Orange County SC is on their fourth bye already of the USL season, but the other local USL team, LA Galaxy II, is in action this weekend, as they'll h
Orange County SC is on their fourth bye already of the USL season, but the other local USL team, LA Galaxy II, is in action this weekend, as they’ll host the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Saturday at StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium.
LA are coming off two straight losses in league play, and have a bit of a tricky opponent on their hands in Colorado Springs. The Switchbacks, sneaky dark horse candidates to make a deep run to USL Cup their first two seasons, have not looked nearly as consistent in their third season so far, but a look at the Western Conference standings shows they are in fine shape at the moment, sitting in fourth place. Steve Trittschuh’s squad has remained quite coherent over the years by USL standards, but there is still the sense that this team is not fully on track yet.
What that means for Galaxy II is they have an opportunity to snap the three-game winless run against a team that has been there for the taking at times this year. In fact, one reason Switchbacks may be so high in the standings is because they’ve played more games than any other team in the conference so far.
All that said, it will be interesting to see the lineup Mike Munoz uses on Saturday. With the LA Galaxy on a bye this weekend, one expects the first-team players who have seen time for Los Dos this season, like Ariel Lassiter, Jack McBean, and possibly Jose Villarreal, to suit up for the hosts on Saturday. It’s no guarantee, but if those more experienced players are available, that can boost the very young Galaxy II squad in a home game. For now, LA are second-worst in the standings in the West, but they remain within touching distance of the teams ahead of them. If they can grab a win over the Switchbacks, they can use that momentum to possibly make a push up the table.
LA Galaxy II host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday at StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm PT. Tickets are on sale on the Galaxy’s website, or you can watch the game on USL’s matchcenter.
