OCT 31, 2024 | SPORTS | By Thomas Nielsen
Playoff soccer has returned to Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC jumped to second place in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship West Division, securing a home playoff game this past weekend following a 1-0 win at the Sacramento Republic FC on Oct. 26.
Before half time on Saturday, Oct. 26, the news that Memphis 901 FC beat New Mexico United 3-2 arrived at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., and the Switchbacks now needed a win to secure a home playoff game. A loss or a tie would place them in fifth place.
The chances of playoff soccer returning to Weidner Field looked grim until the 85-minute mark. After an Aidan Rocha steal, forward Juan Tejada put the Switchbacks ahead with a gutsy goal. Oakland failed to equalize in the final moments, giving the Switchbacks the win, their second ever in Sacramento, Calif.
With the victory, the Switchbacks secured the second-place regular season finish in the Western Conference and a home playoff match this Saturday, Nov. 2. If they win their Nov. 2 quarterfinal, they will play a second match at home at Weidner Field.
Things were dire for Colorado Springs at the start of the season. The Switchbacks had a franchise-worst start to the season, losing their first five games.
“The reality is we set out a couple of weeks ago, before the season started, to win a championship,” coach James Chambers said after the fourth straight loss on April 9. “That hasn’t changed.”
Though it didn’t look likely then, Chambers led his team to a remarkable comeback. On April 20, they broke the streak with a 1-1 draw against Indy Eleven and didn’t look back, securing their first win a week later against Oakland Roots FC.
The Switchbacks kept their momentum through the season, going undefeated in Sept. and ending with a final record 15-12-7. Their second-place Western Conference finish is the best regular season placement in franchise history.
Striker Ronaldo Damus led the team with 12 goals for the second-highest individual goal total in the Western Conference.
The team now looks ahead to a Saturday match against Oakland Roots FC.
The Roots finished with a record of 13-5-16, finishing as the seventh seed in the West. The Switchbacks are 2-0 against the Roots this season, most recently beating them 1-0 on June 1.
Colorado Springs hopes to exceed their 2023 playoff appearance, where the fifth-seeded Switchbacks lost 1-0 to fourth-seeded San Antonio FC in the quarterfinals. A season before, the Switchbacks posted their best playoff finish, losing in the Western Conference Finals 2-0, also to San Antonio FC.
If the Switchbacks lose this year, it will be by a new boogeyman: San Antonio finished ninth and did not qualify for the playoffs.
The Switchbacks start the playoffs with a quarterfinal against Oakland Roots FC at Weidner Field this Saturday, November 2. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.