Athletic seek first USL Championship win of the season

The Hartford Athletic (0-2-1) are looking for their first USL Championship victory of the season as they travel to Alabama to face the Birmingham Legion FC on Sunday night.

The Athletic are coming off a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup victory on Thursday against Oyster Bay United FC of

the United Premier Soccer League Premier Division. Athletic midfielder Luka Prpa assisted on

Joel Johnson’s opening goal and added a goal of his own in the match. On Sunday Hartford is need

of an Eastern Conference win as the team currently sits in last place in its division. Athletic goalkeeper Austin Pack has allowed five goals in three USL Championship games and made six saves with a 1.67 goals against average.

After back-to-back scoreless performances against Colorado and Louisville, the Legion also earned a

U.S. Open Cup victory on Thursday, as Rosper Kasim, Bruno Lapa, and Marlon Santos scored three goals in a 15-minute span in a 3-1 win over Southern States SC.

Birmingham, just one spot ahead of Hartford in the Eastern Conference standings, made headlines this week, signing MLS veteran striker Juan Agudelo. His status for Sunday’s game is uncertain.

Here’s what else you need to know about Sunday’s game.

THE BASICS

Time: 5 p.m. ET

Venue: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama Opponent: Birmingham Legion, 0-2-2, 13th place in Eastern Conference

TV: WCTX MyTV9 Livestream: ESPN+ or hartfordathletic.com/ watch

SERIES HISTORY

This is the third meeting between the Athletic and the Legion. The last matchup was a 4-0 Hartford victory on Oct. 9, 2019 with current Hartford captain Danny Barrera scoring a goal.

UP NEXT IN U.S. OPEN CUP

Hartford will host Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup at Trinity Health Stadium. The match will be played April 20 at 7 p.m.

This will be the Athletic’s first official match against an MLS opponent.