Opponent: San Antonio FC
Match Date: March 23
Location: Toyota Field
Kickoff: 6:30pm MT
Last Meeting with Opponent: San Antonio 1, Switchbacks 0. October 21st , 2023, Toyota Field in the USL Championship Playoffs Conference Quarterfinals. Goal from Jorge Hernández (55’).
How to Listen: 740 KVOR with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish – coverage starts at 6:00pm MT.
Coach Chamber’s Comments: “It’s a difficult place to go but it’s the [type of] game [that] we want to be involved in. I don’t think there’s anybody in this building shirking the challenge [of] going there by any stretch of the imagination. “I said at the start of the season [that] if players perform, they’ll play [and] if they don’t, they won’t – it’s not rocket science. It’s not a group of starters and players who come off the bench. It’s certainly not that. It’s a squad and people who are performing will play [and] people who aren’t they won’t, and as the season goes [on] those roles and those personnel changes will be different on a weekly basis [and a] monthly basis. That’s the reality of it. “I think for us honestly the first two weeks’ results haven’t been what we wanted – they weren’t what we had tried to set out to achieve – but from a training standpoint, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I think the boys have been fantastic [in] their application [and] their mentality to training. Possibly we can do a little bit more but possibly we’re not getting the rub of the green at the moment. We [have to] just continue to work hard, we keep our head down, and then we get our just rewards as it comes.”
Opposition Outlook: “I think they obviously have a talented roster [and there are] some real winners in that group,” continued Switchbacks Head Coach James Chambers. “[Jorge] Hernandez stands off the page immediately. He’s an extreme talent. He’s far and above probably what’s in the USL, and the thing with him [is that] he’s consistent. He does it week in [and] week out. There’s a lot of players in the USL that are maybe at his talent [level] in theory, but that’s one thing having the talent. It’s [another] thing going out there and doing it consistently on a weekly basis, and he does it, hands down. So he’s definitely one, and they’ve got some other really good players. They’ve obviously brought in a lot on-loan from MLS, which they do consistently, so it’s something that we’re wary of, but again, it’s 11 [versus] 11. “[Being big and physical is] in the DNA [of San Antonio], but they’re also trying to be a little bit more possession-oriented and [they] try and hit you in different ways. They’re adapting – they’re in that phase at the moment. They did really well in Tampa the other night to come back so late in the game – that shows their kind of grit and their determination and their never-say-die attitude. But again, like I said, it’s [about] us going down there with real belief you know and we’re really excited to get down there and put on a performance and get the season going for us realistically.”
Vargish’s View: By their recent standards, San Antonio have had a difficult start to the 2024 season, registering back-to-back 2-2 draws. Meanwhile the Switchbacks have dropped their first two games while registering just a solitary goal. Any type of result in the Alamo City would be priceless for a Switchbacks team that went 0-2-1 last season against Saturday’s hosts, which included the aforementioned playoff loss. The Switchbacks will not play after Saturday’s match until they host Sacramento Republic on April 6 th at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs, which only heightens the importance of going into the bye-week off the back of a positive performance. It’s impossible to preview San Antonio FC without stating the obvious; SAFC beats teams in a myriad of ways. If you make the game open and free-flowing, San Antonio can steal a goal from a set piece. Try to bunker down and grind out a result, SAFC have the talent and experience to carve open any team and score from open play. The Switchbacks need to go into
Toyota Field and put on a performance to be proud of. A performance that reflects the Switchbacks; attacking with pace, defending as a team, and ready for the physical challenge of a game in San Antonio.
