Defenders

LAST SEASON

Baboucarr Njie came to Hartford Athletic halfway through the 2025 season and wasted no time making his mark. The 30-year-old became a reliable presence in the wingback position for the rest of the season, making 20 appearances with 12 starts and logging 1,052 minutes. Defensively, Njie added 27 clearances, three blocks and nine interceptions. He also won 17 of 34 tackles, 93 of 174 duels and 13 of 28 aerial duels, proving he was willing to fight for every ball. On the offensive side, he provided 12 key passes and 30 crosses (enough for fourth on the team). Although none of his offensive efforts led to assists, Njie did contribute eight shots, four shots on target and one goal over the remainder of the season. 

In the Jägermeister Cup, Njie made appearances in all three remaining games after signing with Hartford, even earning a start and 80 minutes of action in the club’s semifinal match against Greenville Triumph. In addition to completing 79% of his passes, Njie also provided nine final third entries and five crosses to help create chances on offense.

USL EXPERIENCE

Njie’s professional debut saw him sign with Atlanta United 2 in 2020. He made 11 appearances with the club and racked up 623 minutes. At the beginning of the 2021 season, the 6’1” outside back signed with the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, where he remained for one year and made 26 appearances, added one goal and one assist, and logged 1,181 minutes. The next year, Njie moved to nearby Arizona to compete for the Phoenix Rising. There, he made 30 appearances, scored one goal, added two assists and logged 1,979 minutes during the 2022 season. Njie stayed with Phoenix Rising for half of the 2023 season, before signing with Oakland Roots during the midseason transfer window. He made seven appearances during the rest of the 2023, but 2024 saw Njie really find his stride. The Serrekunda, The Gambia native made 30 appearances, netted two goals, contributed four assists and tallied 1,983 minutes with the California side. He began the 2025 season with Oakland Roots before joining the Boys in Green at the end of July.

OUTSIDE THE USL

At the collegiate level, Njie played three seasons with North Carolina Wesleyan College (2016, 2017, 2019). He spent 2018 with the North Carolina FC U23 development squad, before returning to Wesleyan for his junior season. Across three years with the Battling Bishops, he made 57 appearances, tallied 34 goals and provided 19 assists. In 2019, Njie was named USA South Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference and was selected as a DIII First Team All-American after scoring 15 goals and adding seven assists to lead Wesleyan to the East Division Title with a 12-1 conference record. 

Njie has also represented his native The Gambia at the international level, earning three caps since his debut in 2024 in an Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier against Comoros. 

HONORS & AWARDS

• TOTW, Week 15 (2024)
• All-Conference First Team (2019)
• Player of the Year for the USA South Athletic Conference (2019)
• USA South Rookie of the Year honors (2016)

LAST SEASON

The 2025 season saw Jordan Scarlett lead the team to its most successful year yet. Hartford Athletic’s captain made 25 appearances, with 24 starts, and logged 2,165 minutes in the regular season, while playing and starting all but one game of the USL Jägermeister Cup – which Athletic went on to win. Over the course of the regular season, Scarlett won 12 of 23 tackles, 99 of 173 duels and 47 of 77 aerial duels. The Bronx, NY native also ranked in the top five on the team for clearances (119), blocks (19) and interceptions (18). In addition to making crucial defensive plays, Scarlett added two goals and one assist throughout the regular season, along with providing the winning goal in Hartford’s Jägermeister Cup semifinal match. Scarlett will be wearing the captain’s armband again in 2026 and will be remaining with the club through 2027, as he has extended his contract for one additional year.

USL EXPERIENCE

Returning to Hartford for his 10th season in the USL, Scarlett has repeatedly made his mark as a great defender. He has over 15,000 minutes played in the league with almost 200 appearances. Additionally, Scarlett has attended seven League or Cup finals, including five Eastern Conference Finals and one USL Championship Final. He was set for one more USL Championship Final but the game was cancelled due to COVID-19. Scarlett’s first season in the USL was in 2017 with New York Red Bulls II. He played there for three seasons, where he ranked near the top of the team in most defensive stats. Scarlett’s best year with NeTaw York was his 2019 campaign, when he appeared in 27 matches and started in 26. He led the club in clearances, blocks, and interceptions, outpacing his second-place teammates by 19 in blocks and 30 in interceptions. This performance landed Scarlett a contract with Tampa Bay Rowdies, spending three more seasons in the southeast. Once again dominating, he led the club in interceptions and tackles in 2020 and continued to shine through the 2022 season. After his successful run in Tampa, he signed with Louisville City FC in 2023 before joining Hartford Athletic in 2024 for a standout first season as captain and defensive anchor.

