COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC announced on Tuesday the return of midfielder Taeseong Kim for the 2017 USL season pending league and federation approval.

A native of South Korea, Kim quietly put together a successful season for the Switchbacks in his first year with the club. Appearing in 29 of the club's 31 matches, Kim played a total of 1,827 minutes and provided a crucial assist to Conor Doyle in the Switchbacks’ 1-0 victory against Tulsa Roughnecks FC in August. While Kim may not have had the flashiest stats, his effort on both sides of the ball earned him high praise from the coaching staff.

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"Taesong Kim did a lot of the hard dirty work in the middle of the field that went unnoticed by the fans but not the coaching staff," said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. "He worked tirelessly both in defending and then getting forward to support. After a season here of getting comfortable living and playing in a different country I expect him to come in and be even better next season."

Prior to his time with the Switchbacks, Kim played two years of college soccer in South Korea (U-League), where he played in every match for Jungwon University. After being spotted at a combine in South Korea by FC Dallas, he joined the club to train for the following five months. He then signed with the Switchbacks for his first full professional season in 2016.