Hartford Athletic Stumble at Home

The profligate Latics nine-game unbeaten run comes to an end as the visitors pounce on two mistakes

Hartford Athletic fell to their first defeat since the middle of July — a stretch of nine games unbeaten — as Indy Eleven took advantage of their limited opportunities to grab all three points at Trinity Health Stadium on Wednesday night. Goals from Jack Blake and Maalique Foster were enough for the visitors, as the Latics squandered several golden opportunities.

After the game, manager Brendan Burke acknowledged that it was something of an off night for his squad, but also highlighted a strong defensive performance by Indy.

“Yeah, you're bound to have a night like that when you're on a run like this at some point has to end somewhere,” he said. “I mean, on a different night we should have scored six goals. You know, that's the reality. That felt like one of those games you could have played for three days and not scored. Their goalkeepers were absolutely phenomenal. Their defenders were excellent.”

Six goals might not have been in the cards for Hartford — American Soccer Analysis had their expected goals at 1.66 — but Hartford once again had the clear edge in attack, but on this night could not find a breakthrough. Kyle Edwards and Samuel Careaga had the best chances for the hosts, with Joe Farrell also missing a header from close range; and a couple of goals would certainly have been no less than they deserved for their efforts.

Things very much got off on the wrong foot for Hartford, a contrast to its last two games, where it was the side that got out to an early lead. It was only three minutes into the game when Jack Blake fired the visitors in front, with everyone on the pitch seeming surprised that his shot found the back of the net. Burke emphasized both the quality of Blake’s finish, but also an opportunity for his side to improve.

“They scored off the second phase of a throw in which we have to be sharper,” he said. “Just some reactions early in the game and it's a great hit by Jack Blake.”

Hartford have had some of these moments over the unbeaten run, but largely not been made to pay for mistakes. Wednesday was a different story, as it was another mistake in the second half. Jordan Scarlett couldn’t get to the ball fast enough, allowing Romario Williams to play in Maalique Foster for Indy’s second goal.

As frustrating as the loss was, it was a continuation of a run where Hartford have been the better side on the night. In their last 12 league games, the Latics have finished with a better expected goals than their opponents 11 times (the only exception being a nil-nil draw at RIFC). Hartford have not always won those games, but have claimed 23 of a possible 36 points from those games, a rate that would put the club well on course for the playoffs.

Hartford will look to continue doing all those things on Saturday, as the club heads south to Miami for another quick turnaround. They will need to continue to be resilient, a quality Burke has praised in his squad of late, and trust in their depth as more squad rotation is inevitable with a huge Jägermeister Cup semifinal coming as well.

“We're going to have to rotate because we have one eye on that semifinal at home next week,” said Burke, “but we also need all the points we can get in the league.”

Wednesday was a missed opportunity to advance the case for a playoff place - and possibly a home playoff game but if Hartford continues to put in performances like this, it will get the results the club needs more often than not. For now, Burke’s men will need to brush this one off, get on a plane, fly to Miami and take care of business there on Saturday.