Hartford Host North Carolina in Home Finale
October 11, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release
With a playoff spot still within reach, Hartford Athletic can use home field advantage for a final time in 2024 to pickup three points against North Carolina FC tomorrow night.
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off a 2-0 loss to Loudoun United FC last Saturday, snapping their seven-match undefeated streak. After a quiet first half that saw just two shots on target from Hartford, the match opened up when Beverly Makangila was called for a handball in Loudoun's box in the 75th minute. Keegan Tingey took the penalty try for the visitors and converted, giving Loudoun the 1-0 lead.Just under 10 minutes later, Wesley Leggett fired a shot into the top right corner of the net to double their lead. The score remained the same the rest of the way.
SETTING THE SCENE
Hartford come into this matchup in 11th place in the East (37 points), and four points out of the playoffs. The 2-0 loss vs Loudoun United last Saturday marked Athletic's first loss in 42 days, and they're looking to rebound from this loss with three points vs 10th-place North Carolina (39 points). With four games left and 12 points to play for, this is a crucial bout for Athletic. The Green and Blue will be down four men on Saturday, as Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Triston Hodge, Emmanuel Samadia, and Kyle Edwards will all be out with their respective national teams. Hartford will have some reinforcements though, as Jordan Scarlett returns to the starting lineup after missing last Saturday's game against Loudoun United after receiving a red card against Oakland Roots.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Hartford Athletic are 0-1-2 in the three prior matchups against North Carolina FC, two coming in 2019 and the other earlier this season. North Carolina won the last matchup on March 29th at WakeMed Park 2-1, carrying first half goals from Louis Perez (PK) and Oalex Anderson to a victory. The first and only home match for Hartford in this matchup on June 1st, 2019, at Rentschler Field resulted in a 1-1 draw. In that match, Harry Swartz scored the fastest goal in Hartford Athletic history (15 seconds).
PAINTING THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
Five points separate eighth place Birmingham Legion (42 points) and 11th place Hartford Athletic (37 points). North Carolina and Hartford have an edge on Birmingham, ninth place Loudoun United, and 10th place Pittsburgh, as both clubs hold an extra match on their schedule. Hartford can restart their climb up the table on Saturday with a win and a Pittsburgh loss, which would move them back into 10th place.
BETWEEN THE POSTS
Hartford Athletic: Renan Ribeiro, #40
Last Saturday's match against Loudoun marked the first time Renan Ribeiro conceded a goal in over a month, dating back to the 1-1 draw against Detroit City on August 31st. The 34 year old Brazilian shot stopper has helped carry Hartford in his first season of American soccer. Through 23 appearances in the 2024 campaign, he's tallied 90 saves (2nd in the league), conceded just 24 goals, and collected seven clean sheets. He boasts a 1.07 GAA, and his 80.6% save rate is the best in the Championship. Ribeiro has a chance to break Jeff Caldwell's single-season record for saves, which was set in 2021 at 108. His 90 saves are five less than Caldwell had at this point in the 2021 season, but he's made five-plus saves in seven matches this season - another performance with a high save rate on Saturday would help him close the gap.
North Carolina: Jake McGuire #1
The 30-year-old goalkeeper from Pomona, California is in his second stint with North Carolina FC, signing with the team as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season after two years with Miami FC. McGuire was North Carolina FC's starting goalkeeper in 2021, making 74 saves and collecting seven clean sheets across 21 games. In his two seasons with Miami FC, he started 23 games tallying 66 saves, eight clean sheets, and 28 goals allowed on the 89 shots on target he faced. After a successful college career with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane where he finished as the program's shutout, minutes, and games leader while ranking second in saves, McGuire was drafted by the Houston Dynamo in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. McGuire signed with Philadelphia Union on March 10, 2017, after Houston waived his rights. However, McGuire never saw the pitch with Philadelphia. Instead, he was loaned to the Union's USL affiliate Bethlehem Steel and established himself as a starting goalkeeper during his tenure with the side with a combined 43 starts, 141 saves, and 10 clean sheets in two seasons with Bethlehem Steel, and still holds the team's career records for saves and save percentage. In his first season back with North Carolina, he has tallied 61 saves, 11 clean sheets (T-3rd most in the league), and 33 goals conceded in 27 appearances.
MICHEE & MOMO
Michee Ngalina made his return to the lineup last week after missing four matches due to injury. Although he was unable to score or create a goal, he did lead Hartford with three chances created and three shots. The Green and Blue have relied on the attacking combination of Ngalina and young striker Mamadou Dieng, as the pair have either scored or assisted on 20 of Athletic's 25 goals in USL Championship play.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
North Carolina FC have won two matches in a row, sitting in 7th place in the East with a 3-2-0 record in the last five, jumping ahead of Hartford after securing a 2-0 victory at home against Tulsa the last time out. However, they are vulnerable on the road, posting a 3-9-3 record when playing away from WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina's front line has been productive this season with 47 goals (T-5th most in the league), 404 shots (9th most in the league), and a 15% conversion rate (T-5th best in the league). North Carolina distributes the ball well, with five players tallying four-plus assists. Ezra Armstrong, the team's leading assist-man, tied for the sixth-most assists in the league with six.
Prematch Interviews
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hartford Athletic: Younes Boudadi, DF #2
The 28-year-old Belgian made his first appearance in nearly a month last Saturday against Loudoun United FC after suffering an injury in the match against his former side, Indy Eleven, on September 7th. Boudadi was an offensive generator for Hartford out of the right flank before his injury, booting 51 crosses and tallying three assists. Coming off a match in which they failed to score, Boudadi could provide an important spark in attacking effort for strikers Mamadou Dieng and Michee Ngalina.
North Carolina FC: Evan Conway, FW #11
The 26-year-old forward from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, is helping push North Carolina FC into the playoffs, as he's tied for the team's leading goalscorer. Conway propelled North Carolina to a 2-0 victory against Tulsa FC the last time out, Wednesday, October 9th, scoring the game-clinching second goal in the 81st minute off a penalty. Conway made his debut in the USL Championship in the 2022 season with San Diego Loyal, putting up nine goals and two assists in 31 appearances (20 starts) with the side. He continued this performance in his second season with San Diego, posting nearly identical stats, recording one more goal (10) and one fewer assist (1) in 32 appearances (27 starts). Conway signed with North Carolina as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season following his stint with San Diego. This campaign, he has sustained his performance from past years, tallying 10 goals (T-11th most in the league) on 48 shots (25 shots on target) and two assists across 27 appearances.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
For live updates, follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #HFDvNC
Date: Saturday, October 12th, 2024
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Trinity Health Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut
Tickets: HERE
Watch: MyTV9, wtnh.com, ESPN+
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (10-13-7) vs NORTH CAROLINA FC (11-11-9)
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