2020 Hartford Athletic season

The 2020 Hartford Athletic season was the club's second season of existence and their second in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer.[1] This article covers the period from October 20, 2019, the day after Hartford's final match of the 2019 regular season, to the conclusion of the 2020 USL-C Playoff Final, scheduled for November 12–16, 2020.[2]

Hartford Athletic
2020 season
OwnerHartford Sports Group
Head coachRadhi Jaïdi
StadiumDillon Stadium
USL ChampionshipGroup F: 1st
Eastern Conf.: 2nd
USLC PlayoffsConf. Quarterfinals
U.S. Open CupCancelled
Highest home attendance1,375 (6 times)
Lowest home attendance1,207
(July 20 vs. Loudoun)
Average home league attendance1,351
Biggest winHFD 4–1 LDN (Aug. 2)
PHI 0–3 HFD (Sept. 20)
Biggest defeatPIT 5–0 HFD (Sept. 12)

Season in Review

Background, Off-Season and Pre-Season

Hartford finished its inaugural season in next to last place in the Eastern Conference, seven table positions and fourteen points out of the playoff spots. The club parted ways with head coach Jimmy Nielsen[3] just seven days after the 2019 season's end and signed former Southampton U-23 coach Radhi Jaïdi to fill the vacancy on November 8.[4] The club also parted ways with COO Donovan Powell five days later.[5]

The club began announcing roster moves in October, also, quickly announcing the return of four players from the 2019 roster (Harry Swartz, Alex Dixon, Alex Davey, and Nicky Downs),[6] with the return of Danny Barrera[7] and Mads Jørgensen[8] being announced in early November, and the return of Mike Novotny[9] being announced in early December. New signings began in earnest in late November with the addition of Aiden Mesias,[10] former Fresno FC defender Sam Strong,[11] Brazilian defender Gabriel Torres,[12] 2019 Greenville Triumph center back Kevin Politz,[13] Cal State Northridge products Dre Deas[14] and Alex Lara,[15] Dartmouth midfielder Noah Paravicini,[16] and UT-Rio Grande Valley midfielder Arthur Rogers.[17] In January, the club signed San Antonio FC's all-time leading scorer Éver Guzmán,[18] Brazilian defender Matheus Silva,[19] and announced the return of forward Mac Steeves.[20] In February, the club announced loan deals for goalkeeper Parfait Mandanda[21] and Southampton U-23 midfielder Tyreke Johnson.[22]

Roster
As of August 24, 2020[23]
No. Position Player Nation
2 Defender Alex Lara  United States
3 Defender Matheus Silva  Brazil
4 Defender Kevin Politz  United States
5 Defender Alex Davey  Scotland
6 Midfielder Arthur Rogers  England
7 Midfielder Noah Paravicini  United States
8 Midfielder Mads Jørgensen  Denmark
9 Forward Mac Steeves  United States
10 Midfielder Danny Barrera  United States
11 Forward Alex Dixon  United States
16 Midfielder Gabriel Torres  Brazil
17 Forward Alfonso Vazquez  United States
18 Goalkeeper Mike Novotny  United States
20 Forward Markus Naglestad  Norway
21 Midfielder Nicky Downs  United States
23 Midfielder Aiden Mesias  England
24 Defender Sam Strong  United States
28 Midfielder Conor McGlynn  United States
33 Midfielder Harry Swartz  United States
35 Goalkeeper Parfait Mandanda (on loan from Charleroi)  DR Congo
42 Forward Dre Deas  United States
80 Midfielder Justin Haak (on loan from New York City FC)  United States
88 Midfielder Tyreke Johnson (on loan from Southampton)  England
99 Forward Éver Guzmán  Mexico

Competitions

Match results
February 12, 2020 (2020-02-12) Preseason 1 Hartford Athletic 3–0 Newtown Pride FC Farmington, Connecticut
 Report Stadium: Farmington Sports Arena
February 14, 2020 (2020-02-14) Preseason 2 New York Red Bulls II 2–3 Hartford Athletic Montclair, New Jersey
 Report
Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
February 19, 2020 (2020-02-19) Preseason 3 Hartford Athletic 5–1 New England Revolution II Farmington, Connecticut
1:00 PM EST
  • Guzmán  12', 15', 38', 45+1'
  • Vasquez  76'
 Report
  • Trialist  66'
 Stadium: Farmington Sports Arena
February 22, 2020 (2020-02-22) Preseason 4 New England Revolution II 1–0 Hartford Athletic Foxborough, Massachusetts
1:00 PM EST
Report
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 0
Note: Closed door scrimmage
March 3, 2020 (2020-03-03) Preseason 5 Hartford Athletic 2–2 Hartford Hawks Farmington, Connecticut
1:30 PM EST Report Stadium: Farmington Sports Arena

