Hartford Athletic tide turning after 2-game winning streak
WILLINGTON — Hartford Athletic coach Jimmy Nielsen did not mince words two weekends ago when his team lost to Memphis 901, the ninth loss in 10 games to open the season.
He criticized his players’ approach to the game, citing the need to play with more humility. He offered an apology to the fans on behalf of the team, and added that the loss was on the athletes on the field, not himself.
Following Nielsen’s criticism Hartford Athletic has its first ever winning streak after beating New York Cosmos B in the U.S. Open Cup, and Loudoun United F.C. for the team’s first ever USL Championship win, both by a score of 2-1.
“It looked like [they were humbled] from the outside, it does,” Nielsen said of the Memphis loss. “Plus in the situation we’re in, we can’t afford to have that attitude. I could maybe have accepted that if we had been on a winning streak of seven or eight games, but with the situation we’re in, absolutely no chance.”
Hartford Athletic’s USL Championship record is 1-9-1, still last in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Swope Park Rangers. Record aside, there’s renewed optimism among the players and coaches.
“We’ve been searching for that first win,” striker Jose Angulo said. “We got a taste of it on that Tuesday against the Cosmos. After that game, we got a taste of it, and we knew how it felt, we came in to that Loudoun game more confident. We’re building on that, and now we’re starting to believe, and that’s a good feeling.”
Angulo, 31 and a former league MVP, scored both of Hartford Athletic’s goals against Loudoun - one in the 59th minute on a second-chance shot, and another in the 68th minute off of an assist from Sebastian Daalgard.
Hartford marks Angulo’s fifth stop in the USL, which is part of a career that has brought him through four different American soccer leagues.
“Being a guy that’s been around, and one of the oldest on the team, you definitely have to take that leadership role on and off the field,” Angulo said. “I feel like in that Loudoun game, that was one of the things I was going in my mind. There’s a lot of younger guys that haven’t been in this situation; I have. You’ve got to teach them that you’ve got to keep working and things are going to fall into place.”
His performance on Sunday was doubly important for Angulo. He’s struggled to stay on the pitch early in the season. Nagging injuries kept him sidelined during preseason training, and held him limited through the first two months of the season.
A breakout performance for Angulo, who now has 50 career goals in the USL, was what the striker was looking for.
“As a striker, you always search for those games where you can get chances and score goals,” he said. “You build on that. That confidence is coming, and it’s an important part of the season, especially in the middle. You want to start peaking.”
Angulo noted that the team’s attack, which has scored five goals in its last three games, has played better of late due to players becoming more comfortable on the pitch around each other. It takes a couple of months for everybody to understand each other’s tendencies, as Angulo explained, and it’s still a work in progress.
Nielsen, who coached Oklahoma City Energy FC in its inaugural year in 2016, says it’s not an overnight process for teams to shape into their final form. For now, he’ll focus on a surging Ottawa Fury FC team, which is undefeated in its last four games, and will play Hartford on Saturday night at Rentschler Field.
“We work our butt off to get things changed and keep the momentum on Saturday,” Nielsen said. “In my opinion, we’re going to play - if not the best - one of the best teams in the league. It’s going to be a massive challenge for us.”
Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.