A late-season surge has Hartford Athletic controlling its own playoff destiny as the USL season comes to a close, and the club can clinch a playoff spot with two wins in the final two games, beginning Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Florida (7:30 p.m., myTV9, ESPN+).
Hartford has either won or drawn in 12 of its last 14 games, and has lost just once since Aug. 10, vaulting the club from second-bottom in the USL standings to within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Wednesday’s game at Tampa is a makeup of a game that was rescheduled from late September due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. The game in hand means Hartford is in a win-and-in situation when it comes to the playoffs, but also means it must win three games in seven days to earn its spot.
“We’re flying all the way to L.A. from Tampa. I don’t know that a team has ever been asked in USL to travel 7,000 miles and play three games in a week,” head coach Brendan Burke said in a press conference Tuesday. “We’ve won the first one, now we want to go and win the other two.”
Athletic are in the playoff hunt after a miserable 2023 season in which it finished last in the league with 18 points. Burke, who was hired ahead of this season, is happy with his team’s progress in 2024.
“I think we’ve set a really solid foundation for the future, and that was the goal this year. Normally, 43 points gets you into the playoffs. If we were in the West, we’d already be planning our trip to our playoff game. … We know what’s in front of us and we control our own fate, and it’s late October. That’s a good place to be in as a franchise.”
The club is hosting a watch party for fans at Thomas Hooker Brewery right next to Trinity Health Stadium for Wednesday’s game. Athletic close out the regular season at Orange County SC on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Athletic announce new COO
Hartford also announced Tuesday that Michele Roux had been promoted from Executive Vice President of Business Operations to Chief Operating Officer. Roux will oversee strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations of the club. Roux is just the sixth woman to hold either a C-suite or executive position in the USL Championship, according to the club.
