republic.  “Stu will be back in. Last weekend we needed to keep Moise sharp – which he was. It was just to get Moise a game and keep him in tune with what’s going on.”

Sacramento Republic defeated the Switchbacks 2-1 at Papa Murphy’s Park on April 18th behind goals from Iwasa and Bulgarian forward Villyan Bijev.  Bijev is one of the first names on Sacramento’s team sheet as the 25-year-old has logged almost 1,500 minutes in USL play in 2018.  California native Josh Cohen is Sacramento’s undisputed number one and has kept six clean sheets this season behind a defense that’s marshalled by Shannon Gomez, Mitchell Taintor, and Justin Schmidt.  

“We had a good start versus Sacramento earlier this season and we have to do that here on Saturday,” said Trittschuh.  “It’s important we make sure that Sacramento know we’re here to play and that we play up tempo, especially in the first part of the game.  Sam [Hamilton] and Kimmy [Kim Taeseong] will be training with us now to get back on track. Kimmy will be available on Saturday. There’s been an illness going through the team, and with injuries we’re down to just fourteen healthy out-field players.”

“There’s nothing we can do about being short on numbers – it’s just about managing our bodies,” said Burt.  “We’ve got some guys coming back soon and we really need that. Only eleven play at the end of the day. We’ve got to take care of business.”

In addition to the returns of Hamilton and Kim Taeseong, the Switchbacks were boosted with the signing of Ghanaian striker Nicholas Amoako on Wednesday.  Amoako will be available for Saturday’s match against Sacramento Republic after the Switchbacks received the necessary international clearance for Amoako on Wednesday.

Next Saturday, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau.  

For the second time this season, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC travel to Oklahoma City to face the OKC Energy FC.  This Saturday’s match is key for the Switchbacks, who dropped points on Tuesday evening at Weidner Field against a vigorous Orange County SC.  Still inside the USL’s playoff cut line at the time of writing, the Switchbacks, to a man, have adopted a backs-to-the-wall, battlefield approach ahead of Saturday’s showdown.  

“We’ve moved on from Tuesday and we know that this weekend will be a battle,” said AJ Ajeakwa who produced a man-of-the-match performance against Orange County.  “We have to take our chances – that’s what this game is all about. We’ve made good chances and now we need to put them away.”

“OKC have changed the way they play now,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “They got a good result against San Antonio last night. It’s a smaller field so we’ve got to battle.  We have to have a better start…Tuesday was not acceptable. We are creating chances, it’s just been the small mistakes that have been killing us.  We can’t give up a goal so early when we’re trying to hold our line like we did against OC. That was…not ok. We have to be good defensively and we’ll start with that and being nice and compact and not give up space to OKC.  Mentally, that’s how we have to approach Saturday and we must get into the game early.”

Numbers were thin for the Switchbacks against Orange County, as only five substitutes were available.  Center back Pascal Eboussi was forced off with an injury just before the hour mark, and in a boost to the Switchbacks, Steve Trittschuh confirmed that the Cameroonian defender’s injury was not long-term.  

“We’re glad it’s just muscular,” said Trittschuh.  “Pascal has been playing well. Taylor [Hunter] can slide over to center back and Karsten [Hanlin] can come in at right back like we did against OC when Pascal came off – if we need to.  Karsten is a very versatile player and he can handle right back. We just need numbers right now. We’re really short.”

“I feel okay,” said Eboussi after Thursday’s training session at the Pride Soccer complex.  “Tonight, I will just rest.”

Midfielder Luke Vercollone is making inroads toward a return to action for the Switchbacks after being sidelined recently.  “As a team we look forward,” said Vercollone when asked about Tuesday’s defeat. “Right now, we need to take things one game at a time.  The good thing is that we were in it against OC and created a lot of chances versus a good team. We’ve been in every game this season. For Saturday, we just have to lift our heads and look forward – we know it will be a tough match.”

OKC are enduring a frustrating 2018 USL regular season in which Head Coach Steve Cooke’s team have scored more than one goal on just two occasions.  On June 13th the Energy defeated the Portland Timbers 2 at Providence Park 2-1 behind a 62nd minute winner from former Switchbacks defender Christian Ibeagha.  Three days later the Energy fired three goals past Rio Grande Valley FC on their way to a 3-1 win at Taft Stadium in a game that included a 97th minute strike from another former Switchback, winger Miguel González.

