No matter what happens, there will be a team lifting the USL Championship title for day one on Saturday as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks host developmental team Rhode Island FC on CBS at noon. Two teams that became fashionable in the middle of the season were aspects that no one expected to put together the general classification, but thanks to their abilities to wear suits and score opportunistic goals, both have made things happen.
Colorado Springs is in its 10th season and under first-day head coach James Chambers, who, also not included in the highest coaching ranks, is rarely out of the league. Chambers spent three seasons playing for Bethlehem Metal, now Philadelphia Union 2, before moving on to train with Union Academy. He caught up with Colorado Springs as a colleague in 2021 and has been with the club for three seasons before taking on the role of top mentor to watch heading into this season.
Their rival, Rhode Island, is rewriting the stock of what it means to be a branch group, entering the league with an aspirational plan and backing it. Senior Mentor and General Overseer Khano Smith will also take the lead during the first day’s closer stops at Southern Brandnew Hampshire College, Orlando Joy and Birmingham Legion, all as a colleague. Rhode Island, a competitive team that seems to be keeping an eye on the life of the games, will want to avenge their previous result, losing to Colorado Springs earlier in the season, but those are very different teams than the ones that started the campaign.
Let’s take a look at their playoff trips so far:
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Colorado Springs Switchbacks F.C.
Coming in as the second seed in the Western Conference, Colorado Springs hasn’t had to leave the cozy confines of home, benefiting from the fact that top-seeded Brandnew Mexico United was eliminated from the playoffs before the two could crash out. . . The defense has reigned splendidly and Colorado Springs has only allowed one playoff berth so far. From dispatching the Oakland Roots 2-0 to begin their playoff process to Zahary Zandi’s final day winner against Orange County SC, this battle-tested team has been able to draw the consequences moving forward. This experience will be impressive against Rhode Island, but considering the standings, Colorado Springs could also make this game a favorite. How they respond to momentum will be important, but guiding Chambers, who is familiar to his team, will be important.
“To be completely honest, there’s nothing different. I think we’ve been consistent all year with how we prepare for the opponent and how we prepare on a weekly basis,” Chambers said. “With the playoffs going on in recent weeks, there has naturally been a different feeling in the air. I would say it hasn’t been manipulated by the staff or the players, it’s just there naturally. So we don’t need to overemphasize anything in In that sense, it’s still a football game.
Rhode Island F.C.
Unlike Colorado Springs, Rhode Island has not only had to lane for each and every playoff so far, but has also had to field traditionally perfect teams in Louisville Town FC and Charleston Battery. No one expected that the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed would still be kicking closer to the first round, much less not wanting to reach the overall. The offensive tandem of Noah Fuson and JJ Williams has been impressive in this stretch, with Williams scoring five goals so far in the playoffs. But Rhode Island didn’t just beat Lousiville, it shut them out 3-0 before a thrilling 3-2 win over Indy 11. Even against Charleston, Rhode Island managed the life of the games as Smith’s team grew by leaps and bounds. and limits this season. In an adjustment where the defense can simply call things, knowing how Rhode Island’s offense stacks up will be crucial.
“It’s difficult [to face these teams on the road] Obviously you would prefer to be at home. “Colorado’s been home, they’re not gone and they don’t need to deal with travel, but for us we use it as notches in our belt to make us stronger,” Smith said of Rhode Island’s playoff run so far. “I know it built up into scars and not tattoos because they’re not permanent, but scars remain and that just adds to our armor and how tough we want to be, so at this point we’d rather make it harder.”
View data
- Day: Saturday, November 23 | Week: 12 pm Eastern Time
- Location: Weidner Farmland – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- TV: C.B.S.
- Resident flow: Supreme+