USL Championship
Main article: 2020 USL Championship season

Standings — Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Hartford Athletic 16 11 2 3 31 24 +7 35 2.19 Advance to USL Championship Playoffs
2 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 16 11 1 4 39 10 +29 34 2.13
3 New York Red Bulls II 16 5 0 11 30 37 −7 15 0.94
4 Philadelphia Union II 16 2 3 11 20 45 −25 9 0.56
5 Loudoun United FC 13 1 3 9 10 28 −18 6 0.46
Source: USL

Match results

In the preparations for the resumption of league play following the shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, Hartford's schedule was announced on July 2.[24]

July 17 1 New York Red Bulls II 0–1 Hartford Athletic Montclair, NJ
7:00 PM EDT Corfe  78'
Elney  90+4'		 Report Guzmán  12'
Silva  53'
Barrera  62'
Downs  89'
Deas  90+3'		 Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
Referee: Joshua Encarnación
July 20 2 Hartford Athletic 3–1 Loudoun United Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Politz  3'
Swartz  45'
Johnson  55'
Dixon  65'		 Report Amoh  43',  58' (pen.)
Doue  90'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,207
Referee: Adam Kilpatrick
July 25 3 Hartford Athletic 3–2 Philadelphia Union II Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Silva  29'
Torres  39'
Jørgensen  43'
Guzmán  53'
McGlynn  66'		 Report Scintu  4'
Picazo  16'
Kingue  90+7'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Thomas Snyder
July 29 4 Indy Eleven 4–1 Hartford Athletic Indianapolis, IN
7:00 PM EDT Moon  4'
Pasher  51'
Conner  81'
Watson  87'		 Report Swartz  33'
Davey  45+5'
Dixon  46'
Silva  90+3'		 Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium
Attendance: 4,775
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
August 2 5 Hartford Athletic 4–1 Loudoun United Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Guzmán  7',  18'
Lara  45'
Barrera  66'
Dixon  84'
Torres  90+3'
Vazquez Villar  90+8'		 Report Amoh  21' (pen.),  56' Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
August 9 6 Philadelphia Union II P–P Hartford Athletic Chester, PA
TBA PM EDT Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium
Note: Match postponed due to positive covid-19 test in the Union II organization.[25]
August 15 7 Hartford Athletic 2–1 New York Red Bulls II Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Dixon  21'
Silva  27'
Strong  40',  86'
Johnson  45+3'		 Report LaCava  59'
Elney  74'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Ernie Constantine
August 19 8 Philadelphia Union II P–P Hartford Athletic Chester, PA
7:00 PM EDT Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium
Note: Match postponed due to positive covid-19 test in the Union II organization.[26]
August 23 9 Hartford Athletic 2–2 Loudoun United Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Swartz  28'
Barrera  67'
Silva  69'
Naglestad  85'
Dixon  89'		 Report Wiedt  22'
Ndour  23'
Amoustapha  44'
Amoh  73',  84'
Greene  88'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Thomas Snyder
August 28 10 Hartford Athletic 0–3 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Lara  83' Report Gómez  7'
James  11',  50'
Griffin  22'
Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
September 5 11 Hartford Athletic 2–1 Loudoun United Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Silva  6'
Rogers  17',  56'
Strong  43'
Guzmán  70'
Torres  76'
Report Fawole  4'
Ndour  30'
Mehl  77'  87'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Christian Centeno
September 12 12 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 5–0 Hartford Athletic Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT James  13',  47'
Mensah  27',  61'
Velarde  42' (pen.)		 Report Strong  39'
Torres  81'
Naglestad  82'
Haak  83'		 Stadium: Highmark Stadium
Referee: Eric Tattersall
September 16 13 Hartford Athletic 3–1 New York Red Bulls II Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Silva  11'
Haak  43',  75'
Dixon  45+1'
Torres  54'
Barrera  68'		 Report Rito  40'
LaCava  64'
Clark  69'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Referee: Thomas Snyder
September 20 14 Philadelphia Union II 0–3 Hartford Athletic Chester, PA
5:00 PM EDT Huckaby  34' Report Dixon  8',  58'
Topey  13' (o.g.)
Strong  44'
Johnson  90'		 Stadium: Subaru Park
Referee: Luis Arroyo
September 23 15 Hartford Athletic 1–1 Philadelphia Union II Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Strong  45+2',  88'
Cohen  56'
Jørgensen  68'		 Report McGlynn  76'
Aaronson  90'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 1,375
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
September 26 16 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 0–1 Hartford Athletic Pittsburgh, PA
7:00 PM EDT Dos Santos  72' Report Guzmán 30',  36'
Silva  47'
Politz  50'
Barrera  64'
Mandanda  71'
Novotny  89'
Haak  90+5'		 Stadium: Highmark Stadium
Referee: Joshua Encarnación
September 30 17 Philadelphia Union II 2–3 Hartford Athletic Chester, PA
7:30 PM EDT Budler  7'
Cohen  22' (o.g.)
Sorenson  42'
Stafford  60'		 Report Jørgensen  8' (pen.)
Lara  15'
Dixon  25'
Strong  55'
Barrera  90'		 Stadium: Subaru Park
Referee: Christian Centeno
October 4 18 New York Red Bulls II 0–2 Hartford Athletic Montclair, NJ
7:00 PM EDT Bounthong  48'
Sowe  55'
Dieye  83'		 Report Lara  39'
Johnson  65'
McGlynn  75'
Strong  90+1'		 Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
Referee: Sean Lyons

