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USL Hartford Athletic

Preview: Match for a Cause and Fan Appreciation Night

September 21, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


With a spot in the playoffs clinched on Sunday night, Hartford Athletic heads back home for the final regular season match at Dillon Stadium in 2020. The Boys in Green will be the Boys in Red for just one night as part of our Match For A Cause presented by Stanley Black and Decker. Match-worn jerseys are being auctioned off online right now, so click here to make a bid on your favorite player's uniform!

Tomorrow night is also Fan Appreciation night at the stadium. From 5:30 PM until kickoff, you can get $2 draft beers in the stadium and "Fortress Hartford" Scares can be purchased at 20% off. This is a match you won't want to miss!

HARTFORD ATHLETIC (8-3-1) vs PHILADELPHIA UNION II (2-8-2)

Date: Wednesday, September 23rd

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT

Tickets: bit.ly/2FV6Y87

Local TV: WCTX MyTV9

Streaming: hartfordathletic.com/watch or ESPN+

International Viewers: YouTube

Program: hartfordathletic.com/program

LAST TIME OUT:

Hartford Athletic clinched a postseason berth after taking down Philidelphia Union ll 3-0. Hartford started off on the front foot and it only took seven minutes to open the scoring. Ever Guzmán worked the space on the left flank and delivered an inch-perfect set up for Alex Dixon. Dixon calmly dispatched a side-footed one time finish into the back of the net to put Athletic in front. Seven minutes later Athletic doubled their lead. It was that man Guzmán involved in the play again, his trademark pressing put the Union II defenders under pressure. The Union II defender bundled the ball into his own net to make it two-nil Hartford. Dixon would add one more in the second half to give Hartford a 3-0 victory.

ELEVEN FOR ELEVEN:

It has been a remarkable year for Alex Dixon. After a 2019 campaign that was riddled with injury, Dixon leads the team with 6 goals for Hartford in 2020 and cemented his status as the all-time leading scorer in club history (11). He recorded his second brace in a Hartford uniform on Sunday against Philadelphia Union II, and his first goal was almost a case of deja vu. In last season's match against Bethlehem Steel (the former moniker of Union II) Dixon capitalized on a turnover to put home the opening goal at Subaru Park. He's now scored three times in three matches against Union II and will certainly be looking for more on Wednesday.

MINUTES MANAGED:

With a playoff spot now locked up, it will be interesting to see how Head Coach Radhi Jaidi manages minutes down the stretch. With so many games in a short amount of time, only 2 Hartford Athletic outfield players (Matheus Silva and Danny Barrera) have recorded over 1000 minutes played (out of a possible 1080) and only 6 players have totaled more than 700 minutes. Alfonso Vazquez and Dre Deas are the only players who have not reached 100 minutes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Hartford Athletic, Gabriel Torres, MF, #16:

It's no secret that Torres has made an impact in just about every match he's been on the pitch. Torres is versatile and a quality player both on the attack and dropping back to defend. After sitting for the full match on Sunday, it's safe to expect Torres will get back and get some minutes as Head Coach Radhi Jaïdi keeps player fitness at the top of his mind heading into the postseason.

Philadelphia Union II, Jack McGlynn, MF #65:

Sure, you already know he's the brother of Hartford Athletic midfielder Conor (who is listed as questionable for tomorrow's match), but Jack is the engine that makes the Union II attack run. A quality player with the ball at his feet, McGlynn has created chance after chance for Philadelphia. He has 3 assists this season and has created 26 chances, both leading the team by a wide margin. Looking for offense from Philly tomorrow night? Look no further than Jack.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Philadelphia Union II will be a very familiar sight for Hartford on Wednesday. It will be the second meeting in four days between the two teams, who will meet again on September 30th. Hartford and Philadelphia had two matches postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Union II covered persons list. This is a very young Union II squad who showed on Sunday they're prone to mistakes. But they've also shown they are not a team to sleep on. When these teams first met in Hartford, Philadelphia jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first half.

FOLLOW ONLINE:

Can't watch? Stay in touch with our live commentary @hfdathletic or by following #HFDvPHI.

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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