Hartford Athletic

Hartford Athletic
Full nameHartford Athletic
FoundedJuly 11, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-07-11)
StadiumTrinity Health Stadium
Capacity5,500
OwnerHartford Sports Group
Head coachOmid Namazi
LeagueUSL Championship
202312th, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019.[1][2] It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut.

History

On June 8, 2021, Hartford Athletic announced they will be fielding a women's side to compete in the new USL W League beginning in 2022.[3]

Stadium

Trinity Health Stadium in 2021

The club plays on the grounds of Trinity Health Stadium, with a capacity of 5,500.[4] The 1935 stadium was renovated and reopened on July 13, 2019, despite the fact the stadium was not completely finished.[5] Lights were completed and first used for the stadium's first night game on September 14, 2019 (Hartford Athletic vs. Louisville City FC).[6]

During the construction of Trinity Health Stadium, Athletic played home games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. They played their first home game in front of more than 11,000 supporters.[7]

Hartford's first U.S. Open Cup match in 2019, which was also the first win in club history, was played at Al-Marzook Field in West Hartford.[8]

Sponsorship

Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–2021 Germany Adidas Trinity Health of New England[9]
2022– Denmark Hummel[10]

Players and staff

Hartford Athletic players before a 2021 match

Roster

As of August 5, 2023[11]
No. Pos. Player Nation
2 DF Modesto Méndez  Cuba
3 DF Kaveh Rad  United States
5 DF Triston Hodge  Trinidad and Tobago
6 MF Beverly Makangila  DR Congo
7 FW Prince Saydee  Liberia
8 MF Juan Pablo Torres  United States
9 FW Elvis Amoh  Ghana
10 MF Danny Barrera  United States
13 GK Joe Rice  United States
14 DF Ashkanov Apollon  Haiti
16 DF Matt Sheldon  United States
17 FW Kyle Edwards  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
18 FW Daniel Bloyou  Ghana
19 DF Luke Merrill  United States
21 MF Kembo Kibato  Canada
22 DF Robin Lapert  France
28 MF Conor McGlynn  United States
29 FW Antoine Hoppenot  France
40 DF Dren Dobruna ([A])  Albania
41 FW Ali Taleb ([A])  Lebanon
50 DF Niall Logue  Northern Ireland
72 DF Edgardo Rito  Venezuela
77 MF Andre Lewis  Jamaica
99 GK Marvyn Dorcin  France

Out on loan

No. Pos. Player Nation
20 MF Jonathan Filipe (on loan to Chattanooga Red Wolves)  United States

Players with multiple nationalities

Team management

Front office
Owners Joseph Calafiore
Bruce Mandell
Scott Schooley
Coaching staff
Head coach Omid Namazi
Assistant coach Dan Gaspar
Goalkeeper coach Enzo Pereira
Strength & conditioning coach Joe Lucas Santos
Athletic trainer Kevin Hoffmann
Technical director Ray Reid
Technical advisor Paul Buckle

Last updated: January 7, 2021
Source: [1]

Club captains

Years Name Nation
2019 Philip Rasmussen  Denmark
2020–2022 Danny Barrera  United States
2023 Niall Logue  Northern Ireland

Club culture

Supporters at a 2021 match

The supporters for Hartford Athletic are split between five groups based on their geographical location within the state of Connecticut:

  • The 19th Regiment – The first supporters group founded in early 2019 shortly after the announcement of the club. Today, it represents supporters based in the Greater Hartford area and Northern Connecticut.
  • Mad Hat Massive – Independent supporters group representing members from Fairfield and Litchfield counties, with their home pub hosting the official supporters away days watch parties at TK's American Cafe in Danbury where the Jell-O Shot tradition began. Members of the Independent Supporters’ Council.
  • The Boonies – Members of the Mad Hat Massive in the greater Torrington area.
  • Elm City Casuals – Independent supporters based out of the Greater New Haven area. They’re independent. They like pizza and riding trains. Members of the Independent Supporters’ Council.
  • East Side Rising – Supporters group founded in 2020 to represent Eastern Connecticut, nicknamed "A Family of Fans."
  • Raza Brava – Latino-centric supporters group representing the greater Hartford area.

Each group is separately managed but they stand and chant together on the east end of Trinity Health Stadium for home matches.

Starting in the 2022 season, the 19th Regiment, Mad Hat Massive and the Elm City Casuals will unite as one group, called The Bonanza

Among the notable chants used is the "Brass Bonanza," a melody sung by the supporters groups after scoring a goal, which was also used for the former NHL team in the city, the Hartford Whalers, for the same circumstances. The groups also use Bob Marley's classic "Three Little Birds" for the beginning of matches and when the opposing team scores. [12]

Team records

Year-by-year

As of October 14, 2023
Season USL Championship Play-offs U.S. Open Cup Top Scorer
P W L D GF GA Pts Position Player Goals
2019 34 8 21 5 49 80 29 17th, Eastern Did not qualify Third round Poland Wojciech Wojcik 7
2020 16 11 3 2 31 24 35 1st, Group F Conference Quarterfinals Not played United States Alex Dixon 6
2021 32 12 15 5 50 50 41 5th, Atlantic Did not qualify Not played Honduras Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. 10
2022 34 10 18 6 47 57 36 10th, Eastern Did not qualify Third round Cuba Ariel Martínez 9
2023 34 4 24 6 40 79 18 12th, Eastern Did not qualify Third round Liberia Prince Saydee 10

Head coaches

  • Includes USL regular season, USL playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Jimmy Nielsen  Denmark September 5, 2018 October 27, 2019 36 9 22 5 025.00
Radhi Jaïdi  Tunisia November 8, 2019 October 19, 2020 17 11 4 2 064.71
Harry Watling  England January 13, 2021 June 25, 2022 49 16 25 8 032.65
Ray Reid (interim)  United States June 25, 2022 August 22, 2022 13 4 6 3 030.77
Tab Ramos  United States August 22, 2022 June 26, 2023 24 6 14 4 025.00
Omid Namazi  United States June 26, 2023 present 18 2 14 2 011.11

Average attendance

Year Reg. Season Playoffs
2019 5,025 —
2020 1,351 2,194
2021 4,640 —
2022 5,178 —
2023 4,089 —

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hartford Joins USL For 2019 Season at Dillon Stadium". Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "Pro Soccer Team Announced For Hartford, Set To Begin Play In 2019". Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "USL announces return of the W League from 2022 – SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "What's next for Dillon Stadium and Hartford Athletic? A turf field, players and more". Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  5. ^ Anthony, Mike. "Mike Anthony: Hartford had it Saturday, and our new soccer team had a lot to do with it". courant.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  6. ^ Hartford Athletic (September 14, 2019). "RECAP: Hartford Athletic Falls in First Dillon Stadium Match Under the Lights". Hartford Athletic.
  7. ^ "Hartford Athletic Hosts First Home Game". Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Hartford Athletic vs. New York Cosmos – Football Match Summary – May 14, 2019 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Athletic, Hartford (February 27, 2019). "Hartford Athletic Announces Trinity Health of New England as Title Partner". Hartford Athletic | Connecticut's Professional Soccer Team.
  10. ^ "Hummel Named Hartford Athletic's Official On-Field Apparel Provider". November 22, 2021.
  11. ^ "Player Numbers". Twitter.com. Hartford Athletic. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  12. ^ "Hartford Athletic Supporters Make Their Mark During Inaugural Season". NBC Connecticut. September 9, 2019.

External links