Independence Day saw the Energy FC record a hard-fought draw at Toyota Stadium in San Antonio behind a 68th minute finish from Spanish midfielder José Barril.  

English midfielder Callum Ross scored the lone goal on May 19th as OKC defeated the Switchbacks 1-0 at Taft Stadium.  “Tactically we can take some things from our first game in OKC,” said Vercollone.  “It’s a small field and it will be a battle type mindset for us. It might not be a pretty game, but we’ll fight and do our best to play on that surface which is a very bouncy type of turf.  Saturday will be all about who wants it more.”

“Christian Volesky is a goal-scorer,” warned Trittschuh.  “[Jaime] Siaj is also very dangerous for them. They’ve got good, talented players on their team.  Out wide they have players that we need to watch and of course they have Miguel [González] too. Our defense can’t break down like we did on Tuesday – especially this weekend.  We’ve got to get there and handle our business defensively and take some of these chances we’re making.”

The Energy will visit Colorado Springs on August 4th for Back to School Night at Weidner Field, with the first 500 fans receiving a backpack giveaway, courtesy of GE Johnson Construction Company.

The Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs on July 14th with the Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway to the first 500 fans in attendance for the visit of Sacramento Republic FC.  A week later, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau. 

For the second time this season, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC travel to Oklahoma City to face the OKC Energy FC.  This Saturday’s match is key for the Switchbacks, who dropped points on Tuesday evening at Weidner Field against a vigorous Orange County SC.  Still inside the USL’s playoff cut line at the time of writing, the Switchbacks, to a man, have adopted a backs-to-the-wall, battlefield approach ahead of Saturday’s showdown.  

“We’ve moved on from Tuesday and we know that this weekend will be a battle,” said AJ Ajeakwa who produced a man-of-the-match performance against Orange County.  “We have to take our chances – that’s what this game is all about. We’ve made good chances and now we need to put them away.”

“OKC have changed the way they play now,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “They got a good result against San Antonio last night. It’s a smaller field so we’ve got to battle.  We have to have a better start…Tuesday was not acceptable. We are creating chances, it’s just been the small mistakes that have been killing us.  We can’t give up a goal so early when we’re trying to hold our line like we did against OC. That was…not ok. We have to be good defensively and we’ll start with that and being nice and compact and not give up space to OKC.  Mentally, that’s how we have to approach Saturday and we must get into the game early.”

Numbers were thin for the Switchbacks against Orange County, as only five substitutes were available.  Center back Pascal Eboussi was forced off with an injury just before the hour mark, and in a boost to the Switchbacks, Steve Trittschuh confirmed that the Cameroonian defender’s injury was not long-term.  

“We’re glad it’s just muscular,” said Trittschuh.  “Pascal has been playing well. Taylor [Hunter] can slide over to center back and Karsten [Hanlin] can come in at right back like we did against OC when Pascal came off – if we need to.  Karsten is a very versatile player and he can handle right back. We just need numbers right now. We’re really short.”

“I feel okay,” said Eboussi after Thursday’s training session at the Pride Soccer complex.  “Tonight, I will just rest.”

Midfielder Luke Vercollone is making inroads toward a return to action for the Switchbacks after being sidelined recently.  “As a team we look forward,” said Vercollone when asked about Tuesday’s defeat. “Right now, we need to take things one game at a time.  The good thing is that we were in it against OC and created a lot of chances versus a good team. We’ve been in every game this season. For Saturday, we just have to lift our heads and look forward – we know it will be a tough match.”

OKC are enduring a frustrating 2018 USL regular season in which Head Coach Steve Cooke’s team have scored more than one goal on just two occasions.  On June 13th the Energy defeated the Portland Timbers 2 at Providence Park 2-1 behind a 62nd minute winner from former Switchbacks defender Christian Ibeagha.  Three days later the Energy fired three goals past Rio Grande Valley FC on their way to a 3-1 win at Taft Stadium in a game that included a 97th minute strike from another former Switchback, winger Miguel González.

Independence Day saw the Energy FC record a hard-fought draw at Toyota Stadium in San Antonio behind a 68th minute finish from Spanish midfielder José Barril.  

