Match Preview: North Carolina FC vs. Hartford Athletic

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USL North Carolina FC

Match Preview: North Carolina FC vs. Hartford Athletic

June 4, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


HARTFORD, R.I. - North Carolina FC is back in regular season action on Friday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. ET, heading up the coast to face Hartford Athletic at Trinity Health Stadium.

NCFC enters the Friday night matchup fresh off a 1-0 win over USL League One's Richmond Kickers to pick up an important three points in the USL Jägermeister Cup. NCFC is also riding a three-match winning streak in regular season play, headlined by the recent 4-2 thriller over Oakland Roots.

Adam Luckhurst scored the lone goal in NCFC's 1-0 win at City Stadium, finding the back of the net for the first time as a professional. The Duke alumni headed home a cross from fellow NCFC newcomer Patrick Burner, marking the winger's first assist in an NCFC jersey.

Trevor Mulqueen started the match in the net, picking up a clean sheet thanks to multiple impressive saves throughout the match.

Louis Perez created seven chances in the match, continuing his recent run of good form that included a goal and an assist off the bench in the win against Oakland.

NCFC's three-match winning streak has the team currently in a position for a home playoff match a third of the way through the season, with the team's 5W-3L-2D (17 points) record good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference.

SCOUTING HARTFORD

Hartford has gotten off to a slow start in 2025 with just six points through the first nine games of the regular season. The team currently sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, with only Tampa Bay sitting lower.

While the team has struggled for wins, they have gave some of the Eastern Conference leaders problems early in the season. Hartford earned draws against fifth-place Detroit and second-place Louisville, the latter of which is the USL Championship's last remaining undefeated team in the regular season.

Hartford has struggled to find the back of the net this season, with only two teams scoring fewer than the team's nine goals. Four of those nine, however, came in the team's most recent regular season game, a wild 4-4 draw against Indy Eleven.

Defensively, Hartford's 16 goals conceded ranks as the eighth worst mark in the league, while the team's four red cards, tied for the most in the league, has seen the team battle for points while down a player multiple times this season.

Former English youth international Kyle Edwards leads the way for the Hartford attack with three goals, while Mamadou Dieng and Sebastian Anderson are tied for the lead in assists with two each.

UP NEXT

NCFC wraps up its three-match road swing with another New England matchup, facing Rhode Island FC at the team's new Stadium at Tidewater Landing on Saturday, June 14, at 7 p.m. ET.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 4, 2025


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