Former Switchbacks Winger Re-Unites With Brendan Burke in Hartford
Former Switchbacks Winger Re-Unites With Brendan Burke in Hartford
Deshane Beckford joins the Hartford attack after five years and 95 appearances across three USL Championship clubs.
As the 2024 roster continues to grow for Hartford Athletic, former Colorado Springs Switchbacks winger Deshane Beckford has added his name to the list of players from Colorado’s 2021 squad who will re-unite with Brendan Burke in Hartford.
Beckford is coming off his second stint with the Western Conference side, quickly becoming an integral part of the Switchbacks’ rotation with 22 starts across 32 appearances in all competitions. He also notched a pair of goals and four assists, leading the team with 72 crosses. In total, the five-year USL Championship veteran has made 95 total league appearances across three clubs, scoring 11 goals.
Prior to the 2023 campaign, Beckford spent time on loan at a pair of USL Championship clubs from his hometown club Montego Bay United in his native Jamaica. His time in the league started in 2019 at the now-dissolved Rio Grande Valley FC Toros before making 28 appearances with Burke’s Colorado Springs switchbacks in 2021. It was here where his most prolific season in the championship came under Burke; he scored five goals and tallied seven assists in blue and black.
After a year-long stint with San Antonio FC saw him make only 14 appearances in 2022, the 24-year-old returned to Colorado Springs in 2023, and will now call Hartford the fourth stop on his USL Championship resumé.
“We are very excited to bring Deshane to Hartford,” Burke said in a team release on Tuesday. “He is an excellent winger with great pace on the ball, and is especially dangerous on the counter attack.”
The winger also has brief international experience, representing his native Jamaica in four appearances across the U17, U23 and senior squad. His senior debut came in a 3-0 loss to Peru on Jan. 20, 2022.
As the additions begin to roll in for Hartford, here is a look at how their current roster shakes out:
Goalkeepers: Renan Ribeiro
Defenders: Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Joe Farrell, Rece Buckmaster
Midfielders: Danny Barrera (returning), Beverly Makangila (returning), Jay Chapman, Emmanuel Samadia, Joe Schmidt, Anderson Asiedu
Forwards: Marcus Epps, Enoch Mushagalusa, Deshane Beckford