Hartford Athletic
 | |||
| Full name | Hartford Athletic | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | July 11, 2018 | ||
| Stadium | Dillon Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,500 | ||
| Owner | Hartford Sports Group | ||
| Head coach | Radhi Jaïdi | ||
| League | USL Championship | ||
| 2019 | 17th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
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]
Stadium
The club plays on the grounds of Dillon Stadium, with a capacity of 5,500.[3] The 1935 stadium was renovated and re-opened on On July 13, 2019, despite the fact that the stadium was not completely finished.[4]. Lights were completed and first used for the stadium's first night game on September 14, 2019 (Hartford Athletic vs. Louisville City FC).[5]
During the construction of Dillon Stadium, the Athletic played their home games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. They played their first home game in front of more than 11,000 supporters. [6]
Sponsorship
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | Adidas | Trinity Health of New England[7] |
Players and staff
Roster
- As of December 9, 2019[8]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | MF | Mads Jørgensen |  Denmark
|
| 11 | FW | Alex Dixon |  United States
|
| 16 | GK | Mike Novotny | United States
|
| 21 | MF | Nicky Downs | United States
|
| 33 | MF | Harry Swartz | United States
|
| 44 | DF | Alex Davey |  Scotland
|
| 80 | MF | Danny Barrera | United States
|
| — | FW | Dre Deas | United States
|
| — | DF | Alex Lara | United States
|
| — | MF | Aiden Mesias |  England
|
| — | DF | Kevin Politz | United States
|
| — | DF | Sam Strong | United States
|
| — | DF | Gabriel Torres |  Brazil
|
Team management
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Owners | Joseph Calafiore Bruce Mandell Scott Schooley |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Radhi Jaïdi |
| Assistant coach | Chris Spendlove |
| Goalkeeper coach | George Kostelis |
| Technical advisor | Paul Buckle |
Last updated: January 17, 2019
Source: [1]
Club captains
| Years | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Philip Rasmussen | Denmark
|
Club culture
The supporters for Hartford Athletic are split between three 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 out of 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.
- Elm City Casuals - Independent supporters based out of the Greater New Haven area. They’re independent. They like pizza and riding trains.
Each group is separately managed but stand and chant together on the east end of Dillon Stadium for home matches.
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 a goal. [9]
Team records
Year-by-year
- As of October 30, 2019
| 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 |  Wojciech Wojcik
|
7 | ||
Head coach record
- 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 | style="text-align:center" |36 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 25.00 |
| Radhi Jaïdi |  Tunisia
|
November 8, 2019 | Present | style="text-align:center" |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Average attendance
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,025 | –– |
See also
References
- ^ "Hartford Joins USL For 2019 Season at Dillon Stadium". Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ "Pro Soccer Team Announced For Hartford, Set To Begin Play In 2019". Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ "What's next for Dillon Stadium and Hartford Athletic? A turf field, players and more". Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "RECAP: Hartford Athletic Falls in First Dillon Stadium Match Under the Lights".
- ^ "Hartford Athletic Hosts First Home Game". Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ https://www.hartfordathletic.com/news_article/show/999232
- ^ "Hartford Athletic roster". HartfordAthletic.com. Hartford Athletic. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Athletic-Supporters-Make-Their-Mark-During-Inaugural-Season_Hartford-559873612.html
External links
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