Hartford Athletic Close Out First Half Of Season With Visit From Charleston Battery

The Latics are still searching for answers as they welcome the defending Eastern Conference champions

Friday promises another hot day in Hartford as the Latics take on Charleston Battery to conclude a disappointing first half of the season. A leaky defense and a punchless attack have seen Hartford fall five points out of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and with last season’s conference champions coming to town, the task at hand is not getting any easier.

The month of June had been a fairly stable one for the Latics as they conceded only four goals in five games; having entered the month with 24 goals against in 11 games. The improved defensive record, however, only led to four points as Hartford were only able to score three goals of their own and were shut out three times in the month. A lack of scoring continues to haunt this side, which is one of the least dangerous sides in the USL Championship in attack and no amount of defensive improvement will help if the goals continue to be scarce.

Last time out against Loudoun the defense seemed to take a step back, being easily broken down as the home side cruised to a 3-0 victory. Unlike the previous handful of fixtures, the Latics did not really spurn many golden chances and were never able to establish a foothold in the game. The result was the sixth time in 16 games - and the fifth time in eight road games - that Hartford have been shut out this season.

Brendan Burke continues to shuffle his lineup - and his roster - and more changes seem likely on Friday night. Danny Barrera seems set to take on a larger role as the club searches for some kind of spark and another reshuffling of the front three also appears likely given the power outage over the last few weeks.

Turning to the visitors, Charleston sits second in the Eastern Conference, only two points behind leaders Louisville City. While their attack gets a lot of plaudits - Nick Markanich leads all scorers with 15 so far on the season, and MD Myers sits joint fourth on 9 goals - their defense has also been stellar. Only Sacramento have conceded as few goals as Charleston and in the Eastern Conference, they’ve conceded five fewer than their nearest competition.

For a Hartford team that is struggling as much to score as this one, it’s another tough challenge. It’s not just the last few games that have been tough; only one team in the league has scored fewer goals than the Latics.

And while there’s something to the argument that the chances have been there and not been taken, they also remain a bottom-tier side by expected goals, among other measures. The second half of the season will need to bring not just better finishing but also more chance creation if Hartford is to make any kind of move to secure a playoff spot.