Sports stats



USL Hartford Athletic

Preview: Hartford Eyes Three Points at Swope Park

July 18, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


After winning its first-ever match at Dillon Stadium, Hartford Athletic faces a quick turnaround as it travels to Kansas City for a Wednesday night clash with Swope Park Rangers. The boys in green are currently 10 points off playoff pace with 15 matches left, and they will hope to close the gap with a midweek road victory.

HARTFORD ATHLETIC at SWOPE PARK RANGERS

Date: Wednesday, July 17

Time: 8:00 PM ET

Location: Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS 66111

Streaming: ESPN+

Local TV: None

WHERE TO WATCH:

Thomas Hooker Brewery at Colt, 140 Huyshope Ave., Hartford, CT

City Steam Brewery and Cafe, 942 Main St., Hartford

TK's American Cafe, 255 White St., Danbury

2nd Bridge Brewing Co., 642 Hilliard St., Manchester

Lakeview Restaurant & Bar, 50 Lake St., Coventry

V's Trattoria, 280 Trumbull St., Hartford, CT 06103

LAST TIME OUT:

Hartford Athletic defeated Indy Eleven in its inaugural Dillon Stadium match on Saturday, triumphing in 2-1 fashion. Hartford and Indy played to a stalemate in the first 45 minutes, with both sides building up well but struggling to finish in the final third. However, the boys in green began to impose their will shortly after the second half began; they created numerous threatening chances and even hit the top right corner of the woodwork in the first 11 minutes after the restart. Hartford eventually grabbed the long-awaited opening goal in the 58th minute; Danny Barrera threaded it through to Jose Angulo on the overlap, and the 31-year old striker rolled his shot past a sliding Evan Newton. Wojciech Wojcik then bagged his first goal of the year in the 72nd minute, fielding Barrera's cutback and curling his shot into the top right corner. While an Ayoze penalty helped Indy Eleven trim the deficit in the 88th minute, the visitors could not make up enough ground before the final whistle blew, and Hartford earned a massive upset victory.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Hartford Athletic - Jose Angulo, FW

Angulo bagged his 4th goal of the season on Saturday evening, breaking a seven-match USL Championship goal drought. He is easily one of Hartford's most dangerous threats going forward, commanding the attention of opposing defenders whenever he sets foot in the box. The Colombian striker leads the team in goals while also posting the joint-most assists (2) this season. Hartford will need Angulo to make a menace of himself on Wednesday night, serving as a constant danger on the ball and a crucial diversion off it.

Swope Park Rangers - Ethan Vanacore-Decker, FW

Vanacore-Decker has been a crucial piece in Swope Park's attack this season, especially of late. The 24-year old has been in great form recently, grabbing a goal in each of his last two matches and troubling opposing back lines on a regular basis. Vanacore-Decker is now Rangers' second-leading scorer (3 goals), while also pacing the team in shots (21) and shots on target (13). Hartford must make a concerted effort to cut off all service to the American striker in the penalty area, as he has scored all of his goals this season from inside the box.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Swope Park Rangers has endured a rough start to its 2019 USL Championship campaign, earning only 12 points and winning just 2 of its first 17 matches. SPR is coming off a 3-1 home defeat against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on July 7, in which they conceded the first three and grabbed a consolation goal in the last 10 minutes. However, Coach Paulo Nagamura's side will be well-rested (they have not played since July 7), and it should still be fueled by its 2-1 win over Saint Louis FC just two matches ago. Young midfielder Felipe Hernandez leads Swope Park in goals (7), and Alexsander is the team's top assist man (5) this season.

FOLLOW ONLINE:

Updates on the match will be provided via Twitter at @hfdathletic or by following #SPRvHFD.

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 18, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central