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USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Seek Second Road Win in Indy Tomorrow Night

June 9, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Coming off a positive result against Louisville last week, Hartford Athletic have a chance build some momentum with a result on the road before coming home for three straight matches. This will be the first of two matches against Indy in the month of June, as they two teams will square off at Trinity Health Stadium in just two weeks.

LAST TIME OUT

Hartford Athletic are coming off a 0-0 draw to Louisville City FC at home last Saturday. It was a positive showing for Hartford despite not scoring a goal, as they played perhaps their best game yet on the defensive side of the ball. They kept Louisville from recording a shot on target on all 17 of their touches inside Hartford's box. On the offensive side of the ball, Hartford put three shots on target and finished both halves strong. Antoine Hoppenot nearly gave Hartford the lead late in the first half, forcing an excellent save from Oliver Semmle on a shot from just yards away from the goal line.

RITO ROSTERED

Hartford Athletic officially acquired defender Edgardo Rito this Thursday, with Jeciel Cedeño being transferred to Oakland as a part of the deal. A massive signing for the club, Rito is regarded as one of the top wingbacks in the USL Championship. He's coming off an excellent 2022 season, earning First Team All USL honors after scoring five goals and recording seven assists. This year so far for Oakland, he scored two goals and recorded two assists across 10 starts. The 27 year old Venezuelan comes to Hartford with the chance to make an immediate impact on the team's form and spot on the table, as they find themselves just four points below the playoff line despite their 2-7-3 record. He will be available for selection this Saturday.

VALUABLE VERSATILITY

Coach Ramos inserted Luke Merrill into the starting lineup for the first time last Saturday, a high-energy defender with great speed and capability in the midfield as well. Ramos also moved Matt Sheldon, who is primarily a right back, to a wing position. The versatility of the two players allowed for the shake up in the formation, and it paid off for Hartford. "We played Matt a little bit more advanced because we had a lot of energy from Luke [on the outside]," said Coach Ramos this week. "Both of them together were difficult for Louisville. Matt gave us a lot defensively, but also in the attack." Ramos also said about Sheldon, "Matt has been a really good surprise this year in terms of his effort and dedication to anything that the team needs from him."

NEW NET PROTECTOR

Joe Rice made his first start of the season in net last Saturday, in relief of Richard Sánchez. Rice did not see too much action, but earned Hartford's second clean sheet of the year against a top club nonetheless. He did not have to make any saves, but parried a dangerous cross over the crossbar and did well to keep Hartford's back line organized. The change in goal came after Hartford had conceded the most goals in the Championship (24), and had recorded just one clean sheet through the first 11 games. The 26 year old Rice is a capable shot stopper, as he made 20 saves in just five starts for Loudoun United in 2022.

WHISTLING WELTER

The officiating crew might be busy this week, as Hartford and Indy enter the match as the first and third-leading yellow-card culprits, respectively. While the clubs are two of just five USL teams that have not earned a red card this season, neither is afraid of drawing the yellow (77 in total). The two clubs are on different ends of the "general foul" category, however. Athletic concedes the third-fewest while Indy is in the top five.

FAMILIAR FACES

Indy Eleven signed two former Hartford Athletic players this offseason: defender Younes Boudadi and goalkeeper Yannik Oettl. The two turned in quality campaigns for Hartford in 2022, both frequently appearing in the starting lineup. Boudadi played two seasons with the Green and Blue and totaled 61 appearances. Oettl signed with the club on loan midway through last season and made 19 appearances, ending the year tied for 11th in saves with 74. Currently, he holds a 1.17 GAA and four clean sheets.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Indy Eleven is coming off of a resounding 4-0 victory over Eastern Conference leading Charleston Battery. The club set the tone early, earning and converting a penalty kick in the first two minutes after Battery defender Leland Archer was sent off with a red card. Eleven never looked back, dominating possession (60%-40%) throughout the remainder of the game, a common trend for them. The victory was just the first time this season that Indy scored more than two goals in a match and puts the club seventh in the Eastern Conference at 4-5-3 (15 points). Eleven is set to battle Hartford Athletic twice in their next three matches, the next in Hartford on June 24th at 7:00 PM.

Check the Pulse

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Hartford Athletic Prince Saydee, FW #7

Prince Saydee, Hartford's leading goal scorer, returned to action for the club last week in the 69th minute. Saydee missed the previous two games with a lower body injury. He has four goals and three assists. Athletic's second-leading scorer, Elvis Amoh, left Saturday's match after being tended to by Hartford's training staff, so Saydee being back is crucial. Saydee looks to find the back of the net tomorrow for the first time since April 15th against Oakland Roots SC.

Indy Eleven, Aodhan Quinn, MF #14

In his first season with Indy Eleven, Aodhan Quinn is the club's leading goal-scorer. He tallied only one goal in his first 11 appearances with the club, but converted two penalties last week against Charleston to put himself atop the club's leaderboard. Converting penalties in both the second and 72nd minutes, he helped Indy comfortably win the match 4-0 on the road against the Eastern Conference leading Battery. His goal in the second minute was the quickest goal in the USL Championship this season. Quinn is in his tenth season in the USL Championship (six different teams) and has tallied at least six goals in four of his last five seasons.

INJURY REPORT

Hartford Athletic

Out: Kembo Kibato (foot), Elvis Amoh (thigh)

Indy Eleven

Out: Dambrot (knee), B. Rebellon (hamstring), Boudadi (shoulder), King (Quad)

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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