Hartford Athletic Add Matt Real From Colorado Springs
The defender was part of Switchbacks' title-winning team in 2024
Hartford Athletic announced that it had acquired defender Matt Real from Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The transfer is the first incoming player of the offseason; Hartford had previously announced the retirement of defender Joe Farrell. Real, who primarily plays at left back, has spent the previous two seasons in Colorado Springs, where he was part of their title-winning team in 2024.
The defender has a history with Hartford manager Brendan Burke, as the latter coached the former during their shared time with Philadelphia Union II — then known as Bethlehem Steel — in the USL Championship between 2016 and 2019.
In fact, Burke handed Real his professional debut in 2016, just shy of his 17th birthday. The defender went on to make a total of 57 appearances for them over the next three seasons.
Real was part of that club’s playoff appearances in both 2017 and 2018, including playing all 120 minutes of their first-round victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2018. In 2019, he appeared in both fixtures against Hartford Athletic, as the two clubs split a pair of 3-0 results, with each team taking home a win.
From 2018, he also began logging minutes for Philadelphia’s first team in MLS, ultimately making 50 appearances with the senior squad by the end of the 2023 season. While he was never quite able to make a full breakthrough at that level, he was a useful squad player in his time in MLS, and made five goal contributions in all competitions despite relatively limited minutes.
In 2024, he was sent on loan to Colorado Springs — joining former teammate James Chambers, who was at that time Switchbacks’ manager — where he made a total of 30 appearances, including playing all but four minutes of the Switchbacks’ playoff run. Across those four playoff games, the Switchbacks conceded just one goal.
Prior to the 2025 offseason, Colorado Springs made Real’s move a permanent one. It was not quite as successful a season for Real, who missed two stretches of games with injury, including the playoff loss to FC Tulsa. Nonetheless, when he was available, he was essentially a locked-in starter for a Switchbacks team that made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
With changes in the Colorado Springs front office, the club parted ways with both manager Chambers and technical director Stephen Hogan; some players from their 2025 roster were bound to be available, and Burke was clearly eager to swoop in and grab one that he knows well.
While Hartford have yet to make any formal announcements about their returning players, the addition of another left-sided defender suggests that the team is preparing for the departure of Emmanuel Samadia, potentially during this offseason but potentially as late as the summer transfer window. In 2025, Hartford missed forward Mamadou Dieng after his August move to MLS and was unable to truly replace his output. With the addition of Real and possibly the retention of Baboucarr Njie, the Latics will not be in a similar position if Samadia were to make a midseason move of his own.
The Blazing Musket will have continuing coverage of all of Hartford’s offseason moves as they are announced.