Hartford Athletic to Begin Play in 2025 U.S. Open Cup
The Latics will take on NPSL side New York Shockers in the first round of the cup on Tuesday night
Hartford Athletic kick off the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night as they host New York Shockers of the NPSL in the first round. The Latics will be looking to bounce back from a somewhat listless display in their USL Championship opener in Lexington and to avoid an early exit from the cup for a second year running.
Hartford’s history in the Open Cup is middling. In its first campaign in 2019, they defeated New York Cosmos B in the second round — the only game in club history to be played at Al-Marzook Field — and then lost to fellow Championship side Memphis 901FC in the following round. The Cup was not contested in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic and when it resumed in 2022, the Latics defeated amateur side Oyster Bay United in the second round before again falling in the following round, this time to MLS side New York Red Bulls. In 2023 they eased past another amateur side, Lansdowne Yonkers before losing to another MLS side, the New England Revolution and in 2024, they failed to advance beyond their first fixture in the competition for the first time in club history, losing 3-2 in extra time to MLSNP side NYCFC II.
In this game, Hartford will be without Deshane Beckford, who will serve a one-game suspension for a red card received in stoppage time of last year’s Cup game. Defender Adrián Diz Pe is also a question mark, having gone off with an injury during the Latics USL Championship season opener in Lexington. Hartford did add forward Spencer Gordon on Monday, but will still enter the cup with a thinner squad than many other clubs at a similar level.
On the other side of the pitch, the Shockers joined the NPSL in 2021, where they play in the North Atlantic Conference. The amateur club reached the postseason in every year of existence, reaching the Regional Semifinals in 2022 and the Regional Finals in 2024. In both seasons, their playoff exit came at the hands of FC Motown — who won the championship in 2022 — and were losing finalists in 2024. They won’t kick off their 2025 NPSL campaign until May 4 when the Shockers visit Trinity Health Stadium again to take on Hartford City FC.
The Latics don’t possess the depth of squad to rotate much and a strong side is to be expected, with the pursuant hope and expectation that they will progress comfortably against an amateur side who are still nearly two months out from the start of their league season. Anything less than a comfortable win coming on the heels of an uninspiring performance in Lexington, will raise further alarms about the club’s prospects for 2025.