Hartford Athletic booked their place in the final of the USL Cup for the second year running with a 2-1 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Tuesday night, with first-half goals from Barry Coffey and Arturo Diz Pe enough to withstand a second-half fightback. The Latics will take on Louisville City, who downed San Antonio FC in penalties in the other semifinal.
It was a dream start for Hartford as it scored from almost the first foray forward. A misplay in the Switchbacks’ defence let in Augi Williams, and while his cross was a little too high for Sebastian Anderson at the back post, the Hartford defender was able to recover the ball and play it back for Junior Moreira. The midfielder dragged the ball across the face of goal, and Barry Coffey was lurking to turn it past Christian Herrera in the Colorado Springs net. It’s Coffey’s 9th goal of the season in all competitions, drawing him level with Ariel Martinez for the sixth-best single-season return in club history.
The game settled somewhat from there, and by the half-hour mark there was little more to write home about, although Brendan Burke will have been the happier of the two managers. There may also have been some questions for Switchbacks’ manager Alan McCann, who decided to leave Khori Bennett, Jonas Fjeldberg and Adrien Perez, who have combined for 32 goals and six assists in all competitions, on the bench.
And while Colorado Springs struggled to find meaningful looks at Antony Siaha’s goal, Hartford struck again, this time from a set piece. Sebastian Anderson whipped in an excellent ball, and Arturo Diz Pe easily beat Haiti international Duke Lacroix at the near post to double Hartford’s lead in the 37th minute. It was Anderson’s sixth assist of the season, and the 15th of his Hartford career; only Danny Barrera has more in club history.
There were no further goals in the first half, and Hartford reached the half-time whistle two goals to the good. With so much firepower on his bench and his team facing elimination, it seemed all but certain that McCann would make a change at the half, but the teams returned to the pitch exactly as they left it, with the Switchbacks’ manager ultimately not making a change until after the hour mark.
And Hartford probably should have made him pay for that decision, with Michee Ngalina and Barry Coffey both denied from excellent positions in moments that could have put the game beyond all doubt. As Colorado Springs tried to press up the pitch to find a goal to let them back into the game, it seemed as if Burke should also have made a change, as there were moments where the pace of Sadat Anaku might have completely changed the complexion of the game but as the game ticked past the 80th minute, Hartford’s two-goal lead still held up.
With these two teams on the pitch, however, there was sure to be a late goal, and it was Switchbacks who found it. Second-half substitute Jonas Fjeldberg – who had not been brought on until the 77th minute – was played into space after a loose ball in midfield fell to Frank Daroma, who found Fjeldberg in acres of space, and the Switchbacks’ number seven made no mistake from close range to reduce the deficit to one.
The visitors continued to press forward, with their best chance to equalize coming in the 88th minute when Fjeldberg found a virtually unmarked Elvis Amoh with a cross, but his attempted scissors kick was far too high, and the chance went begging. Nine minutes of announced stoppage time turned into 12, but Hartford held firm throughout, and the final whistle blew on a victory that leaves it one game from another trophy.
