Game Preview

Sacramento Republic FC comes to Weidner Field at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the Switchbacks can ill afford a repeat of what happened on April 15.

That’s when Colorado Springs suffered one of its worst losses this season in a 4-0 rout at Sacramento.

The stakes were somewhat high — the Switchbacks had the chance to be the first team to beat Sacramento in 2023 that evening as the California club entered the match 3-0-2, leading the USL Championship’s Western Conference. Just over five months later, the stakes are higher, given the push to the playoffs, and Sacramento is still the conference leader at 15-5-10 — the only club in the West to officially punch its ticket to the postseason. Republic FC is also on a three-match unbeaten streak.

But if there was ever a time for Colorado Springs to be confident, it’s now after the club snapped Orange County’s nine-game unbeaten streak in California last week.

Colorado Springs, Herrera in particular, was superb defensively against Orange County, getting the shutout despite being outshot 19 to 11 and eight shots on goal to just one. Last time around, Sacramento demolished Colorado Springs in transition. But Saturday may be different, as Sacramento hasn’t exactly been blowing teams out as of late. Republic FC’S last three matches are a pair of 1-0 victories and a scoreless draw.

Since returning to the lineup, Herrera has come up time and again for Colorado Springs with 11 saves over the past two matches. If that trend holds Saturday, the Switchbacks should be quite comfortable in a potential low-scoring match. Colorado Springs sits in sixth place in the West with a 12-13-4 record for 40 points on the season. The Switchbacks are tied in points with Oakland Roots SC and Monterey Bay F.C. who are seventh and eighth in the West, respectively.

Sacramento’s Russell Cicerone leads the club in goals with 13. Forward Keko Gontan leads with seven assists. A trio of Jamaican forwards lead Springs. Romario Williams leads in goals with 10 and Deshane Beckford and Maalique Foster are tied for the assist lead with four. Switchbacks have week of transactions

The Switchbacks are gearing up for the final stretch of the regular season with the announcement of multiple transactions in the past week.

On the heels of Colorado Springs’ upset win over red-hot Orange County SC Sept. 15, the Switchbacks announced the departure of defender Oskar Agren the next day. Colorado Springs acquired Agren via loan from Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes in April. San Jose recalled the Swedish defender last week.

I’ve truly enjoyed my time around my teammates, staff, and fans for the past six months,” Agren said in a release. “At the same time, I’m very excited to go back to San Jose and the Earthquakes to finish the season there. I’ll be following the playoff push from California with a lot of excitement. Thank you all for this time!”

As Agren departs, a familiar face returns in Isaiah Foster. Monday, Colorado Springs announced it had acquired the defender on loan from MLS side FC Cincinnati for the remainder of the 2023 USL Championship season. Foster, a 20-year-old from Frederick, Md., was part of the Switchbacks’ historic 2022 season in which they made a run to their first conference final in club history. He appeared in 25 games and played over 1,500 minutes. He won 30 of 39 tackles and scored a goal.

Since last season, Foster was transferred to Cincinnati where he has played for FC Cincinnati 2 of MLS NEXT Pro and made 24 appearances this season, starting all of them. He led the team in tackles won with 42.