After having last week off, Energy FC (13th, 16 points, 5-10-1) are back in action twice in Matchweek 17. First up, a trip south to take on San Antonio FC (11th, 21 points, 5-4-6) on the 4th of July. The Greens then return home to take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (8th, 24 points, 7-8-3) on Saturday night at Taft Stadium.

While the break for OKC is much needed after a tough stretch that saw the team play four league matches in 14 days, everyone will be hoping Energy FC can keep the momentum going. OKC is one of the hottest teams in the league, having won the last three matches in a row, and they are slowly starting to creep into the playoff conversation.

Getting results in the next two matches would give hope to Greens everywhere that Energy FC are legitimate playoff contenders. SAFC, normally one of the strongest sides in the west, have struggled in 2018 and are currently just five points and two positions ahead of OKC. This will be the first of two meetings between the clubs, before San Antonio travels to Oklahoma City on July 28. To date, Energy FC is the only Western Conference team that San Antonio FC have never beaten. The all-time record between the clubs is two wins for OKC, zero wins for San Antonio and five draws.

The Switchbacks have had an up and down campaign as well, although things look to be trending up lately for the team in the final playoff position. Colorado Springs is currently in its best run of form this season, having gone unbeaten in the last three matches, with two of those being wins away to Portland Timbers 2 and a win at home against Fresno FC. Like Energy FC, they also have a midweek test, when Orange County SC visits Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Saturday’s match will be the second of three meetings between OKC and Colorado Springs during the regular season. The first match ended in a 1-0 win for OKC on May 19, courtesy of a late header from Callum Ross. The third fixture will be played when the Greens travel to Weidner Field on August 4.

Our next two opponents faced one another in week 16, as San Antonio traveled to Colorado Springs on Saturday night. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with the sides trading penalties either side of halftime. Jordan Burt converted from the spot in first-half stoppage time, while Rafael Castillo did the same in the 67th minute to grab a point for the visitors. A point a piece is probably a fair result from a match that neither side really dominated, after several hours of weather delays.

Head Coach Darren Powell lined up Wednesday’s opposition, SAFC, in a 4-2-3-1 against the Switchbacks: Diego Restrepo; Darnell King; Cyprian Hedrick, Gianluca Cuomo, Greg Cochrane; Mikey Lopez, Ryan Roushandel; Kyle Murphy (Rafael Castillo, 61’, Maxi Rodriguez, 82’), Cesar Elizondo, Connor Presley (Ever Guzman, 74’); Owayne Omar Gordon. Gordon, USL’s Man of the Match, proved to be the biggest threat for San Antonio, which is not unusual this season. He currently leads the team in goals (3), shots (20) and is second in chances created (14).

On paper, there are several similarities between San Antonio and OKC. SAFC have scored just 15 goals this season – two more than OKC. They’ve also only kept four clean sheets – one more than OKC. Like Energy FC, they also haven’t relied on just one player for offensive output. Gordon leads the way with three goals, but Bruce, Castillo and Lopez have all chipped in with two each.

What’s set them apart from Energy FC so far is their defending. SAFC have only given up 16 goals this season – good enough for fourth-best in the league. While the defensive record has been better lately for the Greens, OKC has conceded 24 goals, which is 11th-worst in the league.

For the Switchbacks on Saturday, Head Coach Steve Trittschuh also opted for a 4-2-3-1: Steward Ceus; Taylor Hunter, Pascal Eboussi, Jamal Jack, Josh Suggs; Sam Hamilton, Jordan Schweitzer; Shane Malcolm (Saed Robinson, 73’), Jordan Burt (Urie Macias, 86’), Karsten Hanlin; Martin Maybin (AJ Ajeakwa, 73’). With the goal, Burt took over the team lead in goals with five, good enough to break the deadlock with Luke Vercollone.

The lineup against SAFC was very similar to how the Switchbacks lined up when they visited Taft in May. Not only was the formation the same, but the visitors started eight of the same eleven players. We might have expected just about the same lineup on Saturday night if Colorado Springs wasn’t going through a bit of an injury crisis at the moment. Vercollone, along with Taesong Kim, JJ Tambe and Nicolas Amoako were all unable to play this past week, leaving them with only five healthy players on the bench. With Saturday night being the third of three tough matches in eight days for the Switchbacks, the Greens will hopefully have a bit of an edge physically, especially after not having played a match in ten days.

Energy FC have picked up a few knocks in recent weeks, notably to full backs Kyle Hyland and Richard Dixon. Head Coach Steve Cooke won’t be worried, however, as the likes of Shawn McLaws and Justin Chavez have slotted into the backline seamlessly. New signing Atiba Harris could also be available for selection this week to help bolster the defense.

On the attacking end, Jon Brown underwent surgery this past week to repair an arm injury suffered against LA Galaxy II. Brownie will be out of action for a few weeks, but fortunately for Cooke, he has a wealth of attacking options to choose from, more so now that Christian Volesky is fit again after scoring the winner against Los Dos.

If the Greens can keep the streak alive and pick up another six points this week, it’s officially game on for the chasing pack in the Western Conference. Week 17 sees Las Vegas Lights FC (12th, 17 points, 4-6-5) host Saint Louis FC (10th, 22 points, 5-5-7) and Fresno FC (9th, 22 points, 5-7-7) travel to take on the reeling Portland Timbers 2 (7th, 26 points, 8-7-2).

Wednesday's match at Toyota Field kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and will be available to stream on espn+. Saturday’s match at Taft Stadium kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and for those that don’t already have tickets, you can find them at energyfc.com or by calling 405-235-KICK(5425).