Romario Williams Transferred to Indy Eleven, 2022 Fan's Choice Defender of the Year Returns to Hartford Athletic

It's been a busy week in the transfer window for Hartford Athletic, who announced a trio of transactions ahead of Saturday's matchup with Pittsburgh.

Image courtesy of Hartford Athletic

Hartford Athletic have announced a trio of transactions this week ahead of their matchup with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, including the return of a familiar face to Trinity Health Stadium as one of two acquisitions.

The biggest move of the week comes in the departure of forward Romario Williams, who will head to fellow Eastern Conference club Indy Eleven after scoring two goals in 11 appearances for Hartford in 2024. The USL Championship veteran’s signing in the offseason was highly-anticipated after he scored a career-high 15 goals in 29 appearances for Colorado Springs Switchbacks last year, adding on to an illustrious resume of 68 goals and 13 assists across stints in USL and Major League Soccer since his debut professional season in 2015.

However, after scoring twice in Hartford’s opening four games, the Jamaican has struggled to find form, eventually losing his spot in the starting 11 and not playing more than 23 minutes off the bench in the last three games. He will hope to revive what was an incredible 2023 season as he departs the Constitution State for third-place Indy Eleven.

In a corresponding transaction between the two clubs, a familiar fave will return to Hartford in Younes Boudadi, who was named the Fan’s Choice Defender of the Year during his first stint with the club in 2022.

Since leaving Hartford for Indy ahead of the 2023 season, the defender has become a regular part of an Indy squad who made it to the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last season and currently sit third in the table. In total, Boudadi has contributed eight assists in 40 appearances, including a team second-best three assists in eight appearances this season so far.

A familiar face and fan-favorite among Hartford fans, the Moroccan outside back spent two seasons in Connecticut in 2021 and 2022, and was a regular in the starting lineup during both seasons. In 57 total appearances, he assisted four goals, totaling over 5,000 minutes of action. In 2022, he led the team with 2,796 minutes played, 61 interceptions, 96 crosses, and was second on the team with 138 duels won, according to a club release.

Boudadi will be available for selection beginning this weekend against Pittsburgh RIverhounds SC.

Finally, the club announced Thursday the acquisition of winger Dantouma “Yaya” Toure on loan from Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids through the remainder of the 2024 season.

Photo courtesy of Hartford Athletic

Another player with previous experience under Brendan Burke, the 20-year-old winger’s last two seasons for Colorado Rapids have featured stints with Colorado Rapids II of MLS Next Pro, and a loan spell at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, where he featured for Burke’s squad in 2021.

In six total appearances with Colorado’s senior squad, Toure scored once, adding eight goals and two assists with Colorado’s second team during a productive 2022 season. The year prior, the winger scored three goals in 23 appearances for Burke’s switchbacks, contributing to the club’s first-ever playoff run.

Toure’s professional career began in his home state of New Jersey in 2020 at just 16 years old, where he scored three goals in 13 appearances. He has also made a handful of appearances for the U.S. U-16 and U-17 international teams.

Looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Albuquerque over the weekend, Hartford will return home to Trinity Health Stadium on Saturday to face Pittsburgh RIverhounds FC. Kickoff from Hartford is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and WTNH MyTV9.