English midfielder Callum Ross scored the lone goal on May 19th as OKC defeated the Switchbacks 1-0 at Taft Stadium.  “Tactically we can take some things from our first game in OKC,” said Vercollone.  “It’s a small field and it will be a battle type mindset for us. It might not be a pretty game, but we’ll fight and do our best to play on that surface which is a very bouncy type of turf.  Saturday will be all about who wants it more.”

“Christian Volesky is a goal-scorer,” warned Trittschuh.  “[Jaime] Siaj is also very dangerous for them. They’ve got good, talented players on their team.  Out wide they have players that we need to watch and of course they have Miguel [González] too. Our defense can’t break down like we did on Tuesday – especially this weekend.  We’ve got to get there and handle our business defensively and take some of these chances we’re making.”

The Energy will visit Colorado Springs on August 4th for Back to School Night at Weidner Field, with the first 500 fans receiving a backpack giveaway, courtesy of GE Johnson Construction Company.

The Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs on July 14th with the Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway to the first 500 fans in attendance for the visit of Sacramento Republic FC.  A week later, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau. 

For the second time in four days, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will play at Weidner Field as they host Orange County SC on Tuesday night for an Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza.  In addition to the post-match fireworks display, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Switchbacks scarf, courtesy of Oakwood Homes.

The Switchbacks were held to a 1-1 tie by a spirited San Antonio FC on Saturday evening in Colorado Springs in a match that was delayed over two hours after a whirlwind hail storm moved through Weidner Field.  

Jordan Burt, the Switchbacks’ leading goal scorer, gave the home side the lead with a first half stoppage time penalty kick against San Antonio FC.  “It was a relief to see it go in,” said Burt. “I missed some chances earlier in the game, and to be honest; it felt like I’d let the team down. So, I was very thankful the penalty went in.  On Tuesday we’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better. OC are a good team and we’ve just got to make sure we prepare physically. Hopefully we get back to our best on Tuesday because we’ll need to be better.”

“We’ve just got to recover and move on,” said Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs immediately following Saturday’s draw.  “To not win tonight was extremely frustrating. We had a good first half – it was obviously tough with the conditions but we’re very disappointed with the result.”

“Giving up that goal in the second half was really disappointing,” said Taylor Hunter who started at right back against San Antonio FC.  “We’re at the point of the season where we have to move on and get three points on Tuesday against a good team. We know it will be a hard game – Orange County will be ready for a battle.”

Field conditions at Weidner Field were difficult for both teams on Saturday evening, with the Switchbacks’ ground staff working heroically to get the surface playable after a comical amount of hail blanketed the field before kickoff.  In addition to the worries regarding the pitch for Tuesday’s match, Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh confirmed his team will be without key players for the visit of Orange County SC.

“Hopefully the city will roll the field so we’ll see how it plays on Tuesday,” said Trittschuh.  “It obviously needs work and we need it to improve. Luke [Vercollone], Kimmy [Kim Taeseong], and JJ [Tambe] are all out for Tuesday.  We’re down to just sixteen players now. I could only name five subs tonight. We’ve been struggling a little because of that, so we’ve got to make sure the guys get their legs back in the next couple days.  These next few days will be about seeing who is ready to go on Tuesday. We will have to make changes for Tuesday and see on Monday how the players’ legs are and how they’ve responded to treatment.”

Orange County SC have endured a rollercoaster couple of weeks.  A 6-1 thumping of the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on June 23rd at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park in Irvine, California was followed by a tight, 1-0 loss to high-flying Phoenix Rising FC on Friday evening in The Valley of the Sun.  

On April 28th the Switchbacks lost 1-0 to Orange County SC in Irvine, California after a 6th minute goal from midfielder Aodhan Quinn.  “Orange County are a good team,” said Trittschuh.  “They lost to Phoenix but it was a close game and Phoenix are on a roll.  OC have a lot of new players that we didn’t see in California. So we know we’re facing a new team.  We just have to be good defensively and really pressure OC. Keeping the tempo up while we’re here, at home, is the most important part of our game.”

Danish hitman Thomas Enevoldsen is Orange County’s run-away goals leader with nine.  Enevoldsen is tied with the aforementioned Aodhan Quinn on four assists. Undisputed number one goalkeeper Andre Rawls has kept seven clean sheets in the 2018 USL season for OC, although he will have to produce something special to match the heroics that saw Switchbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus named the Better Business Bureau Man of the Match on Saturday evening against San Antonio FC.  

