Know Your Opponent: Hartford Athletic FC

A chance to add to the trophy collection is on the line as Sacramento and Hartford are set to square off for the USL Jaegermeister Cup.

After both teams won their respective semi-final matches, Sacramento and Hartford will meet in the final match of this year's USL Jaegermeister Cup. The Republic has relied on two penalty shootout wins in the knockout phase to get to this point. The late-game heroics of Jared Mazzola helped propel his side to this occasion. Sacramento has won this matchup the previous two times these clubs have met. But this Hartford side is something different. Arguably, the hottest side in all of USL. In their last 13 matches, across all competitions, Hartford have won 10 of them. This is a team that is looking to ride this surge of form to a trophy and hopes it carries them deep into the postseason. This run of games includes the quarterfinal win over San Antonio and the semifinal win against Greenville. But it also features some multi-goal thrashings of sides like New Mexico, Birmingham, Rhode Island, and Monterey. This will be a match of two teams looking to put their stamp on not only this competition, but this season of soccer as a whole. This is your preview of Hartford Athletic.

Hartford Athletic FC

Manager: Brendan Burke

Formation: 5-4-1 / 3-4-2-1

Regular Season W-L-D: 11-5-10 (5th in USL Championship; East), 2-0-2 (2nd in Group Four)

Last 5 Games: WWWLW

Previous USL Cup Results: W 2-0 vs. Portland Hearts, W 3-2 at Westchester, L 2-2 (2-3) vs. Detroit, W 2-2 (4-3) at Rhode Island, W 2-0 at San Antonio, W 3-1 vs. Greenville.

Players to Watch: Kyle Edwards, Michee Ngalina

Top Goalscorers: Kyle Edwards - 11 goals (T-8th in the league)

Top Assists: Emmanuel Samadia and Sebastian Anderson - 5 assists each (T-13th in the league)

Top Yellow Cards: Antony Siaha - 9 yellow cards

Top Red Cards: Adewale Obalola, Adrian Diz Pe, Beverly Makangila, Emmanuel Samadia, Joseph Farrell - 1 red card each

51' | Jack Panayotou finds the back of the net ⚽️🔥#HFDvCOS pic.twitter.com/Th7WPZrTr4

— Hartford Athletic (@hfdathletic) September 28, 2025

23' | Jack Panayotou finding that top corner 📐#HFDvMB pic.twitter.com/nPNEchoQ8C

— Hartford Athletic (@hfdathletic) September 14, 2025

In terms of this competition, Hartford is the most dangerous and most well-balanced team the Republic will face. The combination of a potent attack with a lockdown defense has led to Hartford sitting in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. This year's performance from Hartford is even more staggering when you remind yourself that the last time Hartford made the postseason in the USL Championship was in 2021. Last year, they finished in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, four points out of the playoff positions. Hartford holds the third-best goal differential margin in the Eastern Conference, behind the runaway leaders of Louisville and Charleston. They are tied for 6th in the league in goals scored. Hartford has 40 goals to their tally, and in comparison, Sacramento has 37. And this is matched by the defense being tied for 3rd in clean sheets and giving up the 5th fewest goals. This will be a formidable opponent making its way to Sacramento.

Let's talk about this attack. They attack in bunches. They attack in a pack. Hartford will bring pressure through their wingbacks and shut off space in the midfield to force you into transition scenarios, often right in front of the goal. Look for players like Jack Panayotou, Jonathan Jimenez, Michee Ngalina, and Samuel Careaga to serve as the team's creators. They like the ball out wide and instead of swinging in a high cross, look for the ball to be kept on the ground and aimed at players making late runs into the box. The midfield will also look to chip a ball over the defense to find a striker running in behind the opposing backline. Keep an eye out for late transfer Hadji Barry to make an appearance off the bench. Barry is willing to take a step back to connect the midfield to the attack and get the ball to the team's primary strikers. Speaking of the strikers, one name you may have heard in the headlines is Mamadou Dieng. Dieng scored one of two goals to propel the side past San Antonio in the quarterfinals. Two days later, he was picked up by MLS side Minnesota United. So that is one threat the Republic won't have to worry about. With that being said, there is still Kyle Anderson. Anderson accounts for 27.5% of Hartford's goals in the regular season and leads the team in shots taken, converting 37 shots into 11 goals. 

Now, I mentioned it a bit in the attack portion, but Hartford tries to force the ball out wide by stuffing the middle of the box with midfielders. Looking at the formation in their last match against Colorado Springs, Hartford had a pair of defensive midfielders in Beverly Makangila and Jack Panayotou. Then there were the pair of attacking midfielders, Michee Ngalina and Jonathan Jimenez. And then you have the pair of wingbacks with Emmanuel Samadia and Sebastian Anderson. And of course, this doesn't mention the three centerbacks the Republic will have to try and negotiate. If the ball goes out wide, the Republic will be faced with double teams from the defensive midfielders and wingbacks on the jump. It will be an intense press that the Republic has to get past to find a way to goal. But if there is some solace, Hartford had to make some changes from the normal backline setup in the Colorado Springs match, mainly their regular goalkeeper, Antony Siaha, was not available for selection. It is a question whether either Siaha or John Berner will be in the net. Now, Berner isn't a slouch, as he came up with seven saves to earn a clean sheet against Colorado Springs last time out. The wingbacks are the bright spots in this Hartford setup, but the center defense is where the Republic can cause some trouble. The centerbacks can be a bit disjointed at times, and they can be bullied if the Republic plays physical. This can lead to the Republic setting up some set-piece chances in opportune positions in the Hartford half.

Republic's Way to Victory: I fully expect this game to be a defensive battle. Both sides have strong backlines, along with some of the best keepers in the USL. I get the feeling that both keepers will be involved in the match one way or another. It will take some creative attacks to find a way to get a goal. The Republic strikers will need to play physically against Hartford's centerbacks and force them into awkward positions. Win your battles up front and pepper the Hartford keeper. On the other hand, the Hartford midfield and forwards are filled with a number of creators. Each player will be a threat going forward, either by taking a chance on their own or setting up a teammate. The backline will need to stay compact and shut down any passes coming through the box. If it comes down to it, both teams are experienced in penalty shootouts, with both having come up with wins in this competition. I bet this will be a cagey affair, as it probably would've been, as it's a championship match. But both of the defenses are some of the best in the league, so it will be a question as to which attack will show up on the night.