Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Full name | Colorado Springs Switchbacks Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | December 5, 2013 | ||
Stadium | Weidner Field Colorado Springs, Colorado | ||
Capacity | 8,000 | ||
Owner | Ragain Sports, LLC | ||
President | Nick Ragain | ||
Head coach | Brendan Burke | ||
League | USL Championship | ||
2021 | 3rd, Mountain Division 5th, Western Conference Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals | ||
Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Colorado Springs Switchbacks Football Club is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned and operated by Martin Ragain and Ragain Sports, LLC.
History[]
An ownership group from Colorado Springs were awarded a USL Pro franchise on December 5, 2013, with plans to begin play in 2015.[1] The team's name, the "Switchbacks", was announced on January 31, 2014, following a fan contest.[2] The team hired Steve Trittschuh as their head coach on March 11, 2014.[3]
On October 30, 2018, Switchbacks FC announced an affiliation agreement with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, who are based in the Denver area.[4]
Stadium[]
The team opened Weidner Field, a new 8,000-seat downtown stadium, for the 2021 season. Plans for the stadium were officially announced by the City of Colorado Springs in July 2018.[5] Construction began on December 7, 2019. The stadium will cost $35 million, to be funded by city bonds, the club, and a real estate partner.[6] On October 15, 2020, the name "Weidner Field" was officially transferred from the team's old stadium in eastern Colorado Springs to the new downtown venue.[7]
The former Weidner Field, now officially known as Switchbacks Training Stadium, is a soccer stadium adjacent to UCHealth Park (formerly known as Security Service Field). In the summer of 2014, the club started a $3 million renovation of the stadium after signing a 10-year lease with the City of Colorado Springs.[8] Located at roughly 6,500 feet above sea level,[9] the stadium was at the highest elevation of any primary home stadium for a professional team in the American soccer pyramid. This status will transfer to the new Weidner Field, although it sits at a lower altitude of 6,035 feet.[7]
Year-by-year[]
Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 3 | USL | 3rd, Western | Conference Semifinals | Fourth Round | 2,723 |
2016 | 3 | USL | 3rd, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | Fourth Round | 3,152 |
2017 | 2 | USL | 9th, Western | Did not qualify | Third Round | 3,389 |
2018 | 2 | USL | 11th, Western | Did not qualify | Third Round | 3,804 |
2019 | 2 | USLC | 18th, Western | Did not qualify | Third Round | 4,005 |
2020 | 2 | USLC | 13th, Western 3rd, Group C |
Did not qualify | Cancelled | N/A |
Current roster[]
- As of January 18, 2022[10]
No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
---|---|---|---|
5 | DF | Matt Mahoney | United States |
8 | MF | Zach Zandi | United States |
9 | FW | Thomas Amang | Cameroon |
10 | FW | Hadji Barry | Guinea |
11 | FW | Michee Ngalina | DR Congo |
13 | MF | Steven Echevarria | United States |
14 | DF | Lamar Batista | United States |
15 | DF | Jimmy Ockford | United States |
16 | MF | Beverly Makangila | DR Congo |
55 | DF | Tristan Hodge | Trinidad and Tobago |
— | FW | Elvis Amoh | Ghana |
— | FW | Kharlton Belmar | Grenada |
— | GK | Jeff Caldwell | United States |
— | FW | Malik Johnson | Canada |
— | DF | Macauley King | England |
— | MF | Cam Lindley | United States |
— | MF | Issa Rayyan | United States |
— | DF | Netherlands |
Staff[]
- Martin Ragain – Owner
- Nick Ragain – President
- Brendan Burke – Head Coach
- James Chambers – Assistant Coach
- Stephen Hogan – Assistant Coach
- Alan McCann – Performance & Technical Analyst
- Alex Schultz – Director of Sports Performance
References[]
- ^ Paisley, Joe (December 2, 2013). "USL soccer franchise coming to Colorado Springs". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Colorado Springs Unveils Club Nickname" (Press release). USL Pro. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Switchbacks Name Trittschuh As Coach". United Soccer Leagues (USL). March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
- ^ Benedetto, Vinny (October 30, 2018). "Switchbacks FC, Colorado Rapids officially reach affiliation agreement". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Laden, Rich. "Apartment developer buys land next to planned downtown Colorado Springs soccer stadium site". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ Hancock, Amanda (December 7, 2019). "Groundbreaking held for $35 million multi-use stadium in downtown Colorado Springs". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "Colorado Springs Switchbacks Name Downtown Stadium Weidner Field" (Press release). Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. October 15, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Fox, Dan (July 11, 2006). "Security Service Field: Context Matters". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "Club". switchbacksfc.com. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
External links[]
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- 2013 establishments in Colorado
- Association football clubs established in 2013
- Soccer clubs in Colorado
- Sports in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- USL Championship teams