Hartford Athletic Head from Tulsa to Tampa, Still in Playoff Hunt
The Latics still control their own destiny as they head to Florida for their second road game in eight days
Hartford Athletic head to Bradenton, Florida for a rescheduled matchup against Tampa Bay Rowdies that has important playoff implications for both teams. The Latics realistically need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, while a sliding Rowdies team needs a point to guarantee postseason football for a fifth consecutive season.
Hartford currently sits ninth in the table, two points back of North Carolina FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but they have a game in hand on both clubs, giving them a slight edge. Tampa Bay are currently sixth but could finish anywhere from fourth to out of the playoffs entirely, depending on the outcomes of the remaining games.
Last time out, Hartford came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over FC Tulsa. It was the fourth time this season that the Latics have claimed all three points after going behind, another show of the resilience that has been a contributing factor in their playoff push. On Saturday, it was Kyle Edwards — who was at one point rumored to be on his way to Monterey Bay — who scored the game-winner, with Danny Barrera providing his fourth assist of the season (and 34th of his Hartford career).
With two games to go, Hartford has it all to play for, a situation that would have seemed improbable a couple of months ago. Following a 3-0 loss to RIFC, the Latics sat on 22 points, well out of the playoff places and seemingly with a mountain to climb to be playing meaningful football in October. Now, they’ve scored 21 points in 10 games to haul themselves into contention, and to the extent that momentum is meaningful in this game, they have it all on their side heading into Wednesday night’s contest.
The reason that they have the momentum is that Tampa Bay has been on a slide, losing four in a row and eight of their last ten. They’ve secured only eight points in twelve games since the beginning of August, and in terms of results, they’re in the same neighborhood as also-rans like Miami, Monterey Bay, and Tulsa.
Their struggles are in large part the result of a misfiring attack. While the goals haven’t completely dried up — the Rowdies are averaging around a goal a game over this run of poor form, in the middle third of the league — they’re underperforming the opportunities they’ve created. Over that same stretch, their xG is the best in the league, and only Louisville is taking more shots per game but it hasn’t added up to a lot of balls in the back of the net. Combined with a scoring defense that has been one of the worst in the league — only Miami has conceded more goals in this stretch — it’s added up to real trouble for a team that at one point looked like a real contender in the Eastern Conference.
Hartford is in the middle of a difficult stretch, with Wednesday night’s game the second of three in eight days that the Latics must play to close out the season: all on the road. Much like on Saturday in Tulsa, a loss would not completely sink their playoff aspirations but banking another three points would put them in the strongest position possible headed into the last day of games.