After Tuesday’s match, the Switchbacks will travel to Oklahoma City where they will face the OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium on Saturday, July 7th.  The Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs on July 14th with the Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway for the first 500 fans in attendance for the visit of Sacramento Republic FC.  A week later, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau. 

For the second time in four days, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will play at Weidner Field as they host Orange County SC on Tuesday night for an Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza.  In addition to the post-match fireworks display, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Switchbacks scarf, courtesy of Oakwood Homes.

The Switchbacks were held to a 1-1 tie by a spirited San Antonio FC on Saturday evening in Colorado Springs in a match that was delayed over two hours after a whirlwind hail storm moved through Weidner Field.  

Jordan Burt, the Switchbacks’ leading goal scorer, gave the home side the lead with a first half stoppage time penalty kick against San Antonio FC.  “It was a relief to see it go in,” said Burt. “I missed some chances earlier in the game, and to be honest; it felt like I’d let the team down. So, I was very thankful the penalty went in.  On Tuesday we’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better. OC are a good team and we’ve just got to make sure we prepare physically. Hopefully we get back to our best on Tuesday because we’ll need to be better.”

“We’ve just got to recover and move on,” said Switchbacks captain Josh Suggs immediately following Saturday’s draw.  “To not win tonight was extremely frustrating. We had a good first half – it was obviously tough with the conditions but we’re very disappointed with the result.”

“Giving up that goal in the second half was really disappointing,” said Taylor Hunter who started at right back against San Antonio FC.  “We’re at the point of the season where we have to move on and get three points on Tuesday against a good team. We know it will be a hard game – Orange County will be ready for a battle.”

Field conditions at Weidner Field were difficult for both teams on Saturday evening, with the Switchbacks’ ground staff working heroically to get the surface playable after a comical amount of hail blanketed the field before kickoff.  In addition to the worries regarding the pitch for Tuesday’s match, Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh confirmed his team will be without key players for the visit of Orange County SC.

“Hopefully the city will roll the field so we’ll see how it plays on Tuesday,” said Trittschuh.  “It obviously needs work and we need it to improve. Luke [Vercollone], Kimmy [Kim Taeseong], and JJ [Tambe] are all out for Tuesday.  We’re down to just sixteen players now. I could only name five subs tonight. We’ve been struggling a little because of that, so we’ve got to make sure the guys get their legs back in the next couple days.  These next few days will be about seeing who is ready to go on Tuesday. We will have to make changes for Tuesday and see on Monday how the players’ legs are and how they’ve responded to treatment.”

Orange County SC have endured a rollercoaster couple of weeks.  A 6-1 thumping of the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on June 23rd at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park in Irvine, California was followed by a tight, 1-0 loss to high-flying Phoenix Rising FC on Friday evening in The Valley of the Sun.  

On April 28th the Switchbacks lost 1-0 to Orange County SC in Irvine, California after a 6th minute goal from midfielder Aodhan Quinn.  “Orange County are a good team,” said Trittschuh.  “They lost to Phoenix but it was a close game and Phoenix are on a roll.  OC have a lot of new players that we didn’t see in California. So we know we’re facing a new team.  We just have to be good defensively and really pressure OC. Keeping the tempo up while we’re here, at home, is the most important part of our game.”

Danish hitman Thomas Enevoldsen is Orange County’s run-away goals leader with nine.  Enevoldsen is tied with the aforementioned Aodhan Quinn on four assists. Undisputed number one goalkeeper Andre Rawls has kept seven clean sheets in the 2018 USL season for OC, although he will have to produce something special to match the heroics that saw Switchbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus named the Better Business Bureau Man of the Match on Saturday evening against San Antonio FC.  

After Tuesday’s match, the Switchbacks will travel to Oklahoma City where they will face the OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium on Saturday, July 7th.  The Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs on July 14th with the Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway for the first 500 fans in attendance for the visit of Sacramento Republic FC.  A week later, on Video Game Night at Weidner Field, the Switchbacks will host the Tulsa Roughnecks FC with the first 500 fans receiving the third part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau. 

It’s World Cup Night at Weidner Field this Saturday evening as the red-hot Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC welcome San Antonio FC.  The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a vuvuzela, courtesy of Weidner Apartment Homes.

