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This Saturday, on 90’s Night at Weidner Field, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Colorado Springs as they host the Seattle Sounders FC 2.  The Gazette Newspaper will be sponsoring the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series this weekend, with the first 500 fans receiving their posters as the gates open.

Wednesday evening saw the Switchbacks lose 2-1 at Sacramento Republic’s Papa Murphy’s Park, as the hosts maintained their undefeated start to 2018 after Shane Malcolm had opened the scoring for the Switchbacks.  

“We’ve got to win our home games and the guys know that,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Getting the goals in Reno was huge for us, and I thought we played well against Sacramento even though we lost.  It was those two errors that cost us the two goals in Sacramento. We did enough in the first half to win that game.  If we put our chances away there’s a chance we could have scored a few. We couldn’t capitalize in our transition going forward and they [Sacramento] get the win because we gave up two bad goals.  That won’t happen at home. We’ve got to make sure we keep our focus because that’s been big for us this season here. Seattle will be tough as always and we haven’t had much time to prepare.”

The Seattle Sounders FC 2 have won twice and lost four times in the young 2018 USL regular season.  A win on opening day against their Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers 2 was followed by four consecutive losses for S2, until Head Coach John Hutchinson’s team bounced back with a 3-2 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC last Saturday.  After the win against RGV and without having a midweek game like the Switchbacks, the Sounders S2 made their way to Colorado Springs a few days early to prepare for Saturday’s match in the altitude of Weidner Field.

Cameroonian striker Felix Chenkam scored twice for S2 in last weekend’s win against RGV at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington.  Chenkam is tied for the lead on S2’s goal-charts with David Estrada on three goals apiece.

“They’re a good young team and they possess the ball well and they move out quickly in their transition play,” said Trittschuh.  “We’ve got to always know where [Felix] Chenkam is. Ray Saari in the middle is also a very good, solid player – they’re a well-rounded team.  It won’t be easy. It’s our third game this week and a lot of the same guys will be playing for us. It’s tough, but we’re glad to be home.”

“Seattle are coming off a win and came here a day early,” said Shane Malcolm.  “We expect them to be ready. We’re trying to make this place a fortress for us to play in and I fully believe that the team and the fans are ready to do that.  We’ve done well here this season and the conditions up here will help make sure we continue to fight.”

Saturday’s opponents will have to wait until early October for this weekend’s rematch.  The Switchbacks will visit Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington on October 10th as Steve Trittschuh’s team finish their 2018 USL regular season campaign.  

“We know we’ll get a really good game from Seattle,” said Jordan Schweitzer.  “As always they’ve got a young group that’s all looking to push on in that organization and make the first team.  We’re really excited to have them here in the altitude at Weidner Field – it’s been a long trip but we do well here and hopefully the conditions can help us too.”

“We’ve got to be on our game – Seattle are quick and they’re a young team with a good front three,” said Taylor Hunter.  “It always helps us to play better when we are at home and getting results in front of our fans means a lot to us. It will be especially nice to be back this weekend after our trip.  We’ve been watching up on them and we’ll go through practice today and finish our plan. Seattle are a good team but we’re glad to be back.”

After Saturday’s match, the Switchbacks return to the West Coast for an April 28th showdown with Orange County SC at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park in Irvine, California.  

Weidner Field will host the Switchbacks on Cinco de Mayo, with Colorado Technical University sponsoring a Cushion Giveaway for the visit of Reno 1868 FC.

“We’re strong here and we have to match the energy of being at home,” said Trittschuh.  “We enjoy playing in this stadium but we’ve got to take advantage of being up here. We’ve got to play our up-tempo game and have somebody score when we need goals.  We know Seattle are taking this weekend seriously and they’ll bring a good, strong squad.”

This Saturday, on 90’s Night at Weidner Field, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC return to Colorado Springs as they host the Seattle Sounders FC 2.  The Gazette Newspaper will be sponsoring the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series this weekend, with the first 500 fans receiving their posters as the gates open.

Wednesday evening saw the Switchbacks lose 2-1 at Sacramento Republic’s Papa Murphy’s Park, as the hosts maintained their undefeated start to 2018 after Shane Malcolm had opened the scoring for the Switchbacks.  

