San Antonio FC will travel outside of Texas for the first time in this young 2021 USL Championship season as they visit the new Weidner Field to take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday.
SAFC beat the Switchbacks 3-0 at home in both teams' first match of the season, and each side has had mixed results since then. Only once in four trips to the old Weidner Field had SAFC come away with even a draw, but neither side has ever scored more than a single goal when they’ve met up in Colorado Springs. Additionally, the Switchbacks haven’t made the new stadium their fortress yet, losing the first official match there 3-1 to New Mexico United.
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 5, at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs
RECORDS: Switchbacks: 1W-0D-2L (3 points, 6th in Mountain Division) | SAFC: 2W-2D-1L (8 points, 2nd in Mountain)
LAST TIME OUT: The Switchbacks wasted no time christening the new Weidner Field with a goal on May 21 as Hadji Barry scored in the second minute, but New Mexico United fought back with goals throughout the match to win 3-1 and spoil the occasion. SAFC controlled most of their home match against Rio Grande Valley FC but could only get a single goal through Marcus Epps, leaving the door open for a late equalizer which forced them to share points with the Toros.
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
Switchbacks (4-3-3): Andrew Pannenberg; Matthew Mahoney, Michael Edwards, Jimmy Ockford, Lamar Batista; Philip Mayaka, Beverly Makangila, José Torres; Michee Nglaina, Haji Barry, Zachary Zandi
SAFC (3-4-3): Matt Cardone; Jasser Khmiri, Mathieu Deplagne, Liam Doyle; Sam Gleadle, Cam Lindley, Joaquin Varela, Chris Lema; Marcus Epps, Nathan, Santiago Patiño
Suspensions: Emil Cuello
Caution Accumulation Warnings: Santiago Patiño – next yellow card results in a fine
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Switchbacks: Michee Ngalina, winger – While Barry leads the team offensively with three goals, Ngalina has provided meaningful support up top. He leads the team with two assists and seven chances created, while his tally of five shots trails only Barry.
In their previous match, Ngalina made his presence known on both wings, so he’ll look to get behind SAFC’s wide players and cause havoc for the three center backs who make up the backline. Additionally, he’s more than willing to move to the center of the field either to build up play or provide an extra option to finish off an attack.
SAFC: Chris Lema, midfielder – Similar to PC through the preseason and early matches of the regular season, Lema has also played both in the center of midfield and wide left with more defensive responsibility. Because of PC’s injury, it’ll be interesting to see if Lema is asked to slide back into the center of midfield or if another player is asked to fill that void.
Regardless of where though, it’s almost certain Lema plays as he has more minutes than all but two of his teammates, Matthew Cardone and Santiago Patiño, who have played every minute. Lema leads the team in tackles with 14 and has won 10 of them, also leading the team in that regard, and his 49 duels rank fifth on the team behind teammates who are farther up the pitch and challenging for the ball more often.
KEY MATCHUP: SAFC’s defense vs. second balls, particularly late
In SAFC’s last two matches, both Birmingham Legion FC and RGV FC managed to score late goals against SAFC, and in the case of the latter, it cost SAFC two points. In both cases, the goal came about after a player redirected a long ball into the box back across goal.
As previously mentioned, Barry leads the Switchbacks in goals and has been an effective focal point in attack, and Santiago Patiño scored a hat trick against the Switchbacks in the season opener, so either forward-versus-defenders matchup could be interesting. In this case though, SAFC needs to look in the mirror to recognize and cope with one of the things which has undone them in recent weeks.
FOR THE WIN: SAFC is fit enough to last the whole match
While both sides have had mixed results to start their seasons, the Switchbacks have been easing in and already had two bye weeks, including leading into this match. Their extra week of preparation means they will not only have prepared tactically for Saturday’s match but will also have plenty of gas in the tank.
Further complicating matters for SAFC, they have to worry about the weariness of travel, something they’ve scarcely done so far this season as their longest trip saw them travel a few hours south to face the Toros. The cherry on top of this all is that the match takes place at an elevation of 6,035 feet, the highest of any American professional soccer team’s home stadium.
The Switchbacks have had more time to rest, didn’t have to travel and are used to the altitude, but if SAFC can manage to have 11 players actively competing for 90 minutes, their quality and longer implementation of their system give them a chance at a result.