Hartford Athletic put on a dazzling display of the side’s speed and athleticism and Mamadou Dieng recorded his third brace for Hartford in a 4-0 win over New Mexico United. Dieng’s second goal made him the club’s all-time leader in goals scored across all competitions (19).
From the get-go, the Boys in Green demonstrated their pace and ability to sneak up on defenders. Within the first two minutes, Dieng almost intercepted a New Mexico bass pack to their goalkeeper, foreshadowing some of what was to come in the rest of the match. It was clear that the team’s game plan was to get the ball in behind New Mexico’s backline and challenge Gk Alex Tambakis.
Hartford also surpassed the Albuquerque side in physicality and strength.
In the 17th minute, Marlon Hairston won the ball off a New Mexico defender and got it to Dieng. The crafty forward did a double step over and beat his defender to fire off a powerful right-footed shot that found the bottom left corner, putting Hartford up 1-0.
Before New Mexico even had time to react, Dieng successfully intercepted a back pass to the goalkeeper. With just Tambakis left to beat, he took a touch around the goalkeeper’s outstretched leg and walked the ball into the goal.
Just two minutes later, Dieng stood strong as his defender tried to push him off the ball. The ball was poked away but luckily it fell at the feet of Jonathan Jiménez. He played it across the top of the box to Michee Ngalina, who hit a one touch beautifully curving ball into the back of the net, giving Athletic a 3-0 lead.
Just before halftime, Dieng had the chance to secure himself a hattrick. Emmanuel Samadia played the ball in the air over the New Mexico backline for Hartford’s #9 to attack. All alone, Dieng attempted to loft it over the goalkeeper with a one-touch shot, but the ball glanced off the post and was collected by Tambakis.
In the second half, the pace of the game settled down substantially, although Hartford continued to look for Dieng in behind.
In the 70th minute, the Senegalese forward had another look at goal. Michee Ngalina intercepted a New Mexico pass and played a ball forward that split two defenders and coincided perfectly with Dieng’s run into the box. One on one with the GK once again, he tried to slot the ball into the back of the net but hit the post for the second time.
Not content with the current scoreline, Kyle Edwards came into the game in the 79th minute and made an impact three minutes later. He picked off a pass around midfield and took off at speed. Again showing that Hartford’s pace and athleticism were too much for New Mexico, he drove down the middle, beat two defenders on the dribble and slotted the ball away, securing three points for the home side. Edwards’s goal is his sixth in USL Championship play, tying him with Dieng for the team lead in goals on the season.
Hartford is back at home on Wednesday, August 6th at 7:30 PM against The Miami FC. Tickets are available here.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | NEW MEXICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 14 | 22 |
| Shots On Target | 6 | 5 |
| Corners | 4 | 9 |
| Fouls | 4 | 8 |
| Offsides | 6 | 0 |
| Possession | 26.5% | 73.5% |
| Passing Accuracy | 71.4% | 87.5% |
| Saves | 5 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | NEW MEXICO |
|---|---|
| 17′ – Mamadou Dieng (Marlon Hairston) | |
| 24′ – Mamadou Dieng | |
| 26′ – Michee Ngalina (Jonathan Jiménez) | |
| 82′ – Kyle Edwards |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | NEW MEXICO |
|---|---|
| 87′ – Christopher Gloster (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | NEW MEXICO |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 1 (GK) Alex Tambakis |
| 19 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia | 3 (DF) Christopher Gloster |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus | 12 (DF) Talen Maples |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 19 (DF) Zico Bailey |
| 15 (DF) Joe Farrell (C) | 24 (DF) Jaylin Lindsey (William Seymore, 60′) |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 6 (MF) Gedion Zelalem (Marlon Vargas, 46′) |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston (Samuel Careaga, 68′) | 15 (MF) Ousman Jabang |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jiménez (Beverly Makangila, 63′) | 21 (MF) Valentin Noel (Tomas Pondeca, 67′) |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira | 9 (FW) Fernando (Dayonn Harris, 60′) |
| 9 (FW) Mamadou Dieng (Kyle Edwards, 79′) | 11 (FW) Mukwelle Akale |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 17 (FW) Greg Hurst (Thomas Amang, 46′) |
