Hartford Athletic Secure First Points of Season with Win Over Birmingham Legion
A second-half goal from Deshane Beckford was enough for the Latics to claim all three points on a warm evening at Trinity Health Stadium
Hartford Athletic got their first three points of the USL Championship season on Saturday evening as they won 1-0 over Birmingham Legion. It’s the fifth time in nine meetings between the two clubs that the game has been decided by one goal, and the second time in two seasons that the Latics have won their home fixture against Legion by a goal to nil.
It was a game with few clear-cut opportunities as temperatures reaching 86° contributed to a slower game with both teams looking to conserve energy and neither side appearing willing to push the pace. The weather aided Hartford’s game plan.
“It [the weather] certainly slowed the game down today,” head coach Brenden Burke said. “Which was good for us.”
He also noted that his club “didn't want it to become a transition game because of the quality of their front four.”
In fact, the Latics did well to keep Danny Trejo, Tyler Pasher, Ronaldo Damus and Enzo Martinez in check, with Damus limited to just ten touches; the fewest of any outfield player.
While Birmingham struggled to manufacture too many opportunities, it did manage to produce a few moments of good quality. Inside the first twenty minutes, Trejo wriggled into the box and fed Pasher in a very dangerous position, only for the forward to fire over from close range.
The best chance for Birmingham came in stoppage time of the first half when Tyler Pasher skipped inside and was fouled by Justin Ingram at the top of the box. The free kick was well taken by Kobe Hernández-Foster, but Hartford keeper Anthony Siaha was equal to the opportunity and produced a good save down to his right.
Hartford’s goal was produced in large part by active pressing from Adewale Obalola and Mamadou Dieng, the former of whom won the ball in a dangerous area and the latter of whom was alert to the opportunity and laid the ball off for Deshane Beckford. The winger’s shot was tame, but Legion keeper Matt Van Oekel spilled it into the back of the net to give the home side the lead. For a team that has struggled to find goals — and has on more than one occasion seen hard work go unrewarded — the fact that there was a hint of fortune about it will not matter and it was a deserved reward for a fighting mentality.
For the Latics, one key development was the return of Samuel Careaga, who had thus far been limited to a substitute in the season opener in Lexington, well over a month ago. After the match, Burke was full of praise for the midfielder, describing him as “phenomenal,” particularly under the circumstances.
“For a guy that missed all of the preseason and was out injured for a month, to play like that is a great sign of things to come here,” he said.
It's a valuable three points for the Latics, who have struggled to start the season, losing their first four games and scoring only one goal along the way. With a number of significant players missing, this result and the underlying performance are a welcome sign for Hartford fans who will be hoping that the club can maintain some momentum when they welcome League One side Portland Hearts of Pine to Trinity Health Stadium for Jägermeister Cup action next weekend.