While Hartford Athletic were far from the most dangerous USL Championship team in the attacking third during a four-win 2023 season, a large portion of their positives came from Kyle Edwards.

The 27-year-old striker will suit up for the Green and Blue for a second season in Hartford off the back of a career-best year in 2023. Starting in 10 games across 28 appearances in all competitions, Edwards notched seven goals last season — good for third on the team. He also had four assists.

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“It feels great to be back in Hartford for another season,” Edwards in a club release. “I’m determined to take another step forward in my career and to give these fans a season to be proud of.”

A player with senior international experience for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Edwards came to Hartford after a five-goal, two-assist season with Houston Dynamo 2 of MLS Next Pro, where he made 12 appearances in 2022.

His professional career started when he was drafted 86th overall by the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft in 2020, before spending 2 years with USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC, scoring six goals in 23 appearances with the club.

“We’re happy to bring a goalscorer like Kyle back into the fold this year,” Hartford Head Coach and General Manager Brendan Burke said in the release. “He adds another layer of depth to our attacking unit, and we expect him to compete for minutes with our talented group of strikers.”

Previously, the forward spent time playing for the Houston Dutch Lions of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2018, before moving to USL League Two’s Brazos Valley Cavalry, where he won the 2019 Golden Boot with 14 goals in 11 appearances.