“We’ve got to win our home games and the guys know that,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Getting the goals in Reno was huge for us, and I thought we played well against Sacramento even though we lost.  It was those two errors that cost us the two goals in Sacramento. We did enough in the first half to win that game.  If we put our chances away there’s a chance we could have scored a few. We couldn’t capitalize in our transition going forward and they [Sacramento] get the win because we gave up two bad goals.  That won’t happen at home. We’ve got to make sure we keep our focus because that’s been big for us this season here. Seattle will be tough as always and we haven’t had much time to prepare.”

The Seattle Sounders FC 2 have won twice and lost four times in the young 2018 USL regular season.  A win on opening day against their Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers 2 was followed by four consecutive losses for S2, until Head Coach John Hutchinson’s team bounced back with a 3-2 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC last Saturday.  After the win against RGV and without having a midweek game like the Switchbacks, the Sounders S2 made their way to Colorado Springs a few days early to prepare for Saturday’s match in the altitude of Weidner Field.

Cameroonian striker Felix Chenkam scored twice for S2 in last weekend’s win against RGV at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington.  Chenkam is tied for the lead on S2’s goal-charts with David Estrada on three goals apiece.

“They’re a good young team and they possess the ball well and they move out quickly in their transition play,” said Trittschuh.  “We’ve got to always know where [Felix] Chenkam is. Ray Saari in the middle is also a very good, solid player – they’re a well-rounded team.  It won’t be easy. It’s our third game this week and a lot of the same guys will be playing for us. It’s tough, but we’re glad to be home.”

“Seattle are coming off a win and came here a day early,” said Shane Malcolm.  “We expect them to be ready. We’re trying to make this place a fortress for us to play in and I fully believe that the team and the fans are ready to do that.  We’ve done well here this season and the conditions up here will help make sure we continue to fight.”

Saturday’s opponents will have to wait until early October for this weekend’s rematch.  The Switchbacks will visit Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington on October 10th as Steve Trittschuh’s team finish their 2018 USL regular season campaign.  

“We know we’ll get a really good game from Seattle,” said Jordan Schweitzer.  “As always they’ve got a young group that’s all looking to push on in that organization and make the first team.  We’re really excited to have them here in the altitude at Weidner Field – it’s been a long trip but we do well here and hopefully the conditions can help us too.”

“We’ve got to be on our game – Seattle are quick and they’re a young team with a good front three,” said Taylor Hunter.  “It always helps us to play better when we are at home and getting results in front of our fans means a lot to us. It will be especially nice to be back this weekend after our trip.  We’ve been watching up on them and we’ll go through practice today and finish our plan. Seattle are a good team but we’re glad to be back.”

After Saturday’s match, the Switchbacks return to the West Coast for an April 28th showdown with Orange County SC at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park in Irvine, California.  

Weidner Field will host the Switchbacks on Cinco de Mayo, with Colorado Technical University sponsoring a Cushion Giveaway for the visit of Reno 1868 FC.

“We’re strong here and we have to match the energy of being at home,” said Trittschuh.  “We enjoy playing in this stadium but we’ve got to take advantage of being up here. We’ve got to play our up-tempo game and have somebody score when we need goals.  We know Seattle are taking this weekend seriously and they’ll bring a good, strong squad.”

On Wednesday night, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC visit Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in California’s capital city.  A huge 4-0 win against Reno 1868 FC started the Switchbacks’ western road trip on Saturday evening at Greater Nevada Field. Goals from AJ Ajeakwa, Luke Vercollone, and Jamal Jack were aided by an early own-goal from Reno midfielder Luis Felipe Fernandes.  

“It was great to finally score some goals,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Being able to get those goals gives us some real momentum going into Wednesday night against a very good Sacramento team.  They have experienced players who know how to play. [Jeremy] Hall, [Villyan] Bijev, [Cameron] Iwasa, Adam Moffat…these are all good, experienced players and they’re very tough to beat, especially in Sacramento.  We must keep improving what we can game-by-game and look to finish this trip with a strong performance in a tough place to play.”

Sacramento Republic FC have won both of their matches at Papa Murphy’s Park in the 2018 USL season.  A 2-1 victory over San Antonio FC on March 17th was followed by a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on April 7th.  Third in the USL’s Western Conference table at the time of writing, Sacramento Republic FC are unbeaten with three victories and two draws.  Sacramento Head Coach Simon Elliott’s team won 1-0 against Orange County SC behind a Cameron Iwasa goal on March 24th at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park.  

