USL play resumes on Saturday afternoon as Hartford Athletic head to northern Virginia to take on Loudoun United in an Eastern Conference clash. Loudoun is off to a hot start to the 2025 season with a record of 3-1-0 and sit 2nd on the Eastern Conference table. Hartford looks to pick up their first win of the season at Segra Field.
Hartford Athletic at Loudoun United
WHEN: Saturday, April 5th, 4:30 PM
WHERE: Segra Field, Leesburg, VA
WATCH: WCTX MyTV9, wtnh.com or ESPN+
A Common Opponent
Hartford Athletic and Loudoun United have played each other 16 times since entering the league in 2019. It’s the most common opponent in club history for Athletic and one of the most successful with an all-time record of 11-4-1. The northern Virginia side has flipped the script in recent meetings, taking the last three meetings in the series and the last three matchups at Segra Field.
Iron Men
Brendan Burke brought back a core of nine players from the 2024 squad and he has relied heavily on those players to start the 2025 campaign. Jordan Scarlett, Marlon Hairston, Michee Ngalina, and Mamadou Dieng have all played the full 270 USL Championship minutes through the season’s first three games, as has right back Sebastian Anderson who has extensive history with Burke. All five of these players played at least 90 minutes in the Open Cup on Wednesday night and all but Hairston played the full 30 minutes of extra time.
Player of the Month
Jonathan Jimenez was voted by Hartford Athletic fans as the Lux Bond and Green Player of the Month for March. Jimenez started all 3 USL Championship matches and logged an assist in the home opener against El Paso. Jimenez also started and recorded an assist in the 3-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over the New York Shockers.
About the Opponent
Portland Hearts of Pine are a brand new expansion franchise from Portland, ME. They’ll be playing their home games at Fitzpatrick Stadium, 6,300 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium in Portland, but this match is being played a bit further north at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, ME. Hearts first ever official competition was their first round matchup in the Open Cup, a 4-0 victory over CD Faialense. Hearts kicked off their USL League One slate this past Saturday against top of the table FC Naples and played to a 0-0 draw.
Players to Watch
Hartford – Michee Ngalina, FW, #11
While the attack has been slow to get started at the beginning of the season, there’s no player better suited to jumpstart it than Ngalina. The former USL Championship Young Player of the Year has the ability to completely take over a game or flip it on its head at a moment’s notice and that’s what Hartford needs at a moment like this. Using his speed on the wings to put pressure on the Loudoun defense and open up opportunities for others will be a key component of Hartford’s ability to take home some points on the road.
Loudoun – Pedro Santos, MF, #17
Rare is it that a player who was very recently signed to a 25-day contract is the player to watch, but Pedro Santos has an astounding resume and brings great experience to this Loudoun squad. The 36-year-old veteran has experience playing in leagues such as the Primeira League with S.C. Braga and for MLS clubs Columbus Crew and, most recently, D.C. United. Throughout his professional career, the Portuguese native has made over 400 club appearances, recording 80 goals, as well as two appearances for the U19 Portuguese National Team.