OUTSIDE THE USL

Scarlett began playing soccer for Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx his sophomore year, playing through his senior year. During his short high school career, he scored 19 goals in 34 appearances. Scarlett then went on to play for Iona College, spending three seasons there. In that time, he earned two All-MAAC Academic Team selections and one All-MAAC Second Team honor. During college, he competed with Reading United AC of the USL Premier Development League and Lehigh Valley United of USL2. He would forgo his senior season, being taken 61st overall by the New York Red Bulls in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Nominated for Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice Defender of the Year (2025)
• USL TOTW, Week 25 (2025)
• USL TOTW 2x (2022)
• USL All-League Second Team (2020)

NAME PRONUNCIATION

LAST SEASON

Joining Hartford Athletic for his rookie season, TJ Presthus instantly made waves in the USL Championship. The New Albany, OH native made 26 appearances, with 24 starts, and finished the season ranked third on the team for minutes with 2,196. Stepping into his role as an outside defender in a three-man back, Presthus finished in the top four on the team for clearances (143), blocks (11), interceptions (23) and aerial duels won (61/110). The 22-year-old also won 14 of 25 tackles and 107 of 190 duels, while adding one goal to his stat sheet. Over Hartford’s title run in the Jägermeister Cup, Presthus contributed six blocks, 25 clearances and five interceptions, in addition to a crucial opening goal against regional rival Rhode Island FC in the group stage. His standout defensive performances earned Presthus the club’s Newcomer of the Year Award.

USL EXPERIENCE

The 2025 season marked Presthus’ professional debut.

OUTSIDE THE USL

Presthus served as team captain for the Yale Bulldogs in 2024, earning First Team All-Ivy League honors and being recognized on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team. Presthus started all 16 games that season, contributing four goals and successfully converting both of his penalty kick attempts. His defensive prowess was highlighted when he was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on September 30, 2024.

Throughout his time at Yale, Presthus was a consistent and reliable figure, being the only player to start all 70 games over his four-year career. His contributions were instrumental in the Bulldogs’ victory in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament and their advancement in the NCAA Tournament, both in 2023. Off the field, as an economics major with a 3.58 GPA, he was named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American in 2024.

Before his collegiate success, Presthus honed his skills with the Columbus Crew SC Academy. Notably, he captained the U15 team to a first-place finish in the Mid-America U.S. Soccer Development Academy division in 2017. He was the only Crew player to play every minute of every game during the U17 Generation Adidas Cup, leading the team to the semifinals in 2019. His performance the following year, primarily playing up with the U19 squad, earned him the Crew SC Academy Player of the Year award in 2020.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice Newcomer of the Year (2025)
• Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice Goal of the Year (2025)
• USL TOTW, Week 19 (2025)
• All-Ivy League First Team (2024)
• United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team (2024)
• United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American (2024)
• Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week (2024)
• Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year (2023)
• All-Ivy League First Team (2023)
• United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team (2023)
• Ivy League All-Tournament Team (2023)
• All-Ivy League Second Team (2022)
• United Soccer Coach All-Region Third Team (2022)

NAME PRONUNCIATION

LAST SEASON

Arturo Diz Pe put up a strong performance throughout the 2025 season, making 23 appearances with 19 starts and logging 1,585 minutes. Standing at 6’3”, the Havana, Cuba native helped to anchor Hartford’s backline, ranking in the top three on the team for clearances (146), blocks (15), tackles won (26), duels won (126) and aerial duels won (68). Diz Pe also added two goals throughout the season. On the Green & Blue’s road to glory in the Jägermeister Cup, the centerback provided 31 clearances and 6 interceptions, while winning 11 tackles or 68.8% of the battles he contested for and 18 out of 27 aerial duels (66.7%). Diz Pe also added a crucial tying goal against regional rival Rhode Island FC in the last game of the group stage.

