Our trek through the 2021 Atlantic Division heads north to find a familiar foe that the Hounds faced three times last season, the Hartford Athletic.
Hartford has struggled against the Hounds since first taking the field in 2019. The two clubs have met five times, of which the Hounds have won four, including both of their matchups at Dillon Stadium. The Hounds have outscored Hartford 15-4 in these games, and they are the only team in the Atlantic Division that have beaten Hartford more than three times.
After finishing 17th in the 18-team Eastern Conference in 2019, the club finished atop Group F in 2020 with an 11-3-2 record, the second-best mark in the East. Hartford notched 31 goals last season, tied for the sixth-most in the league, and new Riverhounds forward Alex Dixon led the club with six. But, Hartford’s season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs with a 1-0 loss to Saint Louis FC.
After losing its top-two goal scorers, Dixon and Ever Guzman, Hartford is embarking on a youth movement under new head coach Harry Watling, its third coach in as many years. Hartford’s all-time leader in assists, Danny Barrera, and Gabriel Torres are among the players returning for the 2021 season.
Hartford has done well to fill its roster with young offensive talent. Among the newcomers are Bradford Jameison IV, who scored five goals in 20 appearances with San Antonio FC in 2019, and Preston Tabort Etaka, who scored eight goals in 31 appearances with the Las Vegas Lights in 2019.
Hartford and the Hounds met three times during the 2020 season. The Hounds took the first matchup, 3-0, at Dillon Stadium on Aug. 28 in a battle for first place atop Group F. The Hounds also won their next encounter on Sept. 12 at Highmark Stadium, 5-0, but Hartford would go on to win the group after the club got its first win over the Hounds, 1-0, on Sept. 26 in Pittsburgh.
This season, the clubs will meet for the first time on May 15 at Dillon Stadium for Hartford’s home opener. They will meet three more times, including to end the regular season on Oct. 30 at Highmark Stadium.