The Switchbacks won their second match in a row last Saturday night, as Shane Malcolm thrilled the largest-ever sellout crowd at Weidner Field with a stunning, inch-perfect free kick winner in the 86th minute.  

“Seeing the ball finally touching the back of the net was a huge relief,” said Malcolm on Tuesday afternoon.  “For about eighty minutes I kind of felt like nobody would win – it was just one of those games. Our goal is to win all our home games in front of our fans.  We just want to keep this thing going because winning feels good and these last two have been great.”

Malcolm’s late strike – a USL Goal of the Week candidate – confirmed the Guam international as the Man of the Match in a game that saw excellent individual performances across the Switchbacks’ lineup.  

“Winning cures a lot of things,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “We’ve been telling the guys for a while now that we need to find ways to win – we did that on Saturday.  It’s a good sign at this point in our season. Our rhythm has really improved with Karsten [Hanlin] in the team.  It allows Saeed [Robinson] and AJ [Ajeakwa] to come off the bench if that’s how we decide to line up. And Jordan Schweitzer, he’s been really good for us – he’s done well all season long and he takes a lot of pressure off the back four.  He makes the middle go. Karsten has really helped our backline too. He keeps the ball moving and has a good relationship with Schweitzer and bringing him in has helped. Our whole back four is playing well. Taylor [Hunter] had a good game at right back too and that’s an important position for us.”

“We were solid but of course there’s always room for improvement,” said Switchbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus.  The Haitian international kept his fourth clean sheet of the season on Saturday against Fresno behind a team-wide defensive display.  “Our back six – I call it that with Schweitz there too – is starting to find our game. These two wins in a row have been huge for us, for our team morale and our belief.  The guys believe and it gives us great momentum going forward into these two at home.”

The Switchbacks will have their shortest turnaround of the season after Saturday’s match with a return to Weidner Field next Tuesday evening for the visit of Orange County SC.  “We’ll address Orange County after Saturday, but we need everybody,” stressed Trittschuh. “Luke [Vercollone] is probably out and Kimmy [Tae-Seong Kim] will miss out too, but we’ve just got to keep on moving.  San Antonio are a team that has been changing their shape recently and they have good players. Omar Gordon is a really solid player. [José] Escalante is good too. Charlie Ward has come into the middle of their midfield and helped them out.  Defensively they’re good…we just don’t know how they’ll line up with all the ways [Head Coach] Darren [Powell] has been changing their shape. As for ourselves on Saturday: there’s no reason to change things. In the first half against Fresno we were too slow and we can’t start that way this weekend.  We need to keep improving and working on the little parts of our game.”

Jamaican midfielder Owayne ‘Omar’ Gordon leads SAFC in goals with 3, with striker Alex Bruce and midfielder Mikey Lopez tied on two goals apiece.  

San Antonio FC will arrive in Colorado Springs just outside the playoff cut-line in the USL’s Western Conference, while the Switchbacks currently occupy the 8th and final playoff position.  SAFC have played three fewer matches than the Switchbacks and will host Steve Trittschuh’s men on July 25th at Toyota Field in the Alamo City.  SAFC lost their last USL match 2-0 in bruising fashion on Saturday evening against Reno 1868 FC at Toyota Field.  

The heatwave that has hit Colorado Springs is tipped to cool ever so slightly by Saturday evening, with the Switchbacks enduring near triple-digit on-field temperatures at practice to start their week of preparation.  A day of rest, rehydration, and recovery is slated for Wednesday, with midday training sessions set for Thursday and Friday ahead of SAFC’s arrival.

“We’ve got to make teams chase us, especially at home with the conditions and our crowd and now the heat,” said Trittschuh after the leading the Switchbacks through a physical session in the blazing afternoon sun on Tuesday.  “That’s why we’re training now. We’re training a little bit later to try and get used to the heat and make sure it’s a little warmer outside for us. We’ve also got to be ready to deal with the conditions on our trip to OKC. Whatever it’s like this weekend we’ll be ready to use it to our advantage.”
A fireworks display will follow the July 3rd visit of Orange County SC as part of an Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza at Weidner Field.  The first 1,000 fans in attendance will also receive a Switchbacks scarf, courtesy of Oakwood Homes.  

It’s World Cup Night at Weidner Field this Saturday evening as the red-hot Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC welcome San Antonio FC.  The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a vuvuzela, courtesy of Weidner Apartment Homes.