USL EXPERIENCE

Diz Pe suits up for his second year with Hartford after two excellent years anchoring Indy Eleven’s back line. Across 58 appearances, the towering 6’3” defender led the team in aerial duels won (181), tackles won (95), and interceptions (83) in both seasons, and scored four goals. With 160 league appearances and over 10,000 minutes played to his name, Diz Pe is regarded as one of the most reliable center backs in the Championship.

The 31-year-old made his league debut with Portland Timbers 2 in 2018, spending two seasons with the MLS affiliate before stints with Colorado Springs, Rio Grande Valley, and Tulsa. He had the best season of his career with the Oklahoma-based side in 2022, finishing in the league’s top 10 in possessions won in the defensive third (144), clearances (129), aerial duels won (83), and tackles (71).

OUTSIDE THE USL

A native of Havana, Cuba, Diz Pe began his professional career with hometown club Ciudad de la Habana in 2012. He quickly moved up the ranks and into the Cuban Men’s National Team early in his career before defecting to the United States, earning 13 senior caps for Los Leones del Caribe between 2012 and 2015. He appeared in the squad’s title run in the 2012 Caribbean Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying cycle, and the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Nominated for Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice Defender of the Year (2025)
• USL TOTW, Week 32 (2025)
• USL TOTW 2x (2024)
• USL All-League Second Team (2023)
• USL TOTW 4x (2023)

NAME PRONUNCIATION

LAST SEASON

Sebastian Anderson was the most reliable member of the Green & Blue lineup, making 29 appearances, with 28 starts, over the USL Championship’s 30-game season. Over a team-leading 2,541 minutes, the 5’8” defender added 78 clearances, six blocks, and 26 interceptions, while also winning 46/67 tackles (the most on the team), 133 of 246 duels and 15 of 33 aerial duels. On the other side of the ball, Anderson finished the season tied for first on the team in assists (5), dominating the key passes category (46), and sitting in second on the squad for crosses (43). Lastly, he fired off eight shots with two shots on target, and netted two goals for his side. Anderson’s stellar performances earned him two Player of the Week nominations in 2025.  

The 23-year-old also played every single minute of Hartford Athletic’s championship run in the USL Jägermeister Cup. Across these seven games and 630 minutes, the 23-year-old wingback won six tackles while also providing two blocks, 15 clearances and five interceptions. Working hard on both sides of the ball, Anderson contributed one goal and three assists throughout the tournament, including making the pass that set up Samuel Careaga for the one and only goal of the final match and securing the trophy for Hartford.

USL EXPERIENCE

The Sacramento, CA native had previously spent the entirety of his professional career in Colorado, where he appeared in a grand total of 77 games for the Rapids (MLS), Rapids 2 (MLSNP), and Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USLC). He was loaned to the Switchbacks in each of the four years from 2019 to 2022 where he recorded seven assists across 40 appearances. His four loans of varying lengths included two stints under Coach Brendan Burke, when the club reached Conference Quarterfinals in 2021 and the Conference Finals in 2022.

OUTSIDE THE USL

Anderson is a tenacious, young right back, who brings MLS experience to the club. He was the youngest player to be signed by and debut for the Colorado Rapids in April 2019. He found the back of the net for his first MLS goal against NYCFC in July of that season. Since his debut, Anderson has appeared in 22 MLS matches for the Rapids, accumulating 1,131 minutes. Anderson spent time with Colorado Rapids 2 in both 2022 and 2023, highlighted by an impressive 2023 campaign in which the team went 13-1-0 in his 14 appearances and reached the Western Conference Semifinals.

Internationally, Anderson has donned the red, white, and blue for the United States’ U-17 and U-15 programs, including a spot on the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup squad. Earlier that year, he earned his U-17 cap at the 4 Nations Tournament in the Netherlands, en route to a 2-1 victory over Mexico. Anderson appeared in a number of tournaments for the Stars and Stripes as part of the U-15 team, including the 2017 Nike International Friendlies, the prestigious 2017 Torneo delle Nazioni tournament, and the 2017 Concacaf U-15 Boys’ Championship, where the US secured second place.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Nominated for Hartford Athletic Fans’ Choice MVP (2025)
• USL TOTW, Week 32 (2025)
• USL TOTW, Week 28, (2025)
• USL TOTW 2x (2021)

NAME PRONUNCIATION