Hartford Athletic Kick Off USL Jägermeister Cup Against Portland Hearts of Pine
The two clubs meet for the second time this season, following Hearts victory on penalties in the U.S. Open Cup
Hartford Athletic open their first-ever USL Jägermeister Cup campaign on Saturday evening, as they host Portland Hearts of Pine at Trinity Health Stadium. The only other competitive meeting between the two clubs was earlier this season, with Hearts triumphing on penalties in a U.S. Open Cup clash in Lewiston, Maine.
There’s a possibility of penalties again on Saturday evening, as for the Jägermeister Cup, games that are level after full-time will immediately go to a shootout. Both teams will likely want to avoid this, however, as a win in regulation is worth three points, while a team that loses a penalty shootout does get one point, a win on penalties is worth only two. There is an additional incentive to chase a result in regulation, as in addition to the six group winners, the two runners-up with the highest points total will advance to the knockout rounds and the first tie-breaker will be goals scored.
The Latics head into this game coming off their first win in the USL Championship, with Deshane Beckford scoring the only goal to earn all three points against Birmingham Legion. The goal was only Hartford’s second of the season in league play, as the club has struggled to manufacture meaningful opportunities in the Championship.
By contrast, Hartford attempted sixteen shots in regulation in the Open Cup against Hearts, hardly an overwhelming number but a healthy total nonetheless. Their problem in that game was an inability to finish, as it let at least four high-quality chances go begging and were ultimately punished for their profligacy.
Hartford haven’t fixed its inability to generate shots in the league but it will enter this game with not only the confidence that it was able to create chances against Portland once before, but also two assets it didn’t have when the teams last met. Midfielder Samuel Careaga is healthy, and the club also just acquired Jack Panayotou on loan from the New England Revolution. Those two players — both of whom have been goalscorers over their young careers — should give the Latics an added edge in the final third, as well as help transform their midfield in a positive direction.
While Hartford will field Careaga and Panayotou, Hearts will also be strengthened by the addition of midfielder Masashi Wada, who only arrived from Japan the week of the Open Cup meeting in April. Wada, who began his career in the J1 League with Yokohama F. Marinos, has spent the last few seasons with a variety of clubs across the Japanese second and third tiers.
Most recently with Thespa Gunma in the J2 League, he had his greatest success in the J3 League where he tallied 23 goals and eight assists in slightly over a hundred career games for three different clubs.
From last weekend’s soaring temperatures, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with rain threatening throughout the day. A slick surface can present both challenges and opportunities, and Hartford will be looking to take advantage and get its first USL Cup campaign off on the right foot.