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USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Goes South to Take on Rowdies

March 25, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022

Time: 7:30 PM ET

Location: Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL

Local TV: WCTX MyTV9

Streaming: ESPN+ or hartfordathletic.com/watch

HARTFORD ATHLETIC (0-1-0) vs TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (2-0-1)

LAST TIME OUT:

Hartford Athletic are coming off a season opening 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on the road. Hartford got caught on their heels in the first half, conceding a Robby Dambrot goal in the 12th minute. Hartford was able to weather the storm and hold the Hounds to a one-goal lead before Prince Saydee took a quality touch and crossed a pass to a streaking Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. who touched in the equalizing goal. Shortly after, a game-changing second yellow card and subsequent ejection was issued to Peter-Lee Vassell in the 40th minute. After a rocket of a goal from Kenardo Forbes early in the second half (51'), Hartford had an uphill climb while being down a man in the second half and could not find an equalizer.

SET PIECE EXECUTION:

Despite only producing one goal last week, Hartford showed promise in their set pieces against Pittsburgh. Tom Brewitt nearly gave his team an early lead when he found an open space and headed a corner kick just wide of the net off of a well-struck delivery from Danny Barrera. The Green and Blue also had a free kick opportunity from just a few yards off Pittsburgh's end line in stoppage time. In a last ditch effort to equalize, Andre Lewis fed a perfectly placed ball to Jeciel Cedeño, who's shot was blocked and headed to Younes Boudadi, who's shot was booted away by a Riverhounds defender just in front of the goal line. If Hartford can find the back of the net through a set piece on Saturday, it just may be the winning formula against a Tampa Bay squad that has only conceded once in three matches so far in 2022.

FROM THE GAFFER:

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Hartford Athletic, Andre Lewis, MF, #77

Lewis played all 90 minutes of Hartford's opener at Pittsburgh and was "brilliant in the middle of the pitch" according to Head Coach Harry Watling. Lewis was very efficient as a distributor, as he made 41 total passes and sported an 80% passing accuracy. He also won six of 10 total duels, and provided a perfect feed on a stoppage time free kick opportunity that nearly brought Hartford level. A midfielder with great playmaking ability, he is bound to be involved in any of Hartford's positive attacking play on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay Rowdies, Sebastián Guenzatti, MF, #13

Guenzatti is in his fifth season as one of the top forwards on the Rowdies' roster, and he's out to a strong start in 2022. He has two assists over three starts and has played all but 23 minutes through Tampa's three fixtures to start the season. He's fired 10 shots, putting five of them on target. The 30-year-old striker has troubled Hartford Athletic in years past, as he's scored five goals against the Green and Blue since 2019, including a brace in a 2-1 Rowdies victory in Hartford last season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Tampa Bay Rowdies enter the match with a 2-0-1 record, coming off a 3-0 victory over Atlanta United 2 in which Steevan Dos Santos, Sebastian Dalgaard, and Jake LaCava scored on Wednesday night. Hartford Athletic are 2-4-0 against the Rowdies all-time and are 1-2 at AL Lang Stadium, including a thrilling 1-0 victory in 2021 in which Hartford blocked three shots in the final seconds of stoppage time to seal the win. Following their opening match at Pittsburgh, this will be yet another early season challenge for Hartford, as the Rowdies have recently established themselves as a USL Championship giant. They've made the league playoffs in the past three seasons, and made it to the USL Championship Final in 2020 and 2021.

INJURY REPORT:

Hartford Athletic:

None

Tampa Bay Rowdies:

OUT: Castellanos

QUESTIONABLE: Wyke

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Follow along on twitter @hfdathletic and #TBRvHFD

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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