10-Man Hartford Athletic Concede Late Penalty, Fall Just Short Against Tampa Bay Rowdies

Hartford will feel they deserved more after a valiant defensive effort, but ultimately see their three-game unbeaten run at Trinity Health Stadium come to an end.

Photo Courtesy of Hartford Athletic

Controversial decisions, late drama and highlight-reel saves — Hartford Athletic’s Eastern Conference clash with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the opening fixture of this weekend’s USL Championship slate on Friday had it all.

Fresh off a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh RIverhounds SC that completed a run of seven points in their last three home matches, Hartford came into the match wielding momentum and confidence they had yet to achieve this season, and it was on full display in the opening 45 minutes.

The game got off to a fiery start with a challenge in the second minute that saw two yellow cards issued to Tampa — one to forward Charlie Dennis and one to Tampa head coach Robbie Neilson — in an officiating theme that would later be called into question by Hartford Head Coach Brendan Burke.

For Hartford, Beverly Makangila was the first to have his name taken by the referee in the ninth minute, which would prove significant when the midfielder was shown a second yellow in the 43rd minute for a late challenge, sending the hosts down to 10 men for the entirety of the second half. The sending off ultimately changed the complexion of what was an otherwise positive first-half performance for the Green and Blue.

Prior to the dismissal, the two teams split 13 shots through the opening 45 minutes, with Hartford orchestrating the most dangerous of the chances towards the end of the half after a relatively even opening 20 minutes. The first of three shots on frame for Hartford came in the 28th minute, when DeShane Beckford fired off a low effort from outside the box. Jordan Farr was equal the the effort between the sticks, however, palming the ball out for a corner.

Arguably the best chance of the half for Hartford came in the 30th minute, when Jay Chapman got on the end of a rare miscue from Farr, who was dispossessed well outside of his box. With the ball at his feet in front of the wide open net and the keeper seemingly out of the picture, Chapman couldn’t control the ball in time to get a shot off, instead laying it across the box to Marcus Epps. Epps’ shot from the top of the box was on frame, but Farr completed an excellent recovery with a fingertip save to push the chance over the bar as he dove back towards his goal.

Although the chance came within inches of finding the back of the net, Hartford were ultimately punished for a lack of execution when they went into the half scoreless and down to 10 men, forcing Burke to execute a much more defensive, counter-attacking game plan in the second half.

The Hartford defensive line had their work cut out for them out of the break, facing 19 Tampa shot (as compared to Hartford’s six) and withstanding nearly 70% possession in favor of the visitors, who took full advantage of the extra man. The onslaught forced goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro to produce six quality saves to keep the Rowdies out of the back of the net through 85 minutes in one of his best performances in a Hartford shirt.

Most notably, Ribeiro came up big in the 50th minute, stretching to make a diving fingertip save to redirect Cristian Ortiz’s powerful strike from the top of the box over the bar. Later in the half, the former Sporting CP man would save Hartford once again, getting his body in front of a low, close-range header to preserve what looked like would be a valuable clean sheet. The keeper would continue to provide an important presence for the Green and Blue as the match wore on, as Tampa continued to knock of the door of a resilient Hartford backline.

Although Hartford were forced onto the back foot for a large majority of the game after the red card, the second half did not come without quality chances of their own. One of the best chances for either team in the entire game came in the 64th minute, when Boudadi sent a ball from the right wing across the face of goal to Epps, who found himself wide open from inside the box with only the keeper to beat. Unfortunately for Hartford, Epps couldn’t find the right connection, dragging the right-footed effort wide of the post.

Things quickly took a turn for the worse for Hartford late in the game as Ribeiro’s impressive outing would be cut short with just seven minutes left to play, when he was forced off the pitch with what Burke later describe as a shoulder injury (extent unknown). The rare goalkeeper substitution paved the way for a professional debut from former Sienna College standout Greg Monroe, who took on the backup role after opening 2023 as a trialist with the club.

Unfortunately for Monroe, one of his first actions as a professional came on the wrong end of a Tamp Bay penalty kick when New England Revolution loanee Damián Rivera was tripped up inside the 18-yard box by Younes Boudadi. Stepping up to take the spot kick, Manuel Arteaga confidently sent Monroe guessing the wrong way as Tampa converted to steal all three points at the death.

Ultimately, what was a resilient effort resulted in Hartford heading home empty-handed for the first time in four matches at Trinity Health Stadium with an upcoming schedule that doesn’t get much easier. They’ll be back in action next weekend against Sacramento Republic FC on the road, before returning to the Eastern Conference with a trip to Loudoun United FC and finally returning home for a matchup with a well-oiled Charleston Battery squad on July 12. A late kickoff in Sacramento is set for 11 p.m. ET on Saturday as the club will look to get back on track against the second-place club in the Western Conference.