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USL Hartford Athletic

Preview: Hartford Go South to Charleston, 7:30 PM Kickoff on Saturday

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


LAST TIME OUT

Hartford Athletic are coming off a 1-1 draw to Orange County SC at home last Saturday. The Green and Blue conceded early after giving a

free kick opportunity to the visitors in the seventh minute. Milan Iloski looped in his attempt from just a few yards outside of the box, beating Richard Sànchez to the near post. Hartford equalized late in the half with Elvis Amoh's second goal of the year, coming in the fourth and final minute of first half stoppage time. The game's physicality increased in the second half, as there were 10 yellow cards dished out in the second 45 minutes of play. There were nine minutes of stoppage time added, but neither team could find a game winning goal.

HITTING THE ROAD

After a quick two-game stint at home, Hartford Athletic begin a three-game road trip this Saturday in Charleston. They'll head out west to Oakland next Saturday, then wrap up the road trip in Birmingham for a rematch of Week Three. The road stretch will keep them away from home for the rest of April, as they return to Trinity Health Stadium on May 6th to host Memphis 901 FC.

HARTFORD TRAILS...

Last Saturday marked the third match this season in which Hartford conceded a goal before the 25th minute of play. "We gave up a goal right away and I think that kind of shocked everybody, because for the next 15 minutes, the team just wasn't the same at all," said Coach Ramos. "We looked, probably I would say, the worst we've looked so far for the next 15-20 minutes after we gave up that goal." Hartford has played with a lead for just 18 minutes of match time so far this season, forcing them to chase games from behind. They went down a goal just two minutes into the match against Monterey Bay in Week One, and conceded in the 23rd minute against Birmingham two weeks ago.

EDWARDS' IMPACT

Kyle Edwards was inserted into last Saturday's match late in the first half, and the striker made an immediate impact in the final third. He fired off two shots, and assisted on the equalizing goal just before the end of the half. In the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, Antoine Hoppenot took on a defender with speed on the left side and sent a cross into the box. Edwards was able to flick the ball with his head to Elvis Amoh, who powerfully struck the ball past Cody Cropper. Edwards followed this performance with another assist to Amoh on Tuesday night in the Open Cup. The two strikers played together with RGV in 2021 and combined for 16 goals, and they are meshing well in Hartford when on the pitch together.

OPEN CUP CONFIDENCE

Outside of the USL Championship, Hartford advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup Tournament this Tuesday after defeating Lansdowne Yonkers FC 3-0. All three goals were scored by Elvis Amoh, recording the second hat trick in club history. When asked what their first win of the year does for the team's confidence, Coach Ramos said, "It's important... Fortunately today, we were able to score three goals, but I think more importantly, we created a ton more chances."

Check the Pulse

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Charleston Battery hold a 1-2-0 record in the USL Championship coming off of a 3-0 win, sinking the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Their first goal came in the third minute of the match when Nick Markanich laid the ball off to forward Fidel Barajas at the top of the 18 yard box and Barajas curled the ball past Tampa Bay goalkeeper Phil Breno. Charleston's second goal was scored off a penalty kick by Augustine Williams in the 11th minute and their third goal was during the 58th minute at the top of the 18 yard box scored by Nick Markanich. Charleston limited Tampa Bay the entire game, only needing goalkeeper Trey Muse to make two saves. The team also advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup after defeating the Savannah Clovers 4-1.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Hartford Athletic, Jeciel Cedeño, FW #11:

Jeciel Cedeño had a strong game for Hartford in their last match against Orange County SC, covering a ton of ground and impacting play in the midfield. In the first half alone, he had six final third entries and contributed a shot for the home side. "I thought Jeciel was excellent today," said Coach Ramos post game on Saturday. "We've given him the minutes, given him the confidence, and today it showed." Cedeño has seen an uptick in playing time during his third season with Hartford, logging 241 minutes across three starts after making just one start last year. He also picked up his first assist for Hartford in their 3-0 victory in the Open Cup on Tuesday night, a fantastic individual effort that set up Elvis Amoh for an easy third goal.

Charleston Battery, Fidel Barajas, MF #11

Fidel Barajas has made an impact for Charleston in the 232 minutes he has played this season so far, recording one goal and two assists. At the young age of 16, Barajas enter's his second season with the Black and Yellow after signing a multi-year contract in September 2022. The 16-year-old has represented both the United States and Mexico at the youth international level and was ranked the number five player in the U.S. by TopDrawerSoccer. In Charleston's 3-0 win over Tampa Bay last week, Barajas contributed a goal and an assist. In the third minute, he scored a sensational curler, proving how dangerous he is when facing the goal. The goal made him the youngest goalscorer in club history at 16 years old.

INJURY REPORT

Hartford Athletic

Out: Andre Lewis (Head), Kembo Kibato (Foot)

Charleston

Out: Handwalla Bwana (Knee)

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

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 7, 2023


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