Technical Staff

On December 12th, 2023, Brendan Burke was named the Head Coach and General Manager of Hartford Athletic. He led the 2024 squad to their most successful season in club history, earning a record number of points (44), tying the club record for wins (12), and setting the club record for most home wins (9). Burke outdid himself in the 2025 season, tying his own record of 44 points and surpassing the record for both total wins and road wins in a single season with 13 and seven respectively. With this regular season success, Athletic finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and clinched a spot in the playoffs for just the second time ever. Burke also led the Boys in Green to the Jägermeister Cup final where they prevailed against Sacramento Republic to bring home the club’s first trophy ever and the City of Hartford’s first piece of hardware in 25 years. Burke has spent time at the helm of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and the Houston Dynamo of the MLS. During his time in Colorado Springs, Burke turned a two-win club into a championship side, earning trips to the USL Championship playoffs and a first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals. The Hopedale, MA native has received several USL accolades during his time in the league. He earned USL Championship Coach of the Month honors in April of 2022 and August of 2025 and was nominated as a finalist for the league’s Coach of the Year award in 2021 and 2025. Burke is the sixth Head Coach in Club history, and brings the most proven success with a 146-99-72 record as a professional, prior to joining Hartford.

Aaron Wheeler, 37, returns to Hartford for his third season on the technical staff. He joined Hartford in 2024 for his first coaching job in the USL Championship after retiring from an extensive 11-year playing career at the professional level in November of 2023. During Hartford’s historic 2025 season, Wheeler was a huge part of the club’s success in USL Championship play and was instrumental in the team’s successful USL Jägermeister Cup championship run. His tactical knowledge and steady leadership helped the Boys in Green bring home the club’s first ever trophy. As a player, Wheeler made his debut in 2010 with FC Tampa Bay (NASL), and went on to make 25 appearances in MLS with Philadelphia Union across the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He originally retired in 2017, but made his return as a player for Brendan Burke and the Switchbacks in 2022 and was a part of their run to the Western Conference Finals that season. The striker scored two goals off the bench in their 3-0 win over RGV in the Quarterfinals. Wheeler is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and he is joined in Hartford by his wife Ashli and daughter.

On September 29, 2022, Dan Gaspar was announced as Hartford Athletic’s Goalkeeper Coach and Assistant Coach. Gaspar, a Glastonbury, Connecticut native, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the club. Over the last 30 years, he has coached eight different national teams, three collegiate teams, and six other professional clubs. He made a seven-year run as Assistant Coach of the Iranian National Team from 2011-2018. He and former Hartford Athletic coach Omid Namazi assisted former Real Madrid Head Coach Carlos Queiroz. Over Gaspar’s seven year stretch, he helped the team reach two FIFA World Cups, including a first place finish in their qualification group and third place finish in the group stage in 2018 behind Portugal and Spain. Before joining the Iranian National Team Staff, Gaspar was on the technical staff of the Portuguese National Team during their World Cup run to the round of 16 in 2010. The experienced coach has helped to lead Hartford to its two most successful seasons in club history (2024 and 2025). His knowledge of tactics and goalkeeping were crucial as the Boys in Green fought for a fifth place finish in the Eastern Conference, a second-ever post season appearance and a successful USL Jägermeister Cup Championship run, bringing home the first piece of hardware in club history.