Sports stats



USL Hartford Athletic

Preview: Tough Test Awaits in Indy

July 28, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


This one is BIG! The Boys in Green head to Indianapolis to take on Indy Eleven tomorrow night, their only crossover matchup with a team outside Group F. Indy is widely regarded as one of the league's top teams, reaching the Eastern Conference Final last year and adding even more firepower to their attack in M/F Andrew Carleton and F/D Carl Haworth. This will be the toughest challenge the 2020 Hartford Athletic squad has faced yet. Will they be up for it?

HARTFORD ATHLETIC vs INDY ELEVEN

Date: Wednesday, July 29th

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Local TV: WCTX MyTV9

Streaming: hartfordathletic.com/watch or ESPN+

International Viewers: YouTube

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Hartford Athletic, Matheus Silva, D, #3:

The Hartford Athletic backline has lacked consistency through the first 3 matches, showing both moments of brilliance, and moments we'd like to forget including allowing two goals in the first 16 minutes against Philadelphia Union II on Saturday. The back line will need to tighten up against a formidable Indy Eleven offensive attack that leads the league in shots taken. While these comments apply to the whole back line, not necessarily just Silva, it is worth noting that Silva is knocking on the door for a goal this season. He has 3 attempted shots this season and seems to be a target on Athletic corners. A goal from the back line could be the difference in this one.

Indy Eleven, Paddy Barrett, D, #29:

Barrett captains this Indy squad and has had an impressive start to his 2020 USL Championship season. He's played all but six minutes possible through five matches and currently leads the team in clearances (21). He is also in a four-way tie for most interceptions (7), and is second on the team in passes with a league-wide tally of 269 (third in USLC), trailing only fellow defender Neveal Hackshaw (339), with an accuracy of 77.7%. Hartford's offensive attack has exploded with 3 goals on 17 shots in each of its past two matches. Barrett will be looked at to lead the way defensively.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Despite entering Wednesday's matchup off a loss Sunday night, Indy Eleven are in first place in Group E with 12 points and a record of 4-1-0. Offensively, Indy are led by Tyler Pasher who has a Championship-best 5 goals this season, including a stunner in the 97th minute to beat Pittsburgh on the road just before the final whistle sounded last week. Widely considered one of the best teams in the league, this will be a big test on the road for an undefeated Hartford side.

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 28, 2020


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