“We’ve got an idea what Sacramento are about – we’ve just got to show up defensively and we’ll be alright,” said Trittschuh.  “For the most part we played really well against Reno and to get the goals was huge for the team. Guys were really happy with the win and getting it on the road helps before this Wednesday.  The players picked off a lot of passes in the win in Reno and we’ll look to keep that going this season. Luke’s goal really helped us. That was the nail in that match – it came at the perfect time and lifted the whole team.”

“Getting the first goal of the season really takes the pressure off to feel like you have to score all the time.  It’s helpful and good to score – especially on the road,” said Vercollone. “The win against Reno was really good for us.  To be able to do that on the road says a lot about this group and the win gives us a big confidence boost going forward.”

Switchbacks fans will have to wait until July 14th to welcome Sacramento Republic FC to Weidner Field, with Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway.  After Wednesday’s match, the Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs as they welcome the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night.  The contest against S2 will be the Switchbacks’ third game in the last week.

“We don’t have too much room for training while we’re gone, it’s more about walking through things on the road and the guys getting their legs back under them,” said Trittschuh.  “We can only travel with 16 players so some have to really manage their legs and it’s not easy at times. But the win in Reno gives us a big boost and I hope we take that forward.  Two more games this week – it won’t be easy, but Sacramento is a fun place to visit and I think we’re looking forward to it and to playing against a good team.”

Iwasa is tied for the lead in goals for Sacramento Republic with Christian Eissele.  Iwasa, Bijev, and Keven Aleman each have an assist on the young 2018 USL regular season.  Undisputed number one goalkeeper Josh Cohen will almost certainly start on Wednesday against the Switchbacks after recording another 90 minutes in Sacramento’s 1-1 draw with the Las Vegas Lights on Saturday evening in Nevada.  

“Sacramento are a solid, tough, organized team and they’re really difficult to play against, especially in Sacramento,” said Vercollone.  “They’ll be motivated to win and they’ll use their great crowd so we’ve got to play our game and be ready for the test. These next two games are really big for us and I’m hoping we can continue to improve and keep this momentum going into the weekend at home.”

On Saturday evening the Switchbacks return to Weidner Field to host the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on 90’s Night.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of The Gazette Newspaper.

On Wednesday night, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC visit Sacramento Republic FC at Papa Murphy’s Park in California’s capital city.  A huge 4-0 win against Reno 1868 FC started the Switchbacks’ western road trip on Saturday evening at Greater Nevada Field. Goals from AJ Ajeakwa, Luke Vercollone, and Jamal Jack were aided by an early own-goal from Reno midfielder Luis Felipe Fernandes.  

“It was great to finally score some goals,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Being able to get those goals gives us some real momentum going into Wednesday night against a very good Sacramento team.  They have experienced players who know how to play. [Jeremy] Hall, [Villyan] Bijev, [Cameron] Iwasa, Adam Moffat…these are all good, experienced players and they’re very tough to beat, especially in Sacramento.  We must keep improving what we can game-by-game and look to finish this trip with a strong performance in a tough place to play.”

Sacramento Republic FC have won both of their matches at Papa Murphy’s Park in the 2018 USL season.  A 2-1 victory over San Antonio FC on March 17th was followed by a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on April 7th.  Third in the USL’s Western Conference table at the time of writing, Sacramento Republic FC are unbeaten with three victories and two draws.  Sacramento Head Coach Simon Elliott’s team won 1-0 against Orange County SC behind a Cameron Iwasa goal on March 24th at Champions Soccer Stadium at OC Great Park.  

“We’ve got an idea what Sacramento are about – we’ve just got to show up defensively and we’ll be alright,” said Trittschuh.  “For the most part we played really well against Reno and to get the goals was huge for the team. Guys were really happy with the win and getting it on the road helps before this Wednesday.  The players picked off a lot of passes in the win in Reno and we’ll look to keep that going this season. Luke’s goal really helped us. That was the nail in that match – it came at the perfect time and lifted the whole team.”

“Getting the first goal of the season really takes the pressure off to feel like you have to score all the time.  It’s helpful and good to score – especially on the road,” said Vercollone. “The win against Reno was really good for us.  To be able to do that on the road says a lot about this group and the win gives us a big confidence boost going forward.”

Switchbacks fans will have to wait until July 14th to welcome Sacramento Republic FC to Weidner Field, with Heat Depot sponsoring a Premium Bottle and Bag Giveaway.  After Wednesday’s match, the Switchbacks will return to Colorado Springs as they welcome the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night.  The contest against S2 will be the Switchbacks’ third game in the last week.

