Hartford Heads South Ready to Reignite the Winning Streak against Miami FC
USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Heads South Ready to Reignite the Winning Streak against Miami FC

Published on September 5, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


The Boys in Green are back on the road after an unlucky home loss to Indy Eleven on Wednesday night. Travelling south to Florida, Hartford will be ready to bring the heat and return to their recent streak of dominant performances. Despite missing some key faces for international duty, the Green & Blue are ready to continue the playoff push.

HARTFORD ATHLETIC vs. MIAMI FC

WHEN: Saturday, September 6th, 7:30 PM

WHERE: Florida International University Pitbull Stadium, Miami FL

HOW TO WATCH: MyTV9, WTNH.com, ESPN+

The Right Ideas, Not the Right Result

Try as they might, Athletic was unable to find the back of the net in the side's midweek outing against Indy Eleven. Solely based on the stats, Hartford should have come out of the match victorious. The Boys in Green fired off 20 shots to Indy's five, placed eight on target to the visitors' three and earned an xG of 1.28 to Head Coach Sean McAuley's side's 0.89. The Boys in Green also maintained 63.6% of possession, earned 12 corners and put 32 crosses into the mix. Despite the loss, this offensive production represents a bright spot for the Green & Blue. Even with their top scorer Mamadou Dieng traded to the MLS, Hartford showed they can create dangerous opportunities and force opponents to sit back and defend.

Barry's Back, Back Again

Hours before kick off on Wednesday, Hartford Athletic announced the signing of USL Championship Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry. The Conakry, Guinea native is known for his blistering pace and lethal finishing abilities, and he will add another dangerous attacking threat to Athletic's front three. Barry has netted 79 goals over 151 appearances in the USL Championship and is currently ranked seventh in the league for Best Strike-Rate with 157.7 minutes per goal among players with at least 50 goals. He has also added 24 assists over his time in the league, demonstrating that the 32-year-old center forward can effectively create dangerous scoring opportunities for his teammates. Barry comes to Hartford after stints with Orlando City FC, Ottawa Fury, North Carolina FC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks (also under Head Coach Brendan Burke) and Egyptian Premier League side Future FC. As Barry comes back to the USL Championship after some time away, he'll recognize some familiar faces when he joins the squad for his first week of training, as he shared the field with Michee Ngalina, Beverly Makangila, and Sebastian Anderson during his two seasons with the Switchbacks.

Called Up for Country

The Boys in Green were missing two key faces in Wednesday night's match, cross boss Emmanuel Samadia and recent Columbus Crew loanee Owen Presthus. Both have been called up to their respective country's national teams during the September FIFA Window. Samadia joins his native Sierra Leone for crucial World Cup Qualifying Matches. The country's qualification group includes Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti. All six nations play each other two times over the course of two years, and the winner of the group automatically qualifies for the World Cup. The runner-up has the chance to compete in inter-confederation play-in matches for a spot. Sierra Leone currently sits in third place in the group and has pivotal games against Guinea-Bissau (5th place) and Ethiopia (4th place) coming up during this September international window. Presthus has been selected to participate in the U-20 Men's National Team Domestic ID Training Camp in West Palm Beach, Florida. The goal of this camp is to allow young players the opportunity to show that they are ready to represent the United States in international competitions with the senior National Team.

About the Opponent

Miami FC currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points on a 5-12-5 record. Halfway through Week 27, the league has given them a 31% chance of making the playoffs, with a projected finish of 10th place. However, Head Coach Brendan will be wary of forward Francisco Bonfiglio, who currently leads the league in goals with 13. When Hartford Athletic and Miami face off, it always promises to be a tight match, with a very even 5-5-1 record over the past 11 games. The Boys in Green have had the upper hand in recent matchups, taking home the win in the past three contests. The last time the two teams took the field was exactly a month ago at Trinity Health Stadium. Goals from Junior Moreira and Mamadou Dieng powered Hartford to a 2-0 win over the visiting Florida side.

Players to Watch

Hartford - Joe Farrell, DF, 15

Joe Farrell has been a mainstay of the Hartford backline this season, playing 20 of 22 regular season matches and starting all but one of those. The veteran has been key in anchoring Athletic's defensive shape, maintaining possession in crucial transition moments and even getting forward to help on offense. Against Miami FC, the Blue Bell, PA native was in the top three on the team for duels won (9), aerial duels attempted and won (8 and 7, respectively), possession won (7), interceptions (2) and clearances (6). One of his game changing defensive actions came in the 64th minute when took off towards goal unopposed. Farrell slid to knock the ball away and slow Blake down enough for the rest of the Hartford defense to get back and help clear the ball to safety. As Athletic transfers to the attacking third, Farrell is adept at helping the ball along, with 12 final third entries and 80% pass completion. Additionally, the 6'2" defender has had some dangerous looks on goal this season, getting into the box for corners and set pieces.

Miami - Francisco Bonfiglio, FW, 9

One bright spot in Miami's season so far this year has been Francisco Bonfiglio. The Mar del Plata, Argentina native currently leads the league in goals with 13 over 21 appearances. Bonfiglio has also taken the second most shots out of everyone in the league (51), showing how productive and dangerous he can be in the attacking third. The 6'0" forward is known for his instincts in front of goal, allowing him to effectively get on the end of set pieces and crosses. He is also known for initiating Miami's press by pressuring opponents' defenders, occasionally forcing errors that lead to opportunities or even goals. Bonfiglio is in the top two for Miami across several stat categories, both offensively and defensively, including shots on target (32), duels (284), duels won (122), aerial duels (137), aerial duels won (61), minutes per goal (139.8), and conversion rate (25.5%).

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 5, 2025


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