Top Moments of the 2022 Season
October 26, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Hartford Athletic News Release
After six months, 210 days, and 34 games played, the 2022 season has come to an end for Hartford Athletic. Through the typical highs and lows of any soccer season, the club’s fourth year brought some magnificent moments that brought joy to players and fans alike. Let’s take a look back at some of the best scenes from this year from start to finish.
April 20: McGlynn Gives Hartford Life in the Open Cup
The U.S. Open Cup was the stage for Hartford Athletic’s first official competition against an MLS club. Hartford welcomed New York Red Bulls to Trinity Health Stadium in the 3rd round of the tournament and found themselves trailing 2-0 after the first 45 minutes. Early in the second stanza, Conor McGlynn cut the New York Red Bulls lead in half with this stunner of a goal and energized the Green and Blue players and fans. Despite losing 2-1, it was an impressive second half performance against an MLS team, and the goal from McGlynn is an unforgettable moment.
May 13: A Connecticut Soccer Legend Joins the Fold
A crucial addition to the technical staff, Hartford Athletic announced that Connecticut soccer legend Ray Reid would be the club’s Technical Director. Reid now oversees all aspects of the first team including personnel decisions, selection of coaches and technical staff, player identification and scouting, as well as oversight of the Hartford Athletic Academy. Since beginning the role, Reid stepped in as the team’s interim head coach for nine games and was an integral part of bringing Tab Ramos to the helm of Hartford Athletic.
May 14: Hertzog Wins it in Stoppage Time
In a back and forth match in front of a sold out home crowd, Corey Hertzog provided a goal that sent Hartford supporters into a state of pandemonium. It was the third time Hartford took the lead in the game, and they would hold onto this one until the final whistle. The game-winner came off a corner kick, which went on to be a goal scoring strength for the home side through the rest of the year. Hartford scored 10 goals off of set pieces in 2022, six of which came on corner kicks.
June 28: Lewis Downs Colorado
Just three days after the resignation of former head coach Harry Watling, Hartford Athletic beat Colorado Switchbacks 2-0. This wonderfully headed goal from Andre Lewis sealed the deal against his former club. A great moment for the team, they handily defeated a top club in the western conference in the face of adversity and under the guidance of interim head coach Ray Reid.
August 22: Tab Ramos is Named Head Coach
After a nearly two-month long search, Hartford Athletic announced U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Tab Ramos as the club’s new Head Coach. The highly anticipated announcement was made in front of Hartford Athletic players, front office staff, fans, and local media.
Making an Immediate Impact…
The announcement of Tab Ramos set fire to Hartford Athletic. The side completed a five-game undefeated streak following the announcement, and found a renewed offensive presence once Ramos officially took the helm on September 1st. Hartford scored 14 goals across six games with Ramos on the sidelines, the most across any six-game stretch throughout the season. With the uptick in goals came greater efficiency from Athletic’s attack. Earlier in the season, the team ranked near the bottom of the USL by converting only 12% of shots into goals. After the season ended, however, Hartford catapulted up the rankings to finish eighth in the league with a 16% conversion rate.
August 24: Tulu Time on the Goal Line
Hartford had taken a 2-1 lead in the 83rd minute, thanks to a goal from Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. Eastern Conference foe FC Tulsa took six shots from that moment on, each of them denied, including this header on the goal line from Tulu proving to be the most dramatic of them all. At the final whistle, Hartford Athletic had successfully taken three points from an FC Tulsa team who desperately needed them, entering the match just eight points out of the 7th seed and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. A sweet victory for the Green and Blue on the road and a top moment on the season.
The Togolese defensemen ended the year second on the team in blocks with 27, and the Hartford defense totaled 131 blocked shots on the year.
August 31: Dally Completes Stoppage Time Come Back
In a match where things looked awfully bleak for Hartford from the opening kickoff, a quiet comeback effort with a loud finish created a memorable moment at Montclair State University for the final match between Hartford and New York Red Bulls II. Hartford conceded two goals in the opening three minutes of the match, and found themselves down 3-1 as they approached the 90th minute. With six minutes of stoppage time added, Athletic were handed a lifeline. Two minutes into added time, Juan Carlos Obregón directed a header into the turf and past keeper Derreck Chan, suddenly making a 3-3 tie a possibility. Just minutes later and with seconds to spare in stoppage time, Rashawn Dally fought off two defenders to win a deflected cross and rocketed the equalizing shot past Chan from a tight angle and into the net. Dally’s heroics secured the second match in a string of five unbeaten for Hartford; their longest unbeaten streak of the season.
September 10: Tab’s First Game – Hartford Shows Enhanced Form
After the club announced Tab Ramos as Head Coach on August 22, his first game on the sidelines wouldn’t come until 19 days later. On September 10th, the long awaited day finally arrived, and it was met with one of Hartford’s most impressive wins of the season. The new and improved Hartford Athletic scored three goals in the first half in front of a sold out crowd, and would go on to win 3-2. The Tab Ramos Era had gotten off to a dream start, and Athletic fans left Trinity Health Stadium with excitement for the future.
October 1: Goal Scoring Parade Capped Off With History
Andre Lewis recorded Hartford Athletic’s first ever hat trick in a dominant team performance against Charleston at home. The Jamaican midfielder had already found the back of the net twice when Younes Boudadi drew a penalty in Charleston’s box late in the second half. When it came to deciding who would take the penalty, Lewis stated after the game: “Ariel [Martínez] would have taken the PK, but I had two goals and he told me to take it. It was nice of him to give it to me and I thanked him.” Lewis confidently finished the penalty into the top right corner of the net, completing the hat trick. Just two minutes later, Lewis assisted the Cuban forward on his second goal of the night. The two combined for five goals, and Hartford came away with a 6-3 victory.
October 8: The Captain Reaches the Century Mark
Danny Barrera made his 100th appearance for the Green and Blue in their final home match of 2022, hosting Oakland Roots SC. Barrera’s name is etched all over the Hartford Athletic record books, as the Captain is the only player to have played with Hartford in each of the club’s four seasons, and is the club leader in nearly every statistical category including assists (30) and co-leader in goals (15). In his centennial match, Barrera continued to show his role as a distributor and attacker. He created three chances, registered a shot on goal, and led the team in total touches (88), accurate passes (64), and passes in the final third (34). On the season, Barrera finished second on the team with 6 assists and first in chances created with 63.
Individual Milestones and Achievements Reached in 2022:
INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES
50 Appearances with Hartford Athletic: Conor McGlynn (May 14th), Younes Boudadi (July 30th), Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. (September 17th), Tulu (October 1st)
150 USL Championship Appearances: Joel Johnson (May 14th)
50 career USL Championship Assists: Danny Barrera (October 1st)
Second Most Saves in Club History: Yannik Oettl (October 15th). Oettl made five saves against Louisville in the last game of the season to bring his season total to 74. The number ties Oettl for the second-most saves his club history with former Hartford keeper Frederick Due.
Iron Man: With a team-leading 2,796 minutes played across 33 games played, defender Younes Boudadi is this year’s Hartford Athletic Iron Man.
Golden Boot: With a team-leading nine goals on the season, forward Ariel Martínez takes home the Hartford Athletic Golden Boot.
Playmaker of the Year: With a team-leading eight assists, forward Prince Saydee is Hartford’s Playmaker of the Year.
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