August may have felt like a blur for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. 

Come the 31st, the club will have spent 17 days on the road per coach Alan McCann. In a month that’s featured multiple two-match weeks and six contests so far, the Switchbacks have taken their lumps with a 2-4 record that becomes 1-4 when accounting only for the USL Championship regular-season slate. 

Despite it all, Colorado Springs (8-9-4), which sits just below the playoff line in ninth place in the league’s Western Conference, is just nine points behind first place New Mexico United. 

With nine games remaining in the regular season, there’s still plenty of time to make a run for that top spot, let alone a top-four position and a home playoff match. But with the standings so close, every match means that much more.  

“One win here, you’re right back in the mix,” McCann said. “Because everyone is going to play everyone. So almost every game now becomes a six-pointer because you’ll be picking up three and taking three from an opponent.”

In that bunch ahead of the Switchbacks is Lexington SC, their opponent for Saturday. Kickoff in Kentucky is at 5 p.m. 

It’s been tough sledding for the Switchbacks of late away from Weidner Field. Colorado Springs has dropped its last three regular-season matches on the road and the victory at Spokane Velocity FC in the Prinx Tires USL Cup quarterfinals on Aug. 12 came via penalties. 

But with his team finally enjoying its first full week of training since the week of Aug. 2, McCann said he’s seen a spark in the way the players have competed.

“There’s definitely been a spark yesterday and today in training, I’ll tell you that,” McCann said on Wednesday. “Even a bigger spark than the other down moments we’ve seen in season. No lack of fight. Complete fight, complete buy-in to each other, complete one mindset into the cause. It genuinely is there.”

On the opposite side, Lexington (9-8-4) is coming off a Wednesday night loss in which the Kentucky club blew a 1-0 advantage to New Mexico United. 

With some real rest finally on their side, the Switchbacks may find a much-needed spark in their attack. Through the six games they played in August, the Switchbacks were shut out in three and scored more than a single goal in just one (excluding the penalty shootout at Spokane). 

Switchbacks forward Khori Bennett, who has been a part of the USL Championship’s golden boot race for most of the season, has been held scoreless in his last six regular-season outings. 

After Colorado Springs began the month with a pair of shutout losses on the road, McCann said he would bring in forwards to compete for playing time. He made good on his word by bringing in forward Bryce Jamison on loan from the Colorado Rapids last week. 

In the Switchbacks’ Aug. 19 contest at Phoenix, Jamison earned an assist in his debut match. He played well in the club’s most recent game against El Paso Locomotive FC on Aug. 22, but left some scoring opportunities on the table. 

McCann maintains full faith that Jamison can be a difference-maker for Colorado Springs. 

“This is his first week of training and he’s realistically had two tactical days of training and we don’t do much on a tactical day because we can’t,” McCann said. “Yesterday, he was a standout … Today, very, very good again. His ceiling’s very high.

“We’ve all seen Bryce Jamison score goals in this league. We know he can do it. So it’s not a question of can he do it or not, it’s a question of timing for me. It’s now, when does it come.” 

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Scoring Leaders

USL Championship regular-season stats only

Goals 

COS: Khori Bennett (11, tied for second in the USL Championship)

LEX: Phillip Goodrum, Nicolas Firmino, Aaron Molloy (4)

Assists 

COS: Sadam Masereka, Sam Williams (3)

LEX: Aaron Molloy (5)

Notes

COS D Patrick Burner is about two weeks away from making his return from injury. 

COS F and COS D Yosuke Hanya and Isaiah Foster may return in the back end of September from shoulder injuries