Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC hosts Rhode Island FC in the USL Championship Final on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and TUDN, bringing together two first-time Championship Final participant as the Switchbacks celebrate their 10th season in the league while RIFC becomes the first expansion team to reach the Final since 2016.

Ahead of the contest, we asked Backheeled.com writer and resident USL Tactics expert John Morrissey to break down how each club has advanced to this point tactically, and what will be key to watch when they square off at Weidner Field before a national audience.

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Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Rhode Island FC may seem like unlikely finalists as they meet in the 2024 USL Championship Final, but both clubs were built for the gauntlet of the postseason. When these teams match up on Saturday, they’ll do so on the strength of physical defenses, quick-strike attacks, and tactical schemes from Head Coaches James Chambers and Khano Smith that understand how one phase of play affects the other.

If Rhode Island comes out on top, it’ll be the first expansion team to win a title since Sacramento Republic FC in 2014. If Colorado Springs does the job, it’ll validate a years-long project at – and which included the construction of – Weidner Field. Both clubs represent the best of the USL, on and off the pitch.

So, how do these teams play in a tactical sense, and what will that mean for their matchup? Let’s dig in.

How Colorado Springs rotates to create space and chances

Colorado Springs is exceptionally good at rotating, controlling space, and maintaining a structure. James Chambers lines his team up in 4-2-3-1, but that formation facilitates the defensive aggression and offensive movement that set the Switchbacks apart.

In the regular season, only 16 of Colorado Springs’ 47 goals came from their forwards. A majority of their offense arises from the midfield. Zach Zandi, the scorer on 60 percent of the Switchbacks’ postseason goals, encapsulates the approach. Zandi plays as a defensive midfielder when his team is out of possession, but he’s allowed to make late-arriving runs up the middle to punctuate the attack. The 4-2-3-1 becomes a more fluid 4-1-4-1 as Zandi pushes up.

Speedy Williams, who plays next to Zandi in the midfield pivot, sets the tone in build and tends to sit deeper. The Jamaican international’s role is to receive passes from the back line and then quickly shift the ball to an open teammate in order to disrupt the opposing defense. Williams took nearly 67 touches per game this year, and his steady distribution sets the tempo for the Switchbacks.

There are two sides to the attacking coin. Patient build through the center via Williams is a reliable outlet for Colorado Springs, but they’re also a very strong counterattacking team. Per American Soccer Analysis, the Switchbacks scored five goals on the fastbreak this season, a top-five mark in the USL. Haitian international Ronaldo Damus is terrific in those situations, whether ripping into the channel himself or holding up play as teammates run ahead.

Colorado Springs’ defensive approach feeds into that counterattacking strength. The Switchbacks hold a very high back line, one that drew 81 offside calls to lead the league this year. They close down hard, and they often man-mark at the back, forcing their opponents into sloppy turnovers that can easily be turned into breaks.

If, say, 2024 USL Championship All-League First Team selection Matt Mahoney steps up from center back to track an opponent, he’s always covered. Either Williams will drop low from the midfield, or a full back will slide inside to make sure the Switchbacks stay whole. That rotation is a sign of strong communication, and it’s why this team has conceded just once in their last 480 minutes of play.

Most teams get less aggressive with a lead and choose to sit back late in matches, but not Colorado Springs. They maintain their high defensive position as much as possible, minimizing room between the lines of their 4-2-3-1. It’s a formula that frustrates opposing attacks and asserts control, and it’s paid off all season long at Weidner Field.

How Rhode Island’s changes in tempo create space

Few teams blend physicality and technique quite like Rhode Island. To get there, Khano Smith employs a 5-3-2 formation that’s dominant down the middle and stingy at the back, but one that’s fast-paced and surgical with the ball. No one in the East has been able to keep up against that mix.

Starting with Koke Vegas – arguably the most skillful goalkeeper in the USL, and certainly the most daring – Rhode Island builds from the back with control. Short passes between Koke and the three central defenders set the tone, allowing runs to develop further ahead. As soon as RIFC finds a window, they quickly work up-field; the side’s average pass in 2024 advanced the ball by 7.4 yards, and that number is all the way up to 10.0 in the playoffs.

When Rhode Island advances between the lines, they try to find a wide-drifting midfielder like Zach Herivaux or a low-dropping forward like Noah Fuson, the USL Championship’s Golden Playmaker, at their feet. That player can then turn and find a spate of progressive passing options. By the time the expansion side hits the final third, that baseline 5-3-2 will have become a 3-3-4 powered by overlapping wing backs.

In recent weeks, Rhode Island has adopted a more balanced approach at those wide spots, often keeping their right wing back deeper. Frank Nodarse – a natural center back but one with underrated speed and skill – has started on the right, while the left wing back has offered up a purer offensive threat. This designed imbalance helps RIFC to stay structured, and it also maximizes Nodarse; his tackle on the sideline in the eighth minute against Louisville City in the Eastern Conference Semifinals sparked a fastbreak to take the lead.

Rhode Island made 5.0 final third recoveries per match this year, the second-highest mark in the USL, and it’s evidence of a strong press. The specifics of that press tend to vary based on the matchup. Against Louisville, one striker dropped low to create a 5-1-3-1 shape that could deny the half spaces and stay tight in the middle. Against Charleston, RIFC rolled with a more standard 5-3-2 but used a forward to man mark the Battery’s Aaron Molloy.

Late in games, Rhode Island is content to drop into a 5-4-1, a low-block shape that’s proven difficult to break down. In their last nine games, the expansion club has conceded just seven times. The depth of the shape shouldn’t be confused with passivity; Rhode Island still wants their center backs to close down hard, go in for tackles, and continue to set a tone even on the edge of their own 18-yard box.

Evaluating the Matchup

Colorado Springs won the lone match between these two sides back in May, earning a 3-1 victory at home thanks to a Damus brace. What stands out in hindsight is Rhode Island’s defensive disorganization, a natural problem for a team that had existed for roughly two months at the time. RIFC won’t be nearly as sloppy in Saturday’s final.

If Rhode Island can carve out touches between the lines and work behind the Switchbacks’ high back four, they’ll be in business. JJ Williams will be key to that effort. The striker has eight goals in his last four matches, and he’s dually able to make runs over the top or use his 6-foot-4 frame to hold up play and allow teammates to get involved.

Winning the midfield battle is key for both sides. Rhode Island has been dominant in second-ball situations throughout the playoffs, winning knockdowns and headers all over the pitch. Still, the Switchbacks are clever enough to compete. Center midfielder-turned-right back Aidan Rocha often slips inside to establish control, and Chambers could turn to a player like Juan Tejada as a gritty, physical option at the No. 10 spot if need be.

In that vein, depth and versatility is an X-factor for Colorado Springs. Yosuke Hanya, the Switchbacks’ second-leading scorer, didn’t even start in the Western Conference Final. Pieces like Tejada and winger Quenzi Huerman bring unique skillsets off the bench that could make a difference in a tight match.

The winning team will be the one that dominates territory and makes their chances count. Controlling possession isn’t the same thing as controlling a game, and both Colorado Springs and Rhode Island dictate where the match is played through off-ball structure and aggressiveness. Whether James Chambers or Khano Smith can do it one final time in 2024 will be decisive, and it means that the USL Championship Final will be a fascinating tactical matchup to watch.