PRESENTED BY TRAVELERS
Date: Saturday, September 2nd, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Florida
Streaming: ESPN Plus or WTNH.com
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (4-18-4) vs TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (14-6-5)
Throughout the course of the week, 10 Hartford Athletic players tested positive for COVID and will be unable to participate in Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay. Hartford will be without:
Goalkeepers:
- Joe Rice
- Richard Sánchez
Defenders:
- Kaveh Rad
- Modesto Méndez
- Matt Sheldon
Midfielders:
- Beverly Makangila
- Juan Pablo Torres
- Conor McGlynn
- Kembo Kibato
Forwards:
- Prince Saydee
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off 2-0 loss to El Paso Locomotive FC last Saturday. El Paso took the lead in the 14th minute on a goal from Josué Gómez at the back post. Hartford opened up the second half with a scoring chance from close range. Matt Sheldon lobbed a ball into the box that fell to Danny Barrera, but his shot went off target. Neither team threatened to score over the next 20 minutes of play, until El Paso doubled their lead in the 69th minute on a free kick from Petar Petrovic. The loss marks the third in a row for Hartford, as they were unable to secure any points across the recent home stretch.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Hartford and Tampa Bay have matched up eight times, with the Rowdies holding the upper hand in the series (5-2-1). Hartford came away with a 1-1 tie at Al Lang Stadium last season, but dropped the second matchup at home 3-2. Leo Fernandes scored the game winner for Tampa Bay in the eighth minute of stoppage time, his second goal of the game.
EDWARDS RETURNS
Kyle Edwards is back on the match day roster after missing five games due to a hamstring injury. A significant return for Hartford, as Edwards leads the team with seven goals and is three for three from the PK spot. In addition, Athletic are coming off a month in which they scored just five goals and were shutout three times.
FAMILIAR FACE
Rowdies striker Ariel Martínez will face his former team for the first time on Saturday night. The 37 year old veteran was an exciting midseason signing for Hartford Athletic in 2022, as he provided quite the offensive spark that helped Hartford to a strong finish to the season. He led the team with nine goals and recorded an assist in just 22 games played. This year, he’s made 14 appearances for Tampa Bay and has scored a goal.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are one of the most complete teams in the Championship this year, ranking among the league’s best in offensive and defensive statistical categories. Their 43 goals are good for the third-most goals in the league, and their top strikers J.J. Williams and Cal Jennings both have 10 goals apiece, while midfielder Charlie Dennis sits at third in the league in chances created (53). On the other side of the ball, they’ve conceded just 23 goals (second-least in the league), and goalkeeper Connor Sparrow’s eight clean sheets put him at 5th overall in the Championship.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hartford Athletic: Antoine Hoppenot, FW #29
Antoine Hoppenot has been one of Hartford’s best attacking players as of late, recording two goals and an assist in the month of August. He has brought great energy on to the pitch, consistently making runs up the flanks and looping crosses into the box to create chances for forwards. The nine-year USL Championship veteran is also looking to make headway on the league’s all-time assists list, as he sits at number five with 46 career assists. He trails the Indy’s Aodhan by four helpers.
Tampa Bay: J.J. Williams, FW #9
Of Tampa Bay’s 43 goals, J.J. Williams has been involved in 15 of them. His 10 goals are good for seventh-most in the league, and he’s got five assists to go along with them. Standing at six-foot-four, 200 pounds, Williams is a hefty striker with a powerful left foot and great ability to score from distance, but is also graceful over the ball and sees the field very well while going forward.
INURY REPORT
Hartford Athletic
Out: Beverly Makangila (covid), conor mcglynn (covid), joe rice (covid), kaveh rad (covid), kembo Kibato (covid), matt sheldon (covid), prince saydee (covid), richard sanchez (covid), modesto mendez (covid), juan pablo torres (covid)
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Out: Zach Herivaux, Leo Fernandes, Sebastian Dalgaard, Jake Areman
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
For live updates, follow along on twitter using the hashtag #TBRvHFD
