The Colorado Springs Switchbacks picked up a road win Saturday night, with substitute forward Jonas Fjeldberg once again proving to be the difference-maker his coach has come to rely on.
The Norwegian forward scored from well outside the 18-yard box, placing a bouncing strike into the far corner of the goal to lift Colorado Springs to a 1-0 victory at Lexington SC. The decisive moment came in the 74th minute — and it was not the first time Fjeldberg had saved the day for the Switchbacks, who now sit at 9-9-4 on the season.
Switchbacks coach Alan McCann has sounded off on several occasions following matches this year about the not-so-great themes regarding his club, whether it's failing to score despite plentiful chances or conceding goals on the few chances given to opponents. One 2026 motif he has to love, however, is Fjeldberg's uncanny ability to score game-winners off the bench.
Saturday's goal was the third such decisive late contribution from Fjeldberg this season. After a historic weather delay that lasted nearly three hours at Weidner Field on June 6, Fjeldberg scored the winning goal against visiting El Paso Locomotive FC, paving the club's way to the knockout rounds of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Then on July 25, his headed goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time sent visiting Charleston Battery packing in a finish that felt like the end of a movie. Fjeldberg was not a starter in any of those matches, entering the contest in the 65th minute on June 6, the 57th on July 25, and the 59th on Saturday.
The source of Fjeldberg's seemingly super abilities is something McCann has discussed all year — having a talented roster where every player is of starting-eleven quality even if they don't get the nod on a given night. "It's a different mentality this year too where you're not a bench player, you're the finisher and that's really something that has resonated with the team," Fjeldberg said in a previous interview.
Fjeldberg was not the only Switchback to shine in Lexington. In the 53rd minute, keeper Christian Herrera made a diving save to stop Lexington's first shot on target from forward Marcus Epps, and two minutes later stretched wide to deflect a point-blank effort from forward Phillip Goodrum — aided by midfielder Brennan Creek, who raced back to pressure Goodrum and limit his options. With the result, Herrera earned his second regular-season shutout and Colorado Springs won its first regular-season away match since June 20.
The Switchbacks will look to keep their good road form going as they travel to Loudoun United next week and then play at Hartford Athletic on Sept. 8 in the Prinx Tires USL Cup semifinal.