No matter what happens, on Saturday there will be a team lifting the USL Championship title for the first time as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks host expansion side Rhode Island FC on CBS at noon. Two teams who turned around their form midseason were sides that no one expected to make the final but thanks to their abilities to hang around in matches and score opportunistic goals, both have made things happen.
Colorado Springs are in their 10th season and under first time head coach James Chambers, who, while he may be new to the head coaching ranks, is hardly new to the league. Chambers spent three seasons playing for Bethlehem Steel, now Philadelphia Union 2, before transitioning into coaching with the Union Academy. Catching on with Colorado Springs as an assistant in 2021, he has been with the club for three seasons before taking over as the head coach ahead of this season to remember.
Their opposition, Rhode Island, are rewriting the book of what it means to be an expansion team, entering the league with an ambitious plan and backing it up. Head coach and general manager Khano Smith is also taking the helm for the first time after stops at Southern New Hampshire University, the Orlando Pride, and Birmingham Legion all as an assistant. An aggressive team that looks to control the pace of play, Rhode Island will want to avenge their earlier result losing to Colorado Springs earlier in the season, but these are very different teams than the ones who kicked off the campaign.
Let’s take a look at their playoff journeys so far:
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Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Coming in as the two seed in the Western Conference, Colorado Springs hasn’t had to leave the friendly confines of home, benefitting from the fact that top seeded New Mexico United were knocked out of the playoffs before the two could clash. The defense has reigned supreme with Colorado Springs only allowing one goal in the playoffs so far. From dispatching the Oakland Roots 2-0 to kick off their playoff journey to Zahary Zandi’s extra time winner against Orange County SC, this battle tested team has been able to pull out the results that are needed to continue moving forward. This experience will be important facing Rhode Island, but considering seeding, Colorado Springs will also enter this match as the favorite. How they respond to pressure will be critical but to head coach Chambers, this is business as usual for his team.
“There’s nothing different to be completely honest with you. I think we’ve been consistent throughout the year with regards to how we prepare for the opponent and how we prepare weekly,” Chambers said. “With playoffs over the last number of weeks, there’s been naturally a different feel in the air. It hasn’t been, I would say, manipulated by the staff or the players, it’s just naturally there. So we don’t need to over emphasize anything along those lines, it’s still a game of football.”
Rhode Island FC
In opposite fashion to Colorado Springs, Rhode Island have not only had to go on the road for each playoff match so far, but they’ve also had to dispatch historically good teams in Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery. No one expected the Eastern Conference fifth seed to still be kicking after the first round, let alone to make it to the final. The attacking tandem of Noah Fuson and JJ Williams has been important to this run, with Williams scoring five goals so far in the playoffs. But Rhode Island not only knocked off Lousiville, they blanked them 3-0 before a thrilling 3-2 victory over Indy Eleven. Even facing Charleston, Rhode Island controlled the pace of play as Smith’s team has grown by leaps and bounds this season. In a match where the defense could define things, how Rhode Island’s attack stacks up will be critical.
“It’s difficult [to face these teams on the road] obviously you’d prefer to be at home. Colorado’s been at home, they haven’t left and don’t need to deal with travel but for us we use it as notches in our belt to make ourselves stronger,” Smith said about Rhode Island’s playoff journey so far. “So you know it accumulated in scars and not tattoos because they’re not permanent but you get scars and it just adds to our armor and how resilient we want to be so at this point, we prefer to make it more difficult.”
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, November 23 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Weidner Field — Colorado springs, Colorado
- TV: CBS
- Live stream: Paramount+
