The Switchbacks passed Saturday’s test.

Colorado Springs won its preseason finale against Sacramento Republic FC at Weidner Field. Forward Jonas Fjeldberg’s 13th-minute goal was the deciding play in the 1-0 contest.

Colorado Springs forward Yosuke Hanya sparked the club’s electric start. In the seventh minute, Hanya sent a shot past a defender but it was saved by Sacramento keeper Danny Vitiello. 

Six minutes later, Hanya dribbled the ball from the Switchbacks’ penalty area to Sacramento’s, juking several defenders on the way. He passed to a trailing Fjeldberg, who was wide open on the left side of the box. The Norwegian forward finished to give Colorado Springs the lead. 

“I know ‘Yos’ can create things out of nothing and it’s just my chance to be open in those situations,” Fjeldberg said. “He had 10 opportunities to play me before, but he waited until the exact right moment and I can do that with my eyes closed, those finishes. All thanks to “Yos.” That was unbelievable for him and just a brilliant way to start.”

Sacramento put Colorado Springs’ defense to the test in the second half, switching up their tactics to pin the hosts in and create opportunities on the outside, Switchbacks’ coach Alan McCann said. The new Colorado Springs coach wasn’t thrilled with the number of chances his team gave the visitors but he commended his players for their resilience.

“They smashed us in the second half, realistically for possession, stats and things like that and we should be dominant in possession there. We probably conceded too much in that second half, but they’re a good team. That’s why we pick these tests in preseason,” McCann said. 

“It’s not doggedness, it’s not box defending, it’s those last-ditch efforts that you need that you and can’t really coach. You can’t really cut that into a player or a man. They either have that or they don’t. So in those moments, can lads show up? We can put some things into training, but then it’s the player that has to do it in those moments. So if we get broken in the structure, we need them showing up in those big moments and that’s what top players do. We’ve got top players here. We’ve got top men here.”

Goalkeeping competition 

Colorado Springs’ seasoned keeper Christian Herrera played a full 90 minutes on Saturday, with new goalie Colin Shutler dealing with a quad injury suffered this week.

The original plan was to feature both keepers, McCann said.

“Come Week 1, there’ll be competition,” he said. “We brought Colin in because his feet are superior in the league and as I explained, we should be better with the ball. I think we conceded too much of the ball today, especially second half.”