Last week Sacramento Republic FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks faced each other for the first time ever at Bonney Field. It did not go so well for the Republic, who were handed a disappointing 1-0 loss. This week, the Republic hope to return the favor as they travel to Colorado Springs for another go at the Switchbacks.

Polar Opposites

Sacramento and Colorado Springs are at opposite ends of the playoff race coming into Friday’s matchup. Colorado Springs are sitting at the top of the Western Conference with 38 points, although their position at the top is tenuous with OKC Energy just one point behind. Sacramento are on the playoff bubble with 33 points, 5 behind the Switchbacks and just 1 ahead Tulsa Roughnecks.

In this week’s Poll Question, Republic fans answered resoundingly that they are positive about Sacramento’s chances at making the playoffs, an opinion that we here at ICS share. In order to stay in a good position and continue their run in the playoffs, Sacramento will need to get some points out of Friday’s game against the Switchbacks.

But before we get into tomorrow’s match, let’s talk about the most recent time these two teams played each other.

So About Last Week…

Considering that these two teams played less than a week ago, it would be doing the matchup disservice not to mention it here. That being said, we are not going to go too in depth, something like that make sure to look at the match recap linked above. For our purposes, let’s just go ahead and mention two things: Colorado Springs executed a good, pragmatic game plan for doing well on the road and Sacramento did not play to the best of their ability.

While it was unlikely that the Switchbacks were planning on an early lead, their plan once they got one was taken straight out of Road Win 101. If you have a capable enough defense - and COS does, having conceded a Western Conference low 23 goals - sit back, absorb pressure, and counter when it looks right. If that sounds familiar, then it should. Many teams have been using a similar strategy against the Republic so far this season, including the Austin Aztex in their own 1-0 win at Bonney Field.

Despite a pair of important missed calls by the referee that could have changed the game, Sacramento did not play well enough themselves to break down the Switchbacks. Overall the midfield play was not up to the Republic’s usual standard and the rest of the team’s performances suffered as a result. By the end of the match, the Republic were relying solely on hopeful crosses whipped into the box, a far cry for the potential beauty of “BuckleBall” that we saw against Seattle Sounders 2.

For Sacramento to get any points out of the two games against the Switchbacks and avoid a season series sweep, that will need to change on Friday.

Things to Watch Out For: New Venue, New Game Plan

It is nothing new to say that teams play differently at home than they do away, so it makes sense to say that the game plans of both the Switchbacks and the Republic will be different in Friday’s game than they were last Saturday. The Switchbacks will be the home team, playing where the 6000 feet elevation gives them a decisive advantage. Sacramento, on the other hand, are on the road for the first time under Paul Buckle and are headed to a new, unfamiliar stadium under difficult conditions.

The big question mark coming into the match for Sacramento will be how the team will play away from home under Paul Buckle, something that we have yet to see. Under Preki it did not appear that Sacramento played significantly different than they did at home, albeit perhaps a little more cautiously than usual.

While we may not know exactly what Buckle’s plan may be, we do know that he has said from day one that he has been trying to improve the Republic’s defense and ensure that, although they were still playing an attacking game, they were doing so while staying balanced. That idea of maintaining balance will be key against the Switchbacks, who are much more liable to go forward and attack at home. That means that the back four, which is surely going to be composed of the usual Klimenta- Daly- Vukovic- Kiffe, will need to be on their game for the whole 90 minutes.

The responsibility of staying strong at the back does not rest solely with the back four, though. The central midfield will need to make sure to not be lax in applying pressure to the Switchbacks, something that hurt them in the last week’s game. Since both teams are likely to play a 4-3-3, there will be no numbers advantage for the Republic in the middle and each of those central players will need to be quick with pouncing on second balls and making decisions on the ball in what is sure to be a crowded midfield.

Player to Watch

Rodrigo Lopez- For most of the Republic’s history, the story has been “as Roro goes, so goes Sacramento Republic.” Sacramento will need him to step up and be more influential against the Switchbacks this time around if they are to get something out of the game.

How to Watch

Sacramento Republic FC kick off against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Friday at 6pm PDT. It can be viewed, as every USL match can, live on YouTube.