Hartford Athletic Take On San Antonio FC in USL Jägermeister Cup Quarterfinal
The Latics are in good form as they aim to take another step in the USL Cup competition
Hartford Athletic travel to Texas to take on San Antonio FC at Toyota Field in a USL Jägermeister Cup quarterfinal clash on Wednesday night. It’s the second game of a busy week for the Latics, who took a point off Western Conference leaders Tulsa FC this past weekend, and will host local rivals RIFC in the El Clamico derby on Saturday night.
It was RIFC who Hartford defeated to secure their quarterfinal place with a dramatic victory in Pawtucket in the final group stage game. They were down a goal and a man late in the second half — Beverly Makangila having been sent off for two quick yellow cards in the first half — when Adrian Diz Pe found the equalizer to give his side hope. When the game went to penalties, Hartford were clinical, burying the first four chances while RIFC missed two. The bonus point from the penalty shootout victory, and the second goal scored to get that far were enough for the Latics to advance to the quarterfinals as the second wildcard team.
The victory in the Jägermeister Cup was the second game of what is currently a stretch of six unbeaten for the Latics, who have also won three and drawn two of their five USL Championship games over that span. Most recently, they secured a come-from-behind draw against FC Tulsa, with a Kyle Edwards header canceling out a Joe Farrell own goal at Trinity Health Stadium.
Hartford showed resilience in attack against Tulsa. All-time leading scorer Mamadou Dieng, who had five goals in his previous three games, was kept quiet but Edwards came to the rescue. The supersub, who has four goals off the bench on the season, and nine since joining Hartford in 2023, has developed a knack for delivering in limited minutes. In 2025, his eight Championship goals have come in just 519 minutes, or one goal every 65 minutes. No other player in the league with three or more league goals is scoring at even close to that clip.
As for Wednesday’s opposition, San Antonio won its first three Jägermeister Cup games by a combined score of 5-0, and were minutes away from completing a clean sweep, as it entered second-half stoppage time of their final group game against New Mexico United up 2-0. Two late goals by NMU forced penalties, with SAFC losing their nerve and failing to win the shootout. The result did not change the pecking order in the group, but was something of a hiccup for San Antonio, who are winless since then, losing two and drawing one of its subsequent USL Championship fixtures.
The downturn in form also does coincide with the loss of Luis Paredes, who suffered a knee injury that will cost him the remainder of the 2025 season. The Colombian was emerging as a key piece of SAFC’s attack after an offseason move from Millonarios in the Categoría Primera A, but they now need to regroup without his services.
One player who SAFC very much can still depend on is talismanic midfielder Jorge Hernandez. A three-time USL Championship First Team All-League selection, the midfielder was the league assists champion in 2023 and finished one behind leader Noah Fuson of RIFC in 2024. Few players have been as integral to their sides success as Hernandez, and despite tactical changes in the side, he remains a key cog and will very much be the danger man on Wednesday night.
There have been substantial tactic changes, however. In previous seasons, SAFC were led by Alen Marcina, who favored an “anti-possession” style of football that his side had perfected in winning the league in 2022 but Marcina is now gone, replaced by Carlos Llamosa. The Colombian prefers a much more possession-heavy approach, and while the final outcome remains to be seen, his side are well in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference but with a negative goal differential.
Wednesday night’s game could be a key moment in the season for either side, as only three wins separate them from earning some silverware. For Hartford, who have one playoff appearance in seven seasons and have never won more than one game in a single season in the U.S. Open Cup, the opportunity is especially tantalizing.