Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

The Ragain family was awarded a USL Pro franchise on December 5, 2013, with plans to begin play in 2015. The team's name, the "Switchbacks", was announced on January 31, 2014, following a fan contest. The team hired Steve Trittschuh as head coach on March 11, 2014. Luke Vercollone was the first player signed by Colorado Springs in October 2014. The Ragain family chose Colorado Springs in large part because of the City for Champions vision by city leaders which included a downtown stadium concept that needed a champion of its own. Steve Trittschuh and Luke Vercollone lead Colorado Springs to two immediate post season appearances in 2015 and 2016. A talented 2017 roster did not qualify for the playoffs followed by increasingly challenging league competitions through 2020 as the USL Championship grew. In July 2019, the Switchbacks and Trittschuh parted ways naming assistant coach Wolde Harris the interim head coach. On September 23, Switchbacks announced the selection of Alan Koch as the next head coach. Koch's leadership of the team was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and a restructuring of the 2020 season thereafter returning to Canada. A stabilizing limited affiliation between the Switchbacks and Colorado Rapids between 2019 and 2021 provided the club with additional technical resources and staff including Brian Crookham that aided the transitioning club. The Switchbacks next looked to Brendan Burke from the Philadelphia Union as head coach to lead the club in its…