Exclusive: Danny Barrera Discusses Journey From Captain to Hartford Athletic W League Head Coach
The former player made over 150 appearances for the Latics, and has taken Hartford Athletic II to the UPSL Playoffs
Hartford Athletic announced that former player Danny Barrera would be the first head coach of their new W League team when they take the field in 2026. Barrera, who has most recently been serving as Director of Player Experience and Development and the coach of Hartford Athletic II in the UPSL, also made a club-record 156 appearances for the Latics between 2019 and 2024.
Speaking to The Blazing Musket on Saturday night, Barrera highlighted that making the jump to coaching has long been on his mind.
“[I]t’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a big part of my career,” he told TBM. “I mean, being a captain here, in Sacramento, I think it’s always been kind of instilled in me to lead other people, and the way I see it, I think it’s a natural transition for me to continue to teach it. To teach it to a group of ladies that really want to take the game to the next level makes it so much fun for me. So yeah, for me it’s it’s just a natural transition and it is something I’ve been thinking about for years. So I’m just excited to start now.”
It’s a transition that has been on the minds of fans and observers as well, all throughout his Hartford playing career. He joined Hartford midway through its inaugural 2019 season, was named team captain in 2020, and was the only constant over the next five seasons, becoming the club’s all-time leader for appearances, minutes played and assists — records he still holds — and goals, a record since surpassed by Mamadou Dieng and Kyle Edwards. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, the club announced that he would not return as a player following the expiry of his contract, but would instead take up a coaching role with the team’s academy.
Part of that role has been to coach Hartford Athletic II, who compete in UPSL Premier. In that capacity, Barrera took over a team that had not experienced great on-field success.
“It’s been tough because we don’t necessarily have a reputation for a 2 team,” he said. “So building it from scratch was a little bit tough. I came in, and the year before they had lost most of their games, didn’t make playoffs. And then, with coach Elvis and myself and Ross, we work really well together. We found the right kind of players and we kind of really just organized the team and created an identity and I think that just kind of made the team better as far as results, development for the players, opportunities.”
And the team certainly has been better. Since taking charge of Hartford Athletic II, Barrera has improved their fortunes, including leading them to the UPSL playoffs in the ongoing Fall 2025 season.
The side then recorded their first playoff win in history just this past week, taking down Inter New Hampshire FC by a score of 1-0, and now wait to find out their opponent in the next round. GZS Bridgeport were taking on Beech Street FC on Saturday night, with HA II awaiting the winner, but the result of that game was not available at the time of publication.
Barrera will try to replicate that success next season with the W League team, although it’s unclear at this point who, exactly, they will play against. Danbury-based AC Connecticut — with whom Hartford Athletic previously had a partnership — are currently the only New England team in the league. They play in the W League’s Metropolitan Division, alongside teams from New York and New Jersey.
The W League’s preference is certainly for highly regionalized divisions, and there are some indications that a New England division of some description might be in the offing. During a panel discussion held by the club on Saturday night, team representatives indicated that there would be additional New England teams joining the W League in advance of the 2026 season, with the hopes that a regional division of six or seven teams might be possible. The identity of those other clubs was not immediately clear, but reigning USL League Two champions Vermont Green have announced that they will field a team in the W League if enough teams can be found to form a New England regional division.
Regardless of which teams Hartford plays against, the schedule will consist of 10 regular-season games, with the season kicking off in early May and continuing through the end of June. The playoff structure for next season may depend on the number of teams in the league, but in 2025, 16 teams advanced to the postseason, which was played over a fortnight in July. Utah United are the current champions, having defeated three-time finalists (and 2024 champions) North Carolina Courage U-23 in the final.
Even at this early stage, it seems that Hartford’s ambitions go beyond the amateur-level W League. Chief Operating Officer Michele Roux indicated during the panel discussion that the club is targeting the USL Super League in the next three to five years. According to Roux, USL Championship clubs have automatic Super League rights, and Hartford fully intends to take advantage of that in the coming years.
For now, though, the focus is on Barrera and the team he will be assembling ahead of the 2026 season. W League teams tend to have a focus on college players, and Hartford will be no exception, with Barrera already having begun local scouting targeting that group.
However, his vision also includes other groups.
“I would also like to have players that are out of college that really want to showcase themselves to get to the next level,” he said. “And also with a little mix of of high school players that could potentially be, you know, prime just in time for that Super League where they they come in, they set the roots, They know the way that that we work here, the expectations that we have and can potentially make their professional debut from starting here [with the W League team].”
That hope for an individual to make their mark, to showcase themselves, and get an opportunity at a higher level holds true for the new manager as well.
“I would love to go to the highest levels. You know, everyone has to start somewhere,” said Barrera, reflecting on his own career goals. “I’m also learning, learning the business, learning the game even more and then hopefully one day I can take it overseas somewhere, whether it’s men or women.”
At the moment, though, the new manager is focused on the present, with open tryouts for the W League team coming up in December, and the playoff game coming up for his HA II side even sooner than that. With Hartford Athletic in the midst of their greatest stretch of success in club history — the men’s first team claimed the USL Jägermeister Cup this season and are headed to the playoff’s for the first time since 2020 — expectations are high for what the club legend can bring to the women’s team.
The Blazing Musket will have continuing coverage of the Hartford Athletic W League team during the 2025-26 offseason.