After Pair of Home Draws, Hartford Athletic Head to Indianapolis Looking for More
Injuries and suspensions give Brendan Burke another selection headache as his side look to improve their fortunes on the road
Hartford Athletic returns to action on Wednesday as they head to the Circle City to take on Indy Eleven. The game comes after a ten-day layoff following the Latics’ well-earned point against Louisville City, which saw them fight back down a goal and a man to get a result at Trinity Health Stadium.
The layoff might benefit the side, as Brendan Burke has three players struggling with injuries. Michee Ngalina, Adrián Diz Pe and New England Revolution loanee Jack Panayotou are all questionable, and the extra rest might help at least one of them find his way back into the lineup this week.
In addition to the injuries, Burke’s selection problems are compounded by two more suspensions. Adewale Obalola and Emmanuel Samadia both picked up red cards in the draw against Louisville and are set to miss Wednesday’s game.
Selection problems aside, Burke’s side continues to struggle away from home. While they picked up five points over their last three home games in the Championship, as well as grabbing a win over Portland Hearts of Pine in the Jägermeister Cup, they have yet to record a point away from Trinity Health Stadium and have been outscored 10-3 in five road games in all competitions.
Burke highlighted this problem after the Louisville game, but solutions have been scarce so far. In 21 Championship games away from Trinity Health Stadium since the start of last season, the Latics have three wins and fourteen points.
On the opposite side of the pitch, Indy has had a strange season so far. In the Championship, the XI have only one win: a 3-1 victory on opening day over The Miami FC (a victory that looks considerably better now that it did two months ago).
Since then, they’ve drawn four and lost three in the league, scoring 10 goals, but conceding 15 along the way. They also have another victory over Miami in the U.S. Open Cup, a competition where they also played Philadelphia Union of MLS to a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes, only to fall in a penalty shootout. Additionally, they’ve started off the Jägermeister Cup in fine form, scoring five goals for no reply in wins over Forward Madison and One Knoxville, to take the maximum points from their first two games in that competition.
When Indy has been good, it’s been veterans who have led the way among them former Latic Elvis Amoh. After a down year in Detroit that was marred by injuries, the forward has been key in the early going, recording eight goals in 12 games in all competitions so far. He’s also been quite efficient in the league, with his four Championship goals coming in only 260 minutes.
Another key piece in the early going has been Aodhan Quinn. The midfielder is coming off his worst year in the league: 2024 was the first season he went through the entire regular season without contributing a goal or an assist for the first time since his rookie campaign with Orlando City in 2014. Like Amoh, he was limited by injuries last season, but he seems healthy as he’s on course to top 2400 minutes again in the league and he’s contributed two goals and three assists so far in a renaissance season for one of the league’s all-time greats.
With another tough stretch of home games looming in June — Hartford will get visits from Charleston, Loudoun, and North Carolina, currently three of the top five teams in the conference — this is a game that Burke’s men need to get something from despite their generally poor road form. Another point would seem to be in order but this is the sort of game — against another team currently outside the playoffs and struggling to find some form — that the Latics will need to get more from if they’re going to turn their season around.