Hartford Athletic

Full name	Hartford Athletic
Founded	July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)
Stadium	Trinity Health Stadium
Capacity	5,500
Owner	Hartford Sports Group
Head coach	Brendan Burke
League	USL Championship
2023	12th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: DNQ
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors

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]

Colors and badge

Hartford Athletic's official colors are green and blue, chosen because of their strong association with the sports teams of Hartford.^[9][10] The team's crest and colors were first unveiled in a video on December 6, 2018.^[11]

Sponsorship

Season	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
2019–2021	Adidas	Trinity Health of New England[12]
2022–	Hummel[13]

Players and staff

Hartford Athletic players before a 2021 match

Current roster

As of January 11, 2024^[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 6 MF  COD Beverly Makangila 10 MF  USA Danny Barrera — MF  GHA Anderson Asiedu — FW  JAM Deshane Beckford — DF  USA Rece Buckmaster — MF  CAN Jay Chapman — FW  USA Marcus Epps — DF  USA Joe Farrell

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  COD Enoch Mushagalusa — GK  BRA Renan Ribeiro — MF  SLE Emmanuel Samadia — DF  JAM Jordan Scarlett — MF  USA Joe Schmidt — GK  USA Brooks Thompson — DF  GUF Thomas Vancaeyezeele — FW  JAM Romario Williams

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. ^[15]

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	Wojciech Wojcik	7
2020	16	11	3	2	31	24	35	1st, Group F	Conference Quarterfinals	Not played	Alex Dixon	6
2021	32	12	15	5	50	50	41	5th, Atlantic	Did not qualify	Not played	Juan Carlos Obregón Jr.	10
2022	34	10	18	6	47	57	36	10th, Eastern	Did not qualify	Third round	Ariel Martínez	9
2023	34	4	24	6	40	79	18	12th, Eastern	Did not qualify	Third round	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	November 1, 2023	18	2	14	2	011.11
Brendan Burke	United States	December 12, 2023	present	0	0	0	0	!—

See also

• Hartford City FC
• AC Connecticut

References

External links

• Official website