Hartford Athletic made a flurry of roster moves over the last two weeks, signing three contract extensions, adding two Academy Contracts, and bringing in a player on loan. Ahead of their trip to Loudoun this weekend, here's the breakdown on each of those moves.
Michael Adedokun
The attacking midfielder joins on loan from Lexington SC, for whom he had five goal contributions spread across 41 appearances in all competitions over the last two seasons. With Hartford’s attack decimated by injuries, Barry Coffey is currently the only attacking player cleared for 90 minutes, Adedokun gives the Latics a much needed Championship-level body in the front four.
It’s a low-risk move – The Blazing Musket understands that Lexington will continue to pay the bulk of Adedokun’s salary – with a potentially high reward, as the midfielder has a pedigree that suggests he has more to give than Lexington were able to unlock.
Burke and the rest of the technical staff will be aiming to unlock just that potential from a player who was a dynamic playmaker in his college career. Adedokun was the MAC Hermann Trophy winner for best men’s college soccer player in 2024 with Ohio State, when he was also Big 10 Midfielder of the Year and a first-team All-American. During that season, he had eight goals and seven assists in 15 appearances for the Buckeyes, as they reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
The midfielder made a good initial impression on Brendan Burke, who believes that Adedokun can be an important contributor as Hartford tries to balance their progression in the USL Cup with a push to reach the playoffs for the second straight year.
“He came in confident. I thought he made great contributions in Phoenix. He was playing forward every time he got on the ball. His passing was sharp. His movement was quick. I think he's going to be an important part of us making another Cup run and and driving into the playoffs because he adds an attacking element that we were missing deep on the bench.”
If and when Hartford have everyone healthy, Adedokun might find himself competing for minutes, but for now, he will almost certainly be straight into the first eleven. Last weekend in Phoenix, he was into the gameday roster and on the pitch as a substitute despite only joining the team on Friday, and with a week of preparation, he is practically guaranteed to start against Loudoun.
In the short term, Adedokun will absolutely be getting opportunities to really stake a claim to meaningful minutes in the business end of the season. What that means for the long term is up to the player, but Hartford will certainly be hoping that he can contribute a few desperately needed goals in the coming weeks.
Oscar Pearman & Cesar Miranda
Hartford also inked two players to Academy Contracts, signing Pearman and Miranda, both of whom had been trialling with the team for some time. USL Academy Contracts allow players to maintain their college activity while fully participating in team activities, including playing in competitive fixtures.
While the two are unlikely to be asked to play many minutes, Hartford’s injury struggles and need to manage fixtures in multiple competitions will see them get some opportunities. But just as important to Burke is what young, high-quality players can bring in training, with the manager emphasizing both the on-field and off-field benefit:
“We want them to feel part of the organization. We want them to be able to put on the jersey and potentially fill a hole for us for 20 minutes here or there. Both kids are extremely bright. They've done really well with their time. They add to our training environment. They allow us to train harder on certain days. With so many guys unavailable, it's really important to have good, young, energetic, bright kids who can handle the environment.”
In the long term, Hartford will generate those players from within their own academy, with Burke saying that “eventually, the best player in Hartford at age 15 right now should be in training with us,” but that right now, is simply not the case. So players like Pearman and Miranda – both of whom came from other academy backgrounds – fill those roles in the short term, while the club aims to build out a more stable and productive academy infrastructure into the future.
Sebastian Anderson, Emmanuel Samadia & Beverly Makangila
Finally, Hartford inked three existing players to contract extensions. Anderson, Makangila and Samadia all inked extensions that will keep them under contract through the conclusion of the 2028 season, as they join players like Samuel Careaga who are already under longer-term deals.
Makangila is the longest-tenured Latic at the moment, having joined the club prior to the 2023 season. He’s now the sole remaining player from the pre-Brendan Burke era, and has established himself as a regular starter. He’s also closing in on 100 appearances for the club, with 98 now under his belt. When he gets there --which could happen as soon as next Sunday in Indianapolis – he’ll become just the third player in club history to hit that mark, following Conor McGlynn (106) and Danny Barrera (156). Makangila will almost certainly pass McGlynn before the end of this season, and a two-year extension could see him challenging Barrera’s club appearances record some time during the 2028 season.
Anderson and Samadia were two of Hartford’s most vital cogs in 2025, but paperwork problems and injuries have limited their time on the pitch together in 2026. Both do now appear to be returning to health, and getting them back on the pitch together – along with Makangila – is part of Burke’s strategy to build the roster for long-term success:
“To have those guys committing long term, we will go through spells when those guys are all available, when they're all together, when they’ve played together for years. And then you can start to feel like a Louisville where there's real culture and feel for each other and support, genuine support for each other because you've known the other guys for years.”
That longer-term goal – to build a squad that has most of its starting eleven return year over year, that has multiple players who’ve put in 100 or more appearances for the club, to emulate the model of Louisville – is what Burke is hoping to achieve now that his own future in Hartford is secure. And it starts with players like Emmanuel Samadia, who are happy to be playing in Hartford, and excited about the possibility of staying a little longer. Speaking to The Blazing Musket after signing his extension, Samadia emphasized the importance of his relationship with the technical staff in making the decision.
“The relationship with the coaches, Brendan and Wheels [assistant coach Aaron Wheeler], you know, they have been not only on the pitch, but also outside the field. I think they're really, really good guys and my family, everyone is happy, for me to stay in Hartford. And then the fans, you know, we have good relationship. So I'm really when I get the opportunity, when I get a call from coach, and I spoke with my family and they they love me and they want me to stay in Hartford.”
Samadia’s name has been linked to MLS clubs in each of the last two offseasons, and there’s certainly a good chance that he does not see out this contract in Hartford. That’s a chance he’d absolutely relish, but for now he’s focused on what’s happening in Hartford.
“For every soccer player, you want to go another level,” said Samadia, “I'm just focused on the things I can control, which is playing good, you know, try to be fit and do the things on the field and the rest will come.”
The Latics may certainly make further roster moves in the coming weeks, and the Blazing Musket will continue to cover those as and when they occur. Hartford Athletic are back in action on Saturday night, as they travel to Virginia to take on Loudoun United in USL Championship action.
