The second round of the U.S. Open Cup gets underway tomorrow night as Hartford head up to Maine for a matchup with USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine. This is the first official matchup between the two sides with another matchup on the docket in just 25 days as part of the new USL Jägermeister Cup.
Hartford Athletic at Portland Hearts of Pine
WHEN: Wednesday, April 2nd, 6:30 PM
WHERE: Lewiston High School, Lewiston, ME
WATCH: YouTube
“Second Round” Struggles
While Hartford generally has great success in their first appearance in the Open Cup, the second game in the run has been a different story. Hartford has gone 0-3 with losses to MLS sides New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls and in 2019 to fellow USL Championship club Memphis 901 FC. The difference between this year and all others? Hartford entered this tournament in the first round where all other years they entered in the second or third round. Now in the second round against an opponent from a lower division, Hartford looks to buck the trend and keep their Open Cup run going.
Last Time in the Cup
Hartford Athletic cruised past the New York Shockers 3-0 in the opening round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Michee Ngalina and Addie Obalola each contributed a goal and an assist while Mamadou Dieng and Jonathan Jimenez each added a goal and an assist respectively. With the win, Hartford maintains a perfect 4-0 record against amateur sides in the Cup. Athletic advances to the second round of the tournament and as of this writing awaits the second round draw.
Heading North
This is one of the few times in Hartford Athletic history that the club will travel to play an opponent that is geographically further north. In seven seasons, Hartford has only made five trips north of our capital city. Those opponents include Detroit City FC (39 miles further north), New England Revolution and Revolution II (21 miles), Rhode Island FC (yes, this is really going east, but they are 8 miles further north) and in 2019, a trip north of the border to take on Ottawa Fury FC (252 miles).
About the Opponent
Portland Hearts of Pine are a brand new expansion franchise from Portland, ME. They’ll be playing their home games at Fitzpatrick Stadium, 6,300 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium in Portland, but this match is being played a bit further north at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, ME. Hearts first ever official competition was their first round matchup in the Open Cup, a 4-0 victory over CD Faialense. Hearts kicked off their USL League One slate this past Saturday against top of the table FC Naples and played to a 0-0 draw.
Players to Watch
Hartford – Adewale Obalola, FW, #81
The young Nigerian winger made a statement in the first round of the Open Cup scoring the opening goal for Hartford and assisting on the final goal of the night in a 3-0 win over New York Shockers. Obalola got the nod on Saturday in the USL Championship home opener for Hartford Athletic and brought solid energy for 63 minutes before being substituted off. “Addie’s been good in training and he’s been pushing.I thought he gave a pretty good performance for his first time out there,” Hartford Athletic Head Coach Brendan Burke said after Saturday’s game. Another good performance would be big for the Athletic attack.
Portland – Azaad Liadi, FW, #9
Liadi was a man on fire in the first Open Cup match for Hearts, scoring twice in the 4-0 win. The first was a beautiful left-footed volley while being challenged by a Faialense defender, the second an advantageous rebound showing a presence of mind to be in the right place at the right time. Four of the five goals Hartford have allowed this season have come in the box and you can bet Liadi will be hunting for a goal.
Join the Conversation
For live updates, follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #PORvHFD
