Technical Staff

On December 12th, 2023, Brendan Burke was named the Head Coach and General Manager of Hartford Athletic. He led the 2024 squad to their most successful season in club history, earning a record number of points (44), tying the club record for wins (12), and setting the club record for most home wins (9). Born in Massachusetts, Burke spent two seasons as Head Coach of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, and added the role of General Manager for the 2022 campaign before being signed as Assistant Coach of MLS’ Houston Dynamo. In his time in Colorado Springs, Burke took over a two-win club in 2020 leading a resurgence that saw his club earn two trips to the USL Championship playoffs, a first ever trip to the Western Conference Finals, and a 30-23-13 overall record. Burke also earned USL Championship Coach of the Month honors in April of 2022 and was nominated as a finalist for the league’s Coach of the Year award in 2021. Burke is the sixth Head Coach in Club history, and brings the most proven success with a 146-99-72 record as a professional, prior to joining Hartford.

Aaron Wheeler, 36, returns to Hartford for his second season on the technical staff. He joined Hartford in 2024 for his first coaching job in the USL Championship after retiring from an extensive 11-year playing career at the professional level
in November of 2023. He made his debut in 2010 with FC Tampa Bay (NASL), and went on to make 25 appearances in MLS with Philadelphia Union across the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He originally retired in 2017, but made his return as a player for Brendan Burke and the Switchbacks in 2022 and was a part of their run to the Western Conference Finals that season. The striker scored two goals off the bench in their 3-0 win over RGV in the Quarterfinals. Wheeler is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and he is joined in Hartford by his wife Ashli and daughter.

On September 29, 2022, Dan Gaspar was announced as Hartford Athletic’s Goalkeeper Coach and Assistant Coach. Gaspar, a Glastonbury, Connecticut native, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the club. Over the last 30 years, he has coached eight different national teams, three collegiate teams, and six other professional clubs. He made a seven-year run as Assistant Coach of the Iranian National Team from 2011-2018. The two of them assisted former Real Madrid Head Coach Carlos Queiroz. Over Gaspar’s seven year stretch, he helped the team reach two FIFA World Cups, including a first place finish in their qualification group and third place finish in the group stage in 2018 behind Portugal and Spain. Before joining the Iranian National Team Staff, Gaspar was on the technical staff of the Portuguese National Team during their World Cup run to the round of 16 in 2010.