USL Cup Playoffs
October 10 First Round Hartford Athletic 0–1 Saint Louis FC Hartford, CT
7:00 PM EDT Silva  16'
Strong  45+1'
Barrera  61'
Politz  90+3'		 Report Greig  73'
Fall  89'
Rivas  90+3'		 Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Attendance: 2,194
Referee: Kevin Broadley

U.S. Open Cup
Main article: 2020 U.S. Open Cup

As a USL Championship club, Hartford as enter the competition in the Second Round, to be played April 7–9.[27] The 2020 U.S. Open Cup was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[28]

April 9 2nd Round Hartford Athletic P–P Western Mass Pioneers or
GPS Portland Phoenix 		Hartford, CT
7:00 pm EDT Stadium: Dillon Stadium
Note: Match cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[28]

Statistics

Appearances and goals
No. Pos Nat Player TotalUSLC
AppsGoalsAppsGoals
11 FW Alex Dixon 
||16 || 6 ||15 || 6
99 FW Éver Guzmán 
|| 13 || 5 || 12|| 5
4 DF Kevin Politz 
||15  || 1||14 ||1
33 MF Harry Swartz 
||7  || 1||7 ||1
23 MF Aiden Mesias 
|| 14 || 0||13 ||0
42 FW Dre Deas 
|| 7 || 0|| 7||0
28 MF Conor McGlynn 
||10  ||1 ||9 ||1
25 DF Idan Cohen 
|| 8 || 0|| 7||0
24 DF Sam Strong 
||14  || 2|| 13||2
21 DF Nicky Downs 
||11  || 0|| 11||0
20 FW Markus Naglestad 
|| 9 ||1 || 8||1
17 FW Alfonso Vazquez 
||  4||1 || 4||1
16 MF Gabriel Torres 
||15  || 2|| 14||2
10 MF Danny Barrera 
|| 17 ||2 || 16||2
9 FW Mac Steeves 
||0  || 0|| 0||0
8 MF Mads Jørgensen 
||12  ||2 || 12||2
6 MF Arthur Rogers 
||15  ||1 ||14 ||1
3 DF Matheus Silva 
|| 15 || 1|| 14||1
2 DF Alex Lara 
||12  ||1 || 12||1
7 MF Noah Paravicini 
||0  ||0 || 0||0
80 MF Justin Haak 
|| 8 ||1 ||7 ||1
Players who left Hartford during the season:
85 MF Tyreke Johnson 142142
5 DF Alex Davey 3030

Disciplinary record
No. Pos. Name USLC Total
3DefenderMatheus Silva8090
10MidfielderDanny Barrera4050
21MidfielderNicky Downs1010
42ForwardDre Deas1001
11ForwardAlex Dixon3030
28MidfielderConor McGlynn1010
33MidfielderHarry Swartz2020
5DefenderAlex Davey1010
16MidfielderGabriel Torres3030
35GoalkeeperParfait Mandanda0101
24DefenderSam Strong7080
12DefenderAlex Lara3030
80MidfielderJustin Haak3030
4DefenderKevin Politz1020
88MidfielderTyreke Johnson2020
18GoalkeeperMike Novotny1010
8MidfielderMads Jorgensen1010
6MidfielderArthur Rogers1010
99ForwardEver Guzman1010
20ForwardMarkus Naglestad1010
25DefenderIdan Cohen1010

Clean sheets
No. Name USLC USLC Playoffs Total Games Played
22 Parfait Mandanda 40416
16 Mike Novotny 1012

