USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Kicks off Second Half of the Season against San Diego

July 7, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Date: Saturday, July 8th, 2023

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Trinity Health Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut

Match Day Promotion: $2 Beer $1 Hot Dog Night

Hartford Athletic have a chance to right the ship and snap a seven-game winless streak tomorrow night at home against San Diego Loyal SC. It's the only match that the Green and Blue will play at Trinity Health Stadium in July, as they will hit the road for three straight games before returning home on August 5th.

LAST TIME OUT

Hartford Athletic are coming off a 2-1 loss to Loudoun United on Monday, July 3rd. A goal conceded in each half beat Hartford, including one in the final minutes of the match. The Green and Blue got out to an ideal start, taking the early lead in the eighth minute on a goal from Prince Saydee (5). Loudoun responded 12 minutes later, getting a goal from Jackson Hopkins. The second half began after a nearly three hour lightning delay, and it was all Loudoun once it got started. They put three shots on target before the 75th minute, and broke through to score in the 83rd minute with a goal from Tommy Williamson. Antoine Hoppenot had a good look at goal in the 88th minute, but his shot to tie the game was saved by Dane Jacomen.

FAILING TO FINISH

Over their current seven-game winless streak, Hartford has tallied just seven goals and has been held scoreless in two of those matches. They've taken 78 shots, 45 of them from inside the opponent's box, but have mustered just six goals across the seven-game stretch. In addition, they have yet to have a game with over five shots on target across this stretch and hold a sub 10% conversion rate.

HODGE RETURNS

Hartford defender Triston Hodge has returned from international duty, missing four games while playing for Trinidad and Tobago in the Gold Cup. He played in all three Gold Cup matches for his home country, helping the Soca Warriors to a 3-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis before falling to Jamaica and the U.S. Hodge has started in 10 of his 11 appearances for Hartford, and ranks in the top five on the team in tackles won (14) and duels won (65).

BETWEEN THE POSTS

In the first game under Coach Namazi, Joe Rice was given the start in goal after Richard Sánchez started the game prior against Indy. Rice did well to make a personal season-high four saves for Hartford against Loudoun, but has yet to be in net for a win as well. While both keepers have shown moments of positivity, Hartford have just two clean sheets in total and have conceded the most goals in the USL Championship (36).

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Even winless in their six matches, San Diego Loyal find themselves sitting in a playoff position in the Western Conference with 24 points with a 6-5-6 record. In the club's last match, a 2-2 draw against Indy Eleven, both Charlie Adams and Evan Conway found the back of the net, their first and team-leading sixth respectively. With Indy Eleven down a man and down 2-0 with 32 minutes to play, San Diego could not hold onto its lead. The club gave Indy two penalty kicks, and both were converted by Aodhan Quinn to tie the game. In its third-straight road match, San Diego comes to Hartford for the first time in club history. The two clubs' only previous meeting is a 3-0 Loyal win in San Diego last year.

Check the Pulse

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Hartford Athletic, Danny Barrera, MF #10

Danny Barrera was back in the starting lineup on Monday after being left out of it for the previous five matches. The presence of the club's most tenured player was certainly a positive for Hartford, as he created four chances and did well to help the team get forward from the midfield. In 13 appearances for Hartford this season, Barrera has created 17 chances, the most chances per game for Athletic this season. He was also wearing the captain's armband on Monday for the first time this season.

San Diego Loyal, Evan Conway, FW #9

Evan Conway is San Diego's leading goal scorer. His 31.6% conversion rate is almost double that of San Diego as a whole, and he has made appearances in 15 of the club's 17 matches, including 13 starts (7 consecutive). Loyal SC has an 11-1-3 record when Conway scores a goal since he joined the club in 2022.

INJURY REPORT

Hartford Athletic

Out: None

San Diego

Out: None

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: For live updates, follow along on twitter using the hashtag #HFDvSD

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 7, 2023


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