PRESENTED BY TRAVELERS
Date: Saturday, April 15th, 2023
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Location: Cal State University, East Bay
Streaming: ESPN Plus or WTNH.com
Local TV: MyTV9
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (0-3-2) at OAKLAND ROOTS SC (2-1-1)
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off a crushing 3-2 loss to Charleston last week, losing the game in its final seconds. Hartford got out to a 1-0 lead with Prince Saydee’s third goal of the season, but eventually fell down 2-1 early in the second half. Conor McGlynn responded for Hartford with his first goal of the season in the 60th minute, tying the game at 2-2. The Green and Blue were up a man from the 76th minute on, as a second yellow and subsequent red card was dealt to Charleston’s Dante Polvara. With the game still tied in the third and final minute of stoppage time, Charleston were granted a free kick from just inside the sideline in Hartford’s third. Arturo Rodríguez curled the ball into the traffic in the box from about 30 yards out, it took a bounce off the wet grass, and slipped by Richard Sánchez for the game winning goal. The ball went untouched into the net directly off of Rodríguez’s foot.
CEDEÑO SHINING
Jeciel Cedeño has been a bright spot for Hartford through these opening weeks. The 22 year old forward has been moved into an attacking midfield position to help fill the gaps in Hartford’s midfield, and has looked quite comfortable. He picked up his first assist in the Open Cup last Tuesday, and tallied a second helper last Saturday against Charleston. “Jeciel has proven that he needs to play a big role on this team for us to be successful,” said Coach Ramos this week. Cedeño has only made six total starts for Hartford across two seasons, but has already made three this year.
OUT OF AMOH
Striker Elvis Amoh has been ruled out of this Saturday’s match with a thigh injury. Amoh joins Andre Lewis and Kembo Kibato on the list of Hartford’s injured players, three significant pieces for Hartford. The striker has scored two goals in USL Championship play this year, recorded a hat trick in the Open Cup, and leads the team in shots with 12. He had played every minute of each game before last Saturday. \
TAKE THE BALL AWAY FROM OAKLAND
Oakland is known as a strong team in transition with dangerous attackers who can score consistently, which Hartford has been preparing for: “Oakland will likely be the best team we’ll have faced so far… They have very fast forwards, it’s easy for them to get goals… They play with three center backs who are good on the ball so I think for us it’s a matter of being able to take the ball away from them and not giving them the game the whole time,” said Coach Ramos. Oakland has a 17% conversion rate on the season so far which is number six in the USL Championship league.
Check the Pulse
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Oakland Roots hold a 2-1-1 record in the USL Championship, going undefeated in their last three games after dropping their opener to San Antonio. They are coming off of an impressive 3-0 win against Indy Eleven, with goals from Lindo Mfeka, Dariusz Formella, Edgardo Rito. Their first goal came in the 43rd minute of the match when Lindo Mfeka headed a ball just past a charging Yannik Oettl outside of the box, took another touch and scored to make it 1-0 Oakland. Their second goal came in the 71st minute after a miss clearance from the Indy back line, Mfeka took a shot from just outside the six yard box which took a deflection from Oetll, and Oakland’s Formella was in a perfect position at the top of the six to volley the deflected ball into the back of the net. Their final goal came off of a breakaway goal in the 78th minute from Rito.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hartford Athletic, Conor McGlynn, MF #28:
Conor McGlynn had a strong performance in his first start of the season for Hartford last week, competing for the full 90 minutes and contributing a goal. In the 60th minute, a ball in the box bounced off the foot of a Charleston defender and Niall Logue was positioned perfectly to head the ball to McGlynn’s feet. McGlynn was able to volley the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2. McGlynn, a midfielder known for his ability to strike a ball with precision and pace from distance will be a key offensive piece for Hartford as they continue on this road trip.
Oakland Roots SC, Lindo Mfeka, MF #10
Lindo Mfeka made a significant impact for side last week, playing 72 minutes, taking two shots, and scoring one of Oakland’s three goals in their big win against one of the top teams in the eastern conference. Mfeka is a South African native who has experience playing as the number 10 for Reno 1868 FC, the San Jose Earthquakes, the University of South Florida, and the U-17 South African National Team. After battling injuries during the 2021 and 2022 season, Mfeka seems to be on the come up contributing to Oakland’s success and due for his breakout game.
INJURY REPORT
Hartford Athletic
Out: Andre Lewis (Head), Kembo Kibato (Foot), Elvis Amoh (Thigh)
Oakland Roots
Out: None
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: For live updates, follow along on twitter using the hashtag #OAKvHFD
