Switchbacks place three players on USL Championship Team of the Week

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC converted its comeback win over Phoenix Rising FC into three USL Championship weekly honors, with Adrien Perez and Garven Metusala landing on the Team of the Week and Aidan Rocha earning a bench selection.

The recognition came after Colorado Springs erased an early deficit and beat Phoenix 3-1 at Weidner Field on July 4, then finished the week with Perez named the league’s Player of the Week as well. The Switchbacks had fallen behind in the fourth minute, but Perez, Metusala and Rocha each played a direct role in flipping the match and giving Colorado Springs another example of the depth that has been driving its season.

Perez was the centerpiece. He scored twice and added an assist in a performance that stretched Phoenix across the field and forced the visitors to chase the game. His first goal came in the 34th minute off a Frank Daroma assist from outside the box, and he struck again in the 79th minute after Rocha threaded a pass through two Phoenix defenders. Perez also put four shots on target, made six entries into the attacking third and completed 74 percent of his passes, numbers that reflected how often he affected the match beyond the scoresheet.

Metusala made the kind of immediate impact Colorado Springs has been searching for all season. Fresh off international duty with Haiti at the 2026 World Cup, he scored his first goal for the club in the 48th minute by heading in a Perez corner kick. The goal gave the Switchbacks breathing room after the halftime break, and Metusala backed it up with five clearances, two won tackle attempts and 52 accurate passes, a two-way line that matched the demands of the comeback.

Rocha’s bench selection completed the club’s weekly haul. He created two scoring chances, won seven duels and drew four fouls, helping stabilize the middle of the field as Colorado Springs controlled 64.7 percent possession and finished with 21 shots, 11 on target. That control turned an early setback into a decisive home result.

The Switchbacks had already collected Team of the Week recognition earlier in the season, when Matt Mahoney and Jonas Fjeldberg were honored for Week 16. With Orange County SC waiting in a Prinx Tires USL Cup group-stage match on July 11, the latest honors arrived as evidence that Colorado Springs is building more than single-game momentum.