Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Sign Two Rapids Academy Players

Darren Yapi (left) / Vladimir Walent (right)

Colorado Springs, CO (July 31, 2020) – The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC announced today the club has signed Darren Yapi and Vladimir Walent to USL Academy contracts.

Yapi burst onto the scene of the Colorado Rapids Academy, scoring 63 goals since joining in 2016 as an under 12 player. The young forward has represented the US U17 National Team at the UEFA Development Tournament in February of 2020. Yapi spent a significant amount of time with the Rapids first team in their preseason camp in California before heading off with the National Team.

"Darren is an excellent young athlete that has been training with us for the last few weeks," said Switchbacks Head Coach, Alan Koch. "He improves every day and is looking more and more comfortable in the professional environment. It is not every day that a 15-year-old is able to make a seamless transition into our training and we look forward to seeing his attacking skills on display soon."

Name: Darren Yapi
Position: Forward
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 175 lbs
Date of Birth: 11/19/04
Age: 15
Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Yapi burst onto the scene of the Colorado Rapids Academy, scoring 63 goals since joining in 2016 as an under 12 player. The young forward has represented the US U17 National Team at the UEFA Development Tournament in February of 2020. Yapi spent a significant amount of time with the Rapids first team in their preseason camp in California before heading off with the National Team.

“Darren is an excellent young athlete that has been training with us for the last few weeks,” said Switchbacks Head Coach, Alan Koch. “He improves every day and is looking more and more comfortable in the professional environment. It is not every day that a 15-year-old is able to make a seamless transition into our training and we look forward to seeing his attacking skills on display soon.”

Name: Darren Yapi
Position: Forward
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 175 lbs
Date of Birth: 11/19/04
Age: 15
Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Walent joined the Colorado Rapids Academy in 2017 as an under 15 player. The Colorado native is a versatile defender and midfielder that can play on both sides of the field.

"Vlad [Vladimir Walent] is a versatile player that has grown in our training environment over the last few weeks," said Switchbacks Head Coach, Alan Koch. "He is quick, can run all day, and very skilled. He is willing to learn and pushes himself and his teammates every day in training. I look forward to seeing how he does in match-like situations in the near future."

Name: Vladimir Walent
Position: Defender
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 160 lbs
Date of Birth: 4/22/03
Age: 17
Hometown: Lafayette, Colorado

Walent joined the Colorado Rapids Academy in 2017 as an under 15 player. The Colorado native is a versatile defender and midfielder that can play on both sides of the field.

“Vlad [Vladimir Walent] is a versatile player that has grown in our training environment over the last few weeks,” said Switchbacks Head Coach, Alan Koch. “He is quick, can run all day, and very skilled. He is willing to learn and pushes himself and his teammates every day in training. I look forward to seeing how he does in match-like situations in the near future.”

Name: Vladimir Walent
Position: Defender
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight: 160 lbs
Date of Birth: 4/22/03
Age: 17
Hometown: Lafayette, Colorado

Switchbacks FC Current 2020 Roster

Goalkeepers: Sean Melvin, Abraham Rodriguez, Andrew Cordes
Defenders: Kris Reaves, Ever Rubio, Jordan Burt, Joan Cervos, Arturo Diz Pe, Abdul Rwatubyaye, Sebastian Anderson, Alejandro Padilla, Vladimir Walent
Midfielders: Rony Argueta, Mamadi Camara, Hiroki Kurimoto, Aidan Daniels, Andre Lewis, Uvaldo Luna, Will Vint, Donovan Roux
Forwards: Austin Dewing, Luke Ferreira, George Lebese, Christian Volesky, Niki Jackson, Logan Dorsey, Darren Yapi

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