Transfers

In
Pos. Player Transferred from Fee/Notes Date Source
DefenderSam StrongFresno FCFreeDecember 1, 2019
DefenderGabriel TorresChattanooga FCFreeDecember 9, 2020
DefenderKevin PolitzGreenville Triumph SCFreeDecember 9, 2019
ForwardDre DeasCSUN MatadorsFreeDecember 12, 2019
DefenderAlex LaraCSUN MatadorsFreeDecember 12, 2019
MidfilederNoah ParaviciniNapa Valley 1839 FCFreeDecember 18, 2019
ForwardArthur RogersTexas–Rio Grande Valley VaquerosFreeDecember 23, 2020
ForwardEver GuzmanSan Antonio FCFreeJanuary 8, 2020
MidfielderMatheus SilvaMiami FCFreeJanuary 13, 2020
MidfielderConor McGlynnFA Euro New YorkOpen tryoutsMarch 12, 2020
ForwardAlfonso VazquezWindham High SchoolOpen tryoutsMarch 12, 2020
ForwardMarkus NaglestadEgersunds IKFreeAugust 13, 2020
DefenderIdan CohenHapoel Tel Aviv F.C.FreeSeptember 3, 2020

Out
Pos. Player Transferred to Fee/Notes Date Source
DefenderAlex DaveyTampa Bay RowdiesFreeSeptember 2

Loan in
Pos. Player Parent club Length/Notes Beginning End Source
GoalkeeperParfait Mandanda R. Charleroi S.C.Season longFebruary 20End of season
MidfielderTyreke Johnson Southampton F.C.Season longFebruary 24October 8
MidfielderJustin Haak New York City FCRemainder of the seasonSeptember 9End of season

Loan out
Pos. Player Loanee club Length/Notes Beginning End Source

Kits
Home
Away
Charity Alternate
TypeShirtShortsSocksFirst appearance / Record
HomeGreenGreenGreenMatch 3 vs. Louisville / 6–2–1
AwayWhiteWhiteWhiteMatch 1 vs. New York / 4–0–2
Charity
Alternate		RedRedRedMatch 15 vs. Philadelphia / 1-0-0

References
  1. "Hartford Athletic – Our Story". HartfordAthletic.com. Hartford Athletic. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. "USL Championship Unveils 2020 Schedule". 9 January 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  3. "Hartford Athletic, Jimmy Nielsen agree to part ways". New England Soccer Journal. October 27, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  4. "Hartford Athletic names Radhi Jaidi as head coach". New England Soccer Journal. November 8, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. "Hartford Athletic and COO Part Ways; Andy Smith Named Interim Team President". www.hartfordathletic.com. November 13, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  6. "Hartford Athletic Welcomes Back Four Players for 2020 Season". www.hartfordathletic.com. October 30, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  7. "Danny Barrera Returning to Hartford Athletic for 2020 Season". www.hartfordathletic.com. November 5, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  8. "Mads Jørgensen Returning to Hartford Athletic for 2020 Season". www.hartfordathletic.com. November 14, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  9. "Mike Novotny Returning in 2020". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 4, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  10. "Hartford Athletic Signs English Midfielder Aiden Mesias". www.hartfordathletic.com. November 25, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  11. "Defender Sam Strong Joins Hartford Athletic". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 2, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  12. "Hartford Athletic Signs Defender Gabriel Torres". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  13. "Hartford Athletic Signs Defender Kevin Politz". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 10, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  14. "Forward Dre Deas Joins 2020 Roster". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 12, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  15. "Hartford Athletic Signs Defender Alex Lara". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 13, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  16. "Hartford Athletic Signs Midfielder Noah Paravacini". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 18, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  17. "Midfielder Arthur Rogers Signs for 2020 Season". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 23, 2019.
  18. "Athletic Sign San Antonio FC All-Time Leading Scorer, Ever Guzmán". www.hartfordathletic.com. December 23, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  19. "Hartford Athletic Signs Defender Matheus Silva". www.hartfordathletic.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  20. "Return of the Mac: Steeves Returning for 2020". www.hartfordathletic.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  21. "Hartford Athletic Acquires Goalkeeper Parfait Mandanda on Loan". www.hartfordathletic.com. February 20, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  22. "Southampton's Tyreke Johnson Joins Hartford Athletic on Loan". www.hartfordathletic.com. February 24, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  23. "Hartford Athletic roster". HartfordAthletic.com. Hartford Athletic. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  24. "Hartford Athletic Announces 2020 USL Schedule". hartfordathletic.com. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  25. "Philadelphia Union II Match Against Hartford Athletic Rescheduled". Philadelphia Union. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  26. "Match Against Philadelphia Union II Postponed". HartfordAthletic.com. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  27. "Restructured Competition Format For 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Provides Opportunity For More "David vs. Goliath" Matchups In 107th Edition Of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  28. "U.S. Soccer Temporarily Suspends 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Due to COVID-19 Outbreak". ussoccer.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
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