IRVINE, Calif. – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC earned its first postseason trip since 2016 with a swashbuckling, attacking style that drew plenty of neutral admirers in the club’s return to prominence this year.

If its season is to continue this weekend, however, it will have to find that form against an Orange County SC side that has found its own rich vein of form at an ideal moment of the campaign as the sides meet in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs, presented by TwinSpires, on Saturday night at Championship Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+).

Orange County SC claimed its fifth consecutive victory to close out the regular season and earn its first home playoff game since 2018 last Saturday night as Thomas Enevoldsen scored deep in second-half stoppage time to defeat the LA Galaxy II. The story of the night – as it had been for much of October, in fact – was the defensive resiliency of the side as it claimed second place in the Pacific Division. Orange County conceded just once in its final five regular season games as goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky notched an 89.4 save percentage in October overall to enter the playoffs on a remarkable run of individual form. Boasting the attacking prowess of leading scorer and Haiti international Ronaldo Damus (14 goals) as well as other contributors at the other end including veteran center back Michael Orozco, OCSC is aiming to go one better this year than when it last hosted a postseason game three years ago in reaching the Western Conference Final.

The Switchbacks have not previously reached those heights in the postseason. Their lone trip to the Western Conference Semifinals came in the club’s inaugural 2015 season when the likes of Luke Vercollone and Miguel Gonzalez led the way for the side. This year, the main attraction has been forward Hadji Barry, whose 25 goals equaled the Championship’s single-season high set by Cameron Lancaster in 2018 for Louisville City FC as the Switchbacks finished third in the league with 60 goals, a club record. That’s been supported by the performances of Jamaican forward Deshane Beckford, who has notched five goals and seven assists, and young full back Sebastian Anderson, who has six assists and 45 key passes. That attack has cooled slightly as the season came to a close, however, with the side scoring only four times in its last five outings as it won only once in that span to finish third in the Mountain Division. After falling 2-0 at home to Orange County on July 1, Colorado Springs will be looking for a change in fortune as it seeks its first road playoff victory in club history.

TwinSpires Sportsbook Odds: Orange County SC +145, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC +155, Draw +215

Most Recent Lineups

Orange County SC (4-4-2) – Patrick Rakovsky; Michael Orozco, Kobi Henry, Rob Kiernan, Kevin Alston; Brian Iloski, Mikko Kuningas, Dillon Powers, Eric Calvillo; Sean Okoli, Ronaldo Damus

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (3-4-1-2) – Sean Melvin; Michael Edwards, Jimmy Ockford, Matt Mahoney; Sebastian Anderson, Jose Francisco Torres, Andre Lewis, Deshane Beckford; Zach Zandi; Hadji Barry, Thomas Amang

Discipline

Orange County SC – None

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – None