March 17, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Hartford Athletic News Release
Date: Saturday, March 18th, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Weidner Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Local TV: WCTX MyTV9
Streaming: ESPN+ or hartfordathletic.com/watch
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (0-1-0) vs. COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC (1-0-0)
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off a 5-3 loss at Monterey Bay FC last week. In the high scoring affair, it was a number of defensive lapses that hurt Hartford. They gave up four goals in the first half, the first one coming in just the second minute after an unfortunate bounce in their box gave Alex Dixon an easy scoring chance. The third goal came on a PK, and the fourth goal of the half was an own goal that deflected off of Kaveh Rad and into his own net. Hartford fought to stay in the match, equalizing twice at 1-1 and at 2-2 in the first half. However, they were forced to chase the game after a slow start, and Monterey Bay’s five goals were too much in the end.
TAKE THE POSITIVES
After giving up five goals in the season opener, it would be easy to forget the positives Hartford showed on the offensive side of the ball. They scored three goals on the road, two of which came from well-executed set pieces, and never looked like they were out of the game. They out-possessed Monterey Bay, had 70 final third entries, and equalized twice after conceding early goals. “Overall, I’m not completely unhappy with the team,” said Coach Ramos. “We made some mistakes, that’s what happens early in the season. We’re a work in progress and I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
GREAT START FOR THE PRINCE
Hartford striker Prince Saydee got off on the right foot last Saturday, earning himself USL Championship Team of the Week honors for recording a brace and playing with great energy through 90 minutes. The left-footed Liberian put his incredible speed on full display to score his first goal, timing a run perfectly to burst past the Monterey back line and receive a well-placed ball from Andre Lewis. His second goal came in the 76th minute when he headed a well-fed corner kick from Danny Barrera down and across the goal line, cutting Hartford’s deficit to two.
FROM THE SPRINGS TO THE NUTMEG STATE
This offseason, Hartford signed three former Switchbacks: Elvis Amoh, Triston Hodge, and Beverly Makangila. They combined for 5,992 minutes for Colorado in 2022 and helped lift the club to a Western Conference Semifinal appearance. Amoh and…