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Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 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 by Martin E Ragain and Dean Weidner. The franchise is operated by the Ragain family.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Founded	December 5, 2013; 8 years ago (2013-12-05)
Stadium	Weidner Field Colorado Springs, Colorado
Capacity	8,000
Owner	Ragain Sports, LLC
President	Nick Ragain
Head coach	Brendan Burke
League	USL Championship
2022	3rd, Western Conference Playoffs: Conference Finals
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors
Current season

History

The Ragain Family was 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 head coach on March 11, 2014.[3] Luke Vercollone was the first player signed by Colorado Springs in October 2014. The Ragain Family chose Colorado Springs in large part because of the City for Champions vision by city leaders which included a downtown stadium concept that needed a champion of its own.

Steve Trittschuh and Luke Vercollone lead Colorado Springs to two immediate post season appearances in 2015 and 2016. A talented 2017 roster did not qualify for the playoffs followed by increasingly challenging league competitions through 2020 as the USL Championship grew.

In July 2019, the Switchbacks and Trittschuh parted ways naming Assistant Coach Wolde Harris the interim Head Coach.[4] On September 23, Switchbacks announced the selection of Alan Koch as the next Head Coach.[5] Koch's leadership of the team was cut short by Covid 19 and a restructuring of the 2020 season thereafter returning to Canada. A stabilizing limited affiliation between the Switchbacks and Colorado Rapids between 2019 and 2021 provided the club with additional technical resources and staff including Brian Crookham that aided the transitioning club.

The Switchbacks next looked to Brendan Burke from the Philadelphia Union as Head Coach to lead the club in its transition downtown beginning a new phase for the franchise.[6] Switchbacks rebranded by simplifying the original logo and colors. Burke quickly went to work restructuring the team making a 2021 playoff appearance in his first season. Player Hadji Barry tied the Championship league record for total goals scored at 25 goals earning the leagues Golden Boot award.[7] 2022 saw the best start in franchise history both on and off the field tying the league record with 5 wins before defeat.

Stadium

The team opened Weidner Field (Perkins & Will Architects), 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.[8] Construction began on December 7, 2019. The stadium cost was $47 million and funded by team ownership and Regional Tourism Act / City for Champions tax increment financing.[9] 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.[10]

In 2014, Sand Creek Stadium (now officially known as Martin E Ragain Field) received a $3.5 million renovation by Martin E Ragain (Populous architects) after signing a 10-year lease with the City of Colorado Springs to meet league minimum stadium criteria for franchises.[11] Located at roughly 6,500 feet above sea level,[12] 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.[10]

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
2021	2	USLC	5th, Western 3rd, Mountain	Conference Quarterfinals	Cancelled	5,432
2022	2	USLC	3rd, Western	Conference Finals	Second Round	7,199

Current roster

As of November 9, 2022[13]

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation
1	GK	Jeff Caldwell	United States
4	MF	Yesin van der Pluijm	Netherlands
5	DF	Matt Mahoney	United States
6	MF	Cameron Lindley	United States
7	FW	Malik Johnson	Canada
8	MF	Zach Zandi	United States
11	FW	Michee Ngalina	DR Congo
13	MF	Steven Echevarria	United States
14	MF	Jairo Henríquez	El Salvador
15	DF	Jimmy Ockford	United States
16	MF	Beverly Makangila	DR Congo
17	MF	Issa Rayyan	United States
18	FW	Duncan Jarvie ([A])	United States
21	FW	Aaron Wheeler	United States
22	DF	Kyler Tate ([A])	United States
23	FW	Elvis Amoh	Ghana
27	DF	Macauley King	England
30	GK	Christian Herrera	Mexico
31	DF	Dennis Erdmann	Germany
33	DF	Isaiah Foster	United States
55	DF	Tristan Hodge	Trinidad and Tobago
90	FW	Kharlton Belmar	Grenada

Staff

• Martin Ragain – owner
• Nick Ragain – president
• Brendan Burke – head coach
• James Chambers – assistant coach
• Stephen Hogan – assistant coach
• Alan McCann – performance & technical analyst

References

External links

• Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

На других языках

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[de] Colorado Springs Switchbacks

Der Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, bekannt als Colorado Springs Switchbacks, ist ein US-amerikanisches Fußball-Franchise der USL Championship aus Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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- [en] Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

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[es] Colorado Springs Switchbacks

El Colorado Springs Switchbacks es un equipo de fútbol de los Estados Unidos que juega en la USL Championship, la segunda liga de fútbol más importante del país.

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