The Switchbacks won their second match in a row last Saturday night, as Shane Malcolm thrilled the largest-ever sellout crowd at Weidner Field with a stunning, inch-perfect free kick winner in the 86th minute.  

“Seeing the ball finally touching the back of the net was a huge relief,” said Malcolm on Tuesday afternoon.  “For about eighty minutes I kind of felt like nobody would win – it was just one of those games. Our goal is to win all our home games in front of our fans.  We just want to keep this thing going because winning feels good and these last two have been great.”

Malcolm’s late strike – a USL Goal of the Week candidate – confirmed the Guam international as the Man of the Match in a game that saw excellent individual performances across the Switchbacks’ lineup.  

“Winning cures a lot of things,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “We’ve been telling the guys for a while now that we need to find ways to win – we did that on Saturday.  It’s a good sign at this point in our season. Our rhythm has really improved with Karsten [Hanlin] in the team.  It allows Saeed [Robinson] and AJ [Ajeakwa] to come off the bench if that’s how we decide to line up. And Jordan Schweitzer, he’s been really good for us – he’s done well all season long and he takes a lot of pressure off the back four.  He makes the middle go. Karsten has really helped our backline too. He keeps the ball moving and has a good relationship with Schweitzer and bringing him in has helped. Our whole back four is playing well. Taylor [Hunter] had a good game at right back too and that’s an important position for us.”

“We were solid but of course there’s always room for improvement,” said Switchbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus.  The Haitian international kept his fourth clean sheet of the season on Saturday against Fresno behind a team-wide defensive display.  “Our back six – I call it that with Schweitz there too – is starting to find our game. These two wins in a row have been huge for us, for our team morale and our belief.  The guys believe and it gives us great momentum going forward into these two at home.”

The Switchbacks will have their shortest turnaround of the season after Saturday’s match with a return to Weidner Field next Tuesday evening for the visit of Orange County SC.  “We’ll address Orange County after Saturday, but we need everybody,” stressed Trittschuh. “Luke [Vercollone] is probably out and Kimmy [Tae-Seong Kim] will miss out too, but we’ve just got to keep on moving.  San Antonio are a team that has been changing their shape recently and they have good players. Omar Gordon is a really solid player. [José] Escalante is good too. Charlie Ward has come into the middle of their midfield and helped them out.  Defensively they’re good…we just don’t know how they’ll line up with all the ways [Head Coach] Darren [Powell] has been changing their shape. As for ourselves on Saturday: there’s no reason to change things. In the first half against Fresno we were too slow and we can’t start that way this weekend.  We need to keep improving and working on the little parts of our game.”

Jamaican midfielder Owayne ‘Omar’ Gordon leads SAFC in goals with 3, with striker Alex Bruce and midfielder Mikey Lopez tied on two goals apiece.  

San Antonio FC will arrive in Colorado Springs just outside the playoff cut-line in the USL’s Western Conference, while the Switchbacks currently occupy the 8th and final playoff position.  SAFC have played three fewer matches than the Switchbacks and will host Steve Trittschuh’s men on July 25th at Toyota Field in the Alamo City.  SAFC lost their last USL match 2-0 in bruising fashion on Saturday evening against Reno 1868 FC at Toyota Field.  

The heatwave that has hit Colorado Springs is tipped to cool ever so slightly by Saturday evening, with the Switchbacks enduring near triple-digit on-field temperatures at practice to start their week of preparation.  A day of rest, rehydration, and recovery is slated for Wednesday, with midday training sessions set for Thursday and Friday ahead of SAFC’s arrival.

“We’ve got to make teams chase us, especially at home with the conditions and our crowd and now the heat,” said Trittschuh after the leading the Switchbacks through a physical session in the blazing afternoon sun on Tuesday.  “That’s why we’re training now. We’re training a little bit later to try and get used to the heat and make sure it’s a little warmer outside for us. We’ve also got to be ready to deal with the conditions on our trip to OKC. Whatever it’s like this weekend we’ll be ready to use it to our advantage.”
A fireworks display will follow the July 3rd visit of Orange County SC as part of an Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza at Weidner Field.  The first 1,000 fans in attendance will also receive a Switchbacks scarf, courtesy of Oakwood Homes.