Fifth time's not the charm: Real Monarchs drop 2-1 to Colorado Springs

Real Monarchs lost another match to their apparent rivals, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, in a disappointing 2-1 outing — making it five times in five tries that they've been unable to best the team.

A 10th minute goal for Switchbacks made things difficult, then before the first half was even out, Shintaro Harada put Switchbacks up 2-0 with a 30th minute goal.

There was some controversy only minutes later as Harada raised his arms on a Monarchs free kick while in the wall, batting away the ball in the air while in the box. No handball call was forthcoming.

Real Monarchs reduced the deficit to just one before halftime after a Switchbacks player was apparently whistled for a high elbow on a corner, with Max Rauhofer expertly dispatching the called penalty not once but twice, as the first was flagged for an encroachment violation.

With the score at 2-1, the second half was a bit of a snoozer, with Switchbacks not committing any real numbers forward and Real Monarchs struggling to break into the final third.

Real Monarchs next face the Switchbacks in August for their sixth match against the team of 2015.