Colorado Springs is not the club they used to be. They’re dangerous and they showed it on Saturday night against New Mexico United. Even after United went down to 10-men due to a sending off, the Switchbacks couldn’t overcome the first place opponents. After eight matches without a clean sheet, United earned one the hard way, 0-1 to extend the lead to nine points.
It was apparent from the jump that this fixture has become a derby between these two sides. United had won the last two fixtures, but the Switchbacks were a much better team than they had been in the past. More so than in the Derby Del Camino Real, the physicality was on display and the teams weren’t shying away.
Both teams opened themselves up early to pressure at the back and the first side to make a mistake was Colorado. Matthew Mahoney, the Switchbacks centreback was chased backwards in the 8th minute and was forced to try and play the ball back to the middle of the goal area. One of the first things that kids are taught is to not play it back into the middle. As he tried to pass it to Christian Herrera, Mukwelle Akale intercepted the pass and rounded the keeper. From an extremely tight angle, Akale put the ball into the far net for the lead, 0-1.
As the Switchbacks looked for an answer, they looked to play more direct and take advantage of the pace they had in Ronaldo Damus and Zachary Zandi. With Zandi being given room to run on the left, United tried to collapse more on the middle to slow down Damus. The early match-up against the forward was the veteran Kalen Ryden, who did a very good job of keeping Damus off the ball. Ryden, who can’t match the pace, used positioning to his advantage and timely stabs at the ball to keep the forward out of rhythm.
United seemed to have another chance in the 34th as Bruce was played through. As he drove through the attacking half, he was fouled by Mahoney, but play continued. He was subsequently brought down a second time in quick succession, but the referee deemed that there was no offense.
There was a clear sense that the referee did not have control over the match. Questionable calls abounded and it led to an outburst from Zico Bailey in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 53rd Bailey made what he believed to be a legitimate attempt at stealing the ball. Instead, the midfielder put his shoulder into Tyler Magee, resulting in a foul. Incensed by the call, Bailey picked up the ball and began arguing with the referee, earning a yellow card.
That first yellow would prove to be a problem for United just a short 20 minutes later. In that moment in the 71st, Bailey appeared to step in front of Jairo Enriquez to make a play on the ball, with the latter clattering into Bailey. The referee saw it differently, ruling that Bailey had fouled Enriquez, and enough so to earn a second yellow card, sending him off and reducing United to 10-men.
The already aggressive Switchbacks would pin their ears back for the rest of the half and threw everything they could at United. Alex Tambakis would have two significant saves late in the match to preserve the clean sheet. The first came by way of a massive kick save on a deflected ball. Tambakis stuck out his right leg and deflected the ball himself, off of the crossbar. The second came in the fourth minute of stoppage time. In what would end up being the last gasp attempt by Switchbacks, the ball would be given to Justin Dhillon inside the area. He put a right footed shot on frame, and Tambakis punched it away, clearing the final danger.
Player of the Match
Alex Tambakis – Three more saves to his name and more importantly, a clean sheet. A tremendous effort from Tambakis secured the win for United as they continue to hunt for the top seed in the West. This clean sheet is the 50th of his career, making him the second USL keeper to attain that mark.
Up Next
United heads back to California for another match with potential playoff implications. They’ll look to continue the four-match unbeaten run against Oakland Roots SC. That match will take place on Saturday, August 31 when the two sides face off at Pioneer Stadium. Coverage of the match will start at 3 p.m. (MT) with the pregame show starring Adam Diehl and Andy Hageman. Kickoff will follow at 4 p.m. (MT). Hear every minute of every play all season long on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The TEAM, The TEAM website, and The TEAM apps.