Colorado sweeps two games from host Sol
Albuquerque lineup changes Saturday, but the result does not
In the 85th minute on Saturday, a Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23 shot from the top of the penalty area caromed off the post.
It was one of the few bounces to favor the Albuquerque Sol over a two-game set.
The Sol (2-3-0) lost twice to the Switchbacks (2-2-0) in three days, 3-1 on Thursday and 5-0 on Saturday night at St. Pius High.
“We looked lackadaisical, our defending was poor, and physically we got dominated,” Sol coach Justin Sells said. “(Colorado’s) guys up front were pretty dynamic. We weren’t that good defending 1-on-1.”
A tentative performance condemned the Sol to Thursday’s loss. Albuquerque claimed an early lead courtesy of solo heroics from Pat Pacheco’s crunching tackle and leathered near-post finish. But confusion on set piece marking and vacillating central defense gifted scoring opportunities the Switchbacks did not squander.
Needing some fresh energy, the Sol made six changes to its starting 11 for Saturday.
“Based on Thursday we wanted to give some other guys opportunities and it didn’t work,” Sells said. “We’re looking for a willingness to work, and I didn’t see it Thursday and I didn’t see it tonight.”
On Saturday, the Sol fell behind in the 35th minute amidst considerable controversy. Dillon Nino was hacked across both ankles from behind by Colorado’s Edward VentaYepes but the referee failed to call an obvious foul. VentaYepes pounced on the ball and saw his initial shot saved, but teammate CJ Smith headed home the rebound.
Smith doubled the Switchbacks advantage in the 43rd minute, slipping behind the Sol defense and slotting a composed finish past Ford Parker. Some pretty combination play and alert finishing off Sol defensive turnovers tacked on three more goals over the final 25 minutes.
“Definitely energy-wise they showed up ready to play and we didn’t,” Pacheco said. “You have to battle every game and we didn’t. Truthfully, it’s kind of embarrassing.”
In both games, the Switchbacks played a high line to squeeze the Sol attack and aggressively press the Sol in the middle and defensive thirds. The Sol countered by pushing the ball wide to stretch the Switchbacks’ defensive shape to find gaps.
“Their formation and their energy was set up perfectly to control the game,” Pacheco said. “They played at the pace they wanted. They had guys showing up in pockets of pace and made it difficult for us.”
The visitors who directed traffic in the middle of the pitch and that proved decisive on the weekend. The Switchbacks’ fluidity induced disjointed play from the Sol. Breaking the Colorado pressure was often a momentary respite as the Sol shape didn’t enable the squad to build possession with numbers forward.
Next up for the Sol are games in Denver against the Colorado Rapids U23 side this Friday and June 3. Its next home game is June 15 against rival FC Tucson.
NOTES: The Sol posted decent attendance numbers for the twogame set especially on a holiday travel weekend. The club drew 917 fans for Thursday’s game and roughly 650 on Saturday night. Over its five seasons, the St. Pius location traditionally has averaged significant lower ticket sales (850/game) compared to games at UNM Stadium (1,400/game).
“I think Thursday was a really good opener,” Sol general manager and interim president Larry Espinoza said. “We’re continuing to grow as an organization. From a business standpoint we’re doing very well.”