Hartford Athletic Head to Maine for U.S. Open Cup Showdown With Portland Hearts of Pine
The two clubs face off for the first of two meetings in the month of April
Hartford Athletic return to U.S. Open Cup action on Wednesday night, heading north to take on USL League One newcomers Portland Hearts of Pine. The game is being played at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Maine, due to the unavailability of Hearts’ permanent home for the 2025 season, Fitzpatrick Stadium at Portland High School.
The Latics have struggled to get their USL Championship season on track, losing all three of their fixtures so far this season by a combined score of 5-1, culminating in a defeat to El Paso Locomotive on Saturday that saw them muster only two shots through the entire game. Brendan Burke was rightly critical of his team’s performance against El Paso, branding it “poor,” and emphasizing the need for the team to have some “tough conversations.”
On Tuesday, he was upbeat about the teams’ response.
“We had some very hard conversations on Monday, productive ones where guys took accountability,” he said. “I was really happy with it.”
On the specifics of what the team might do to improve, he highlighted movement.
“Particularly…we talked about mobility off the ball, where we're offering,” Burke said. “We're a little stagnant ahead of the ball and that slows everything down. So just being a little more fluid in general.”
It was against a lower level of opposition, but Hartford’s sole cup game did show more of that fluidity, as it easily defeated NPSL side New York Shockers at Trinity Health Stadium by a score of 3-0, capped off by a great team goal scored by Michee Ngalina. Outside of that performance, the forward is one player who has struggled to consistently impact the game in the early going and will be aiming to make his mark against Hearts on Wednesday, something the club desperately needs as they search for a spark.
Not unlike Hartford in 2019, Hearts of Pine are having a somewhat nomadic start to their life in the USL. In that season, the Latics played eight games on the road to start their season, followed by making Rentschler Field their temporary home for their first six home games and playing a U.S. Open Cup game at Al-Marzook Field.
The Hearts are in a less dire situation, but nonetheless begin their season with four road games (including a trip to Hartford for the Jägermeister Cup), as well as two at their temporary home at Lewiston High School before they host One Knoxville at Fitzpatrick Stadium on May 4.
Portland now have two of those games under their belt: a 4-0 win over amateur side CD Faialense in the Open Cup and a nil-nil draw at FC Naples in its USL League One debut. Brendan Burke was complimentary of Hearts’ performance in those two games, highlighting their ability to get consistent service into the box, and saying that the League One side will present a “real test” for the Latics.
Despite the temporary home, Hearts have been well supported so far this season, and the stadium at Lewiston High School figures to be packed again on Wednesday night, as the hosts seek their biggest result so far. For Hartford, it’s a chance to bounce back from another dispiriting league result as it aims to change the trajectory of the 2025 season.