The Colorado Springs Switchbacks eked out a 3-0 victory over amateur side Azteca FC Tuesday night to advanced to Round 2 of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Jona Fjeldberg put the reserve-heavy home side up with a sixth minute free kick, and Masereka Sadam and Khori Bennett tallied assurance goals with less than 10 minutes to play.
With the win, the Switchbacks improve to 6-0-0 all-time against Amateur opposition in Open Cup play.
Even before either team had time to get a feel for the match, Azteca’s Edgar Olivas was compelled to drag the Switchbacks’ Juan Tejada down after turning over the ball at the top of the penalty area.
Fjeldberg then went about his business, nonchalantly slotting the free kick low around the wall to put the home side up 1-0 while a good portion of the announced 1,500 in attendance were still in the beer lines.
Being courteous hosts, the Switchbacks responded in kind two minutes later when Brennan Creek misplayed a ball in his own penalty area and then clumsily fouled Azteca’s Jovany Herrera in a scramble for the ball as it was going out of the penalty area, gifting the visitors a penalty in the eighth minute.
Generally reliable in front of goal, Switchbacks goalkeeper Christian Herrera scuffed his making for an easy but awkward save. He spilled the ball back into play before Olivas skied the rebound into the parking lot.
The penalty and play through the rest of the first half left Switchbacks head coach, Alan McCann fuming.
“Just because the opponent is what they are , you do not play down to that level. It’s the same old mistake that you see a lot in the Open Cup. It nearly happened here tonight,” McCann said. “Chris pulls the heroics off with the penalty save. Literally, straight after we scored, we go and do that.”
From there, it became a game of half-chances and tactical fouls as the Denver-based amateur side clawed and scratched with 10 men behind the ball, limiting the Switchbacks chances. It was more of a game of checkers than chess before the professionals’ fitness and discipline finally overtook the pluck and the plodding of the amateurs allowing Sadam and Bennett to put the game away in the final ten minutes of the match with routine training ground finishes from inside the box.
“The second half was a lot better. You see the power we have in this building when we switch it on. It’s difficult because they rose to the occasion and had some good talent out there,” McCann said. “But we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We did that in the second half.”
With the win, the Switchbacks advance to Round 2 of the Cup for the second year in a row.