“We don’t have too much room for training while we’re gone, it’s more about walking through things on the road and the guys getting their legs back under them,” said Trittschuh.  “We can only travel with 16 players so some have to really manage their legs and it’s not easy at times. But the win in Reno gives us a big boost and I hope we take that forward.  Two more games this week – it won’t be easy, but Sacramento is a fun place to visit and I think we’re looking forward to it and to playing against a good team.”

Iwasa is tied for the lead in goals for Sacramento Republic with Christian Eissele.  Iwasa, Bijev, and Keven Aleman each have an assist on the young 2018 USL regular season.  Undisputed number one goalkeeper Josh Cohen will almost certainly start on Wednesday against the Switchbacks after recording another 90 minutes in Sacramento’s 1-1 draw with the Las Vegas Lights on Saturday evening in Nevada.  

“Sacramento are a solid, tough, organized team and they’re really difficult to play against, especially in Sacramento,” said Vercollone.  “They’ll be motivated to win and they’ll use their great crowd so we’ve got to play our game and be ready for the test. These next two games are really big for us and I’m hoping we can continue to improve and keep this momentum going into the weekend at home.”

On Saturday evening the Switchbacks return to Weidner Field to host the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on 90’s Night.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of The Gazette Newspaper.

Buoyed by picking up three points last weekend, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC travel to Reno, Nevada this Saturday as they face Reno 1868 FC at Greater Nevada Field.  

The vital 2-1 win for the Switchbacks at Weidner Field against the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros vaulted the Switchbacks into 9th place in the USL’s Western Conference table.  Second-half goals from Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt were enough to overcome a late strike from RGV.

Josh Suggs’ Man of the Match performance in the win against Rio Grande Valley FC saw the Switchbacks’ captain named to the USL’s Team of the Week.  Suggs scored for the Switchbacks with a beautiful, curling free kick and was a constant threat against RGV down the left wing.

“It doesn’t mean much to me personally.  It’s a testament to the team and our performance – it’s because we had a good game as a team,” said Suggs when asked about his place on the USL’s Team of the Week.  “It was good to score and we played well and that’s important at home. But now we have a difficult trip. It’s good that we played at Reno in the preseason. I expect a strong team and because we had that game in preseason both teams will come out with that extra bit of fire.  Hopefully, after getting two goals in our last game the floodgates will open for us and we can get goals on the road starting on Saturday. Reno are a good, strong team and it will be a good game.”

“Guys see what it takes to win and to have broken our losing streak like we did with two big goals at home felt great,” said winger Shane Malcolm.  “We haven’t seen Reno [1868 FC] since preseason when we won there and we know they’re a good team. We’ll have to keep pressing our opponents, even on the road, and make sure we have good possession of the ball.  The win against RGV was huge and we’re looking to keep it going. Now that we have some confidence from that win, guys will be more ruthless in front of goal.”

“It’s one of those things where we’re happy that we got the win, and a lot of guys played well, but we must keep going and pushing on,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Hopefully now guys can be more aggressive in getting into the area. Reno haven’t had much success at home yet this year so we need to be ready for their best game. They have a 4-4-2 with a diamond in the center of midfield and they have talented players.  We have got to keep playing our game.”

Reno 1868 FC have only managed to pick up a single point in 2018 – by way of a 1-1 draw with the Las Vegas Lights FC on March 24th in Las Vegas.  Reno have dropped both games they have played this season at Greater Nevada Field.  A 4-3 thriller on March 17th saw Reno lose the opening match of 2018 to the Swope Park Rangers, and on March 31st they fell 1-0 to Phoenix Rising FC.

“Reno have a solid backline and good creative players,” said AJ Ajeakwa.  “Brenton Griffiths, Lindo Mfeka – these are just two of their guys that can hurt you.  But we’ll be hungry for the win. We got to go there in preseason and come away from the trip with some confidence and some energy to win this time.  Last weekend was huge. We have to make sure it’s a fortress for us here because it’s hard to play here. It was great to get the win. We need to make sure to get numbers in the box and take our opportunities on this road trip and use the confidence going on the road from winning here.”

“The altitude of Reno won’t give us any trouble or bother us – we need to stay big and play our game and use the experience of earlier in the preseason to help us,” said Trittschuh.  “The schedule isn’t in our favor right now with our small squad and all the travel we have to do. It’s a tough week with three games in a row – if we’re going to get points we’re going to have to be at our best.”

