HARTFORD — After rough start to the season, it seemed like another long summer and fall of discontent ahead for the Hartford Athletic. Coach Brendan Burke gave the players a few days off, a “mental health break” to try to clear their heads, figure things out.
Then they took to the soccer pitch in Pawtucket, R.I., on July 19 and heard what proved to be the magic words.
“What really irritated the group was when Rhode Island called us, ‘Hartford Pathetic,’” said Jordan Scarlett, the Athletic captain. “We were in last place, yes, but as a group and individuals we were looking at ourselves and saying we’re way better than that, and we took that to heart.”
Burke also heard it loud and clear and felt much the same way.
“I will never forget that,” Burke said. “They were announcing it in the stadium before we kicked off. So we talked about it in the locker room. … I’d like to ask them what they think about that now?”
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Hartford played to a draw that night, and later got past Rhode Island in the Jagermeister Cup in-season tournament, reached the finals and won 1-0 at Sacramento last weekend to secure the most significant achievement for the six-year-old United Soccer League franchise. Burke and Scarlett brought the huge, gleaming silver cup to Trinity Health Stadium, to be savored with Mayor Arunan Arulampalam Friday. It will be displayed, available for pictures as Hartford plays Sacramento on Saturday with the chance for another milestone, to clinch a playoff spot.
“To bring joy to a city, there’s nothing cooler than that,” Burke said.
Scarlett, 30, born in Jamaica and raised in The Bronx, joined Athletic in 2024 despite some misgivings. He knew the team had sold out its final game of 2023, despite winning only four games that season, but worried he might be heading down a blind soccer alley.
“I played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Louisville before I came here,” Scarlett said, “and those are top teams. Coming to Hartford, we kind of expected to win. So when I came, I was like, ‘Do I want to?’ Then coach, he promised us it was going to be completely different, we’re bringing in a whole different team and at some point we will get a trophy.
“In his first speech, he said ‘Hartford is not going to be a place for teams to come any more and get free points.’ He put up a USL trophy and said, ‘This is why we’re here.’ We didn’t get a USL trophy yet, but we’re still in the hunt for it.”
Athletic has been on a roll since mid-July. Samuel Careaga’s goal in the 51st minute, off a corner by Sebastian Anderson, provided the winning goal at Sacramento. Then, back to regular season play, they won at Oakland, 3-1, on Tuesday to inch closer to the playoffs.
“As we fight now and become stronger as a team, you can see the chemistry that’s in the game play,” said Scarlett, a defender. “No matter if we’re against the ropes, at some point we’re going to turn it around.”
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Hartford’s only playoff appearance came during the truncated 2020 season, during the pandemic. They can nail down a spot, without help, with a win or draw during any of its final three games, against Sacramento at home, or at Tampa or Louisville. Athletic, with 12 wins, 10 losses and five draws in regular-season play, is third in the Eastern Division, well positioned to get a home playoff game in November.
“(Starting in July), we had renewed focus, renewed sense of purpose and energy behind the group,” Burke said. “That all starts and ends with Jordan. Recruiting here was the hardest recruitment job I’ve had, quite frankly, we had a lot to do, but we’re starting to do it now. That’s changed for good. We’re turning away calls.”
The Jagermeister Cup will be traveling to schools, community centers and other places in the coming weeks, Athletic chief operating officer Michele Roux said.
