Opponent: Las Vegas Lights FC
Match Date: July 26
Location: Weidner Field
Doors Open: 6pm MT for Christmas in July! Limited tickets remain available HERE! First fans through the gates will receive a limited-edition Switchbacks scarf courtesy of KOAA News 5!
How to Listen: XTRA Sports 1300am with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish – coverage starts at 6:30pm MT.
Coach Chamber’s Comments: “Obviously the two results [in our last two games, at Birmingham Legion and at Louisville City] weren’t what we wanted,” said Head Coach James Chambers. “[There were] some positives to take from it and [there were] also some huge learning [experiences] from us as a group. We’ve got to take the next step now and be able to go to these environments and win the game. I think we put ourselves in a position to do that twice and [we] didn’t get over the line, so we’ve [got] work to do. Even if [Louisville City] don’t score in the last minute, we tie the game and we’re still disappointed [in the result]. And that’s where we need to go from a mindset standpoint – that we need to go to these places [and] not just put on half decent performances. We have got to go there and win games and get results, and we’re working hard to do that. “We are buzzing [to be back at Weidner Field. Buzzing! We absolutely can’t wait to be here on Friday night. We can’t wait to see everybody. We want to make sure that [the fans are] entertained [and that] they come here and they scream their heads off so that the roof literally comes off this place. We can’t wait to be back here – we really can’t!”
Views on Vegas: “Vegas was very good [on June 18 th ],” continued Head Coach Chambers. “We were decent in patches in the game, [and] they came back into it, obviously. But for us it was a huge point from a character standpoint to score so late in the game with Ronaldo’s header, but this is a month on – it’s a completely different game [with] completely different teams [who are] in different form. [Vegas] is very hot right now; eight games unbeaten. They’re the in- form team [in the league] – going on the road to Sacramento [and] on the road to El Paso [where they] got really good results. They will come here buoyed full of confidence. “[The Lights have] just found consistency. Obviously [Head Coach] Dennis [Sanchez] has gone
in there and done a really good job, and with new ownership and stuff upstairs I think they’ve flipped the script a little bit on what they want to do and how they want to go about things. And I think the message – and again I might be speaking untoward – but the message that they are consistently preaching looks like it’s coming out now and they are playing some good stuff. They’ve got some really talented players and it’s going to be a good game.”
Vargish’s View: While there’s no doubt [the film] was Nicolas Cage’s finest ever performance, the Switchbacks didn’t reach their highest levels while Leaving Las Vegas last month with a point. While not as chaotic as the 3-3 score line would suggest, the mid-June clash between the Lights and Switchbacks offers great insight into the dynamic that will unfold on Friday night’s match at Weidner Field. The game will at times be scrappy and chippy, but free-flowing offensive soccer will be on show. The Switchbacks desperately deserved more than a pair of 2-1 road losses, but to quote William Munny in Unforgiven, “deserves got nothing to do with it.” The Switchbacks have won their last six matches at Weidner Field, and history against the Las Vegas Lights suggests that Colorado Springs will need at least a couple goals to clinch all three points on Friday night.