The Switchbacks will stay on the road after Saturday’s match, as they face Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday, April 18th at Papa Murphy’s Park.  April 21st will see the Switchbacks return to Weidner Field to host the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on 90’s Night.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of The Gazette Newspaper.

Reno 1868 FC will visit Weidner Field on May 5th with Colorado Technical University sponsoring a Cinco de Mayo cushion giveaway.  

“The way we beat RGV is how we have to press and move up top and score goals,” said Trittschuh.  “The guys got the feeling back of getting a big win and we’ll need that going into this trip. On Saturday night we will need to be big and get this stretch started right.”

Buoyed by picking up three points last weekend, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC travel to Reno, Nevada this Saturday as they face Reno 1868 FC at Greater Nevada Field.  

The vital 2-1 win for the Switchbacks at Weidner Field against the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros vaulted the Switchbacks into 9th place in the USL’s Western Conference table.  Second-half goals from Josh Suggs and Jordan Burt were enough to overcome a late strike from RGV.

Josh Suggs’ Man of the Match performance in the win against Rio Grande Valley FC saw the Switchbacks’ captain named to the USL’s Team of the Week.  Suggs scored for the Switchbacks with a beautiful, curling free kick and was a constant threat against RGV down the left wing.

“It doesn’t mean much to me personally.  It’s a testament to the team and our performance – it’s because we had a good game as a team,” said Suggs when asked about his place on the USL’s Team of the Week.  “It was good to score and we played well and that’s important at home. But now we have a difficult trip. It’s good that we played at Reno in the preseason. I expect a strong team and because we had that game in preseason both teams will come out with that extra bit of fire.  Hopefully, after getting two goals in our last game the floodgates will open for us and we can get goals on the road starting on Saturday. Reno are a good, strong team and it will be a good game.”

“Guys see what it takes to win and to have broken our losing streak like we did with two big goals at home felt great,” said winger Shane Malcolm.  “We haven’t seen Reno [1868 FC] since preseason when we won there and we know they’re a good team. We’ll have to keep pressing our opponents, even on the road, and make sure we have good possession of the ball.  The win against RGV was huge and we’re looking to keep it going. Now that we have some confidence from that win, guys will be more ruthless in front of goal.”

“It’s one of those things where we’re happy that we got the win, and a lot of guys played well, but we must keep going and pushing on,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh.  “Hopefully now guys can be more aggressive in getting into the area. Reno haven’t had much success at home yet this year so we need to be ready for their best game. They have a 4-4-2 with a diamond in the center of midfield and they have talented players.  We have got to keep playing our game.”

Reno 1868 FC have only managed to pick up a single point in 2018 – by way of a 1-1 draw with the Las Vegas Lights FC on March 24th in Las Vegas.  Reno have dropped both games they have played this season at Greater Nevada Field.  A 4-3 thriller on March 17th saw Reno lose the opening match of 2018 to the Swope Park Rangers, and on March 31st they fell 1-0 to Phoenix Rising FC.

“Reno have a solid backline and good creative players,” said AJ Ajeakwa.  “Brenton Griffiths, Lindo Mfeka – these are just two of their guys that can hurt you.  But we’ll be hungry for the win. We got to go there in preseason and come away from the trip with some confidence and some energy to win this time.  Last weekend was huge. We have to make sure it’s a fortress for us here because it’s hard to play here. It was great to get the win. We need to make sure to get numbers in the box and take our opportunities on this road trip and use the confidence going on the road from winning here.”

“The altitude of Reno won’t give us any trouble or bother us – we need to stay big and play our game and use the experience of earlier in the preseason to help us,” said Trittschuh.  “The schedule isn’t in our favor right now with our small squad and all the travel we have to do. It’s a tough week with three games in a row – if we’re going to get points we’re going to have to be at our best.”

The Switchbacks will stay on the road after Saturday’s match, as they face Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday, April 18th at Papa Murphy’s Park.  April 21st will see the Switchbacks return to Weidner Field to host the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on 90’s Night.  The first 500 fans at Weidner Field will receive the second part of the 2018 Poster Giveaway Series, courtesy of The Gazette Newspaper.

Reno 1868 FC will visit Weidner Field on May 5th with Colorado Technical University sponsoring a Cinco de Mayo cushion giveaway.  

“The way we beat RGV is how we have to press and move up top and score goals,” said Trittschuh.  “The guys got the feeling back of getting a big win and we’ll need that going into this trip. On Saturday night we will need to be big and get this stretch started right.”