PRESENTED BY TRAVELERS
Date: Saturday, June 29th, 2024
Time: 11:00 PM ET (8:00 PM PT)
Location: Heart Health Park, Sacramento, CA
Watch: MyTV9, wtnh.com, ESPN+
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (5-8-1) vs SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC (6-2-7)
After splitting their home stand with a win and a loss, Hartford Athletic begin a two-game road trip across the country at Heart Health Park against the Western Conference’s second-place club.
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Trinity Health Stadium last Friday. It was a physical match, headlined by three yellow cards given out before the 10th minute and an eventual red card to Beverly Makangila. After a slow start from both teams offensively, the game started to open up. The two teams traded scoring chances in the 26th minute, then Hartford nearly took the lead just two minutes later. An unsuccessful clearing attempt left Jordan Farr outside the box, as he scrambled back into goal to make a desperate save on a shot from Marcus Epps. Just minutes before halftime, Beverly Makangila received his second yellow card and subsequent red card, putting Hartford down a man the rest of the match. Tampa Bay kept Hartford’s defense under attack with the man advantage, firing 16 shots and recording 34 touches in their box. Renan Ribeiro was up to the task for Hartford, making six saves to keep the Rowdies off the board until he was subbed off due to injury in the 84th minute. Rookie goalkeeper Greg Monroe entered the match and found himself faced with a PK just two minutes later, following a foul in the box by Younes Boudadi. Manuel Arteaga took the kick for the Rowdies and sent it to the bottom right corner of the net, and Tampa Bay held on for the 1-0 victory.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Sacramento Republic FC currently sits second on the table in the Western Conference with a record of 6-2-7 this season. Following an impressive 11-game undefeated streak to start the season, Sacramento suffered their first loss in a 1-0 match against Tampa Bay Rowdies on June 1st. The team has hit a difficult streak after a promising start, going winless in four out of their last five matches. Republic FC come to Hartford off of a 0-0 draw against FC Tulsa last Saturday at ONEOK Field, a trend for the California-based team whose draw-heavy record speaks to their trend in matches ending with a level score.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday marks Hartford’s first ever trip to Heart Health Park, as their only matchup against Sacramento Republic came at Trinity Health Stadium a year ago. The Green and Blue dropped the match 4-1, and three of Sacramento’s four goals came from current players: Russel Cicerone, Jack Gurr, and Sebastian Herrera. Hartford’s lone goal came on a PK from Kyle Edwards.
FAMILIAR FACES
Hartford Athletic: Danny Barrera, MF, #10
Danny Barrera spent his first three seasons in the USL Championship with Sacramento Republic FC (2015-2017), and was one of the best players in the history of the west coast club. The Southern California native captained the team and made 62 appearances, scored six goals, and notched a club record 21 assists.
BETWEEN THE POSTS
Hartford Athletic: Renan Ribeiro, GK, #40
Renan Ribeiro was a rock for Hartford’s defense on Friday night, saving all six of the shots that the Rowdies sent his way. He made his first major stop in the 26th minute of the match, diving to get his hand to a header put on target by Caleb Jennings. The solid performance from Ribeiro ended with him being subbed off due to a shoulder injury he suffered during the match in the 84th minute. Brendan Burke filled Ribeiro’s spot between the posts with rookie goalkeeper Greg Monroe, making his first professional appearance with the Green and Blue. “Greg’s very steady and calm, so if we have to roll with Greg, we are happy to do that,” Burke said in the post game interview.
Sacramento Republic FC: Daniel Vitiello, GK, #1
Daniel Vitiello is coming off an outstanding performance in Sacramento’s recent match against FC Tulsa, saving all seven shots they sent his way. The 28 year old keeper’s performance marked his eighth clean sheet of the season and helped to maintain his top position in clean sheets within the Western Conference, allowing just eight shots by him this season. The New York native has been a brick wall in net for Sacramento since joining the club in 2022 and earned the all-time clean sheet record during his first two seasons with the club.
FINDING FORM ON THE ROAD
Hartford Athletic are 1-5-0 on the road this season, with their only victory away from home coming in the season opener at El Paso. They face back to back road matches with only four days separating them, as they’ll travel back to the east coast on Wednesday, July 3rd for a matchup with Loudoun.Sitting just two points below the playoff line, crucial points hang in the balance for the Green and Blue on this road trip. “Putting together a 90-minute performance on the road is vital to getting points,” said Brendan Burke this week. “We would take one points on the road, but if we can get three, we’re going to go after it.”
MISSING IN THE MIDFIELD
The Green and Blue will be missing a frequent feature in their midfield on Saturday, as Beverly Makangila will be serving his red card suspension after being shown two yellow cards in the first half against Tampa Bay last week. Makangila has started the last five matches for Hartford and has been strong in winning possession and distribution into the attacking third, winning 44% of his duels and posting a 65% long passing accuracy.
Prematch Interviews
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sacramento Republic FC: Cristian Parano, FW, #10 and Trevor Amann, FW, #7
Cristian Parano was a critical piece of Sacramento’s attacking play in their recent match against FC Tulsa. The 24-year-old forward propelled the team towards goal-scoring opportunities, firing off three shots and three chances created for Republic FC, the most on the team. Parano also led the team in passes in the final third (15) and touches in the opposition’s box (6) in his impressive performance against Tulsa. As the top goal scorer in the Western Conference (eight), Amann has been a reliable force in the attacking third for Sacramento as well.. Beyond contributing one assist and 16 shots on goal for his team, the forward is also tied for second in the Western Conference with 31 shots overall.
Hartford Athletic: Younes Boudadi, DF, #2
Younes Boudadi has wasted no time stepping back into his role as a leader on the field for Hartford, returning to the Green and Blue after signing with Indy Eleven ahead of the 2023 season. The 28 year old wingback generated multiple opportunities for Hartford and led the team in chances created (3) against the Rowdies. Boudadi was responsible for leading the breakout in transition that assisted Deshane Beckford’s shot on goal in the 27th minute of play after he won possession in Hartford’s defensive third, and tore up the field to lay off a perfect ball to Beckford. The Belgian native contributed just as much in shutting down Tampa’s offense on Friday night as he did kick starting it for the Green and Blue. Boudadi won possession six times throughout the match on top of racking up three successful tackles.
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