MLS veteran leads reimagined club into season

WINDSOR — In reimagining Hartford Athletic, there has been an emphasis on finding players with high-level experience, players who know what it takes to win.

Enter Jay Chapman, who helped win a championship in Major League Soccer with Toronto in 2017. So what does it take?

“No egos,” Chapman said after practice Wednesday at Day Hill Dome. “I’ve been a part of teams that had very big personalities, famous players and that hasn’t worked. I think it’s important that, before you can have good players you have to have good people in the locker room. And I think we have that.”

Chapman, 30, was among the many newcomers drawn to Hartford as new CEO Nick Sakiewicz and coach Brendan Burke put together a whole, new roster. Burke had worked to sign Chapman during his days at Colorado Springs, a successful United Soccer League franchise. When Chapman, who finished last season at Colorado, was a free agent, he was an obvious target to anchor Athletic’s midfield.

“Because he’s won an MLS Cup as a regular starter,” Burke said. “That’s big, high-level experience and his technical ability opens the game to lot of our match-winners, our wingers, our forwards. He opens the game up for those guys, and that’s really important for us to be able to stretch the field.”

Only four players have returned from last season, when Athletic finished 4-24-6, outscored 79-40. The current roster includes players from 15 different countries. The new USL Championship season begins Saturday night at El Paso, the first home game at Trinity

Health Stadium scheduled for March 23 at 2 p.m.

“People are going to see a lot of pace,” Chapman said. “We’re going to play fast and aggressive and there’s going to be a lot of goals. We’re going to fight really hard. We run a lot, so we’re going to be a fit team. You’re going to see a team that is constantly trying to get at teams, constantly threatening the goal. It’s going to be a really exciting brand of football.

“Ownership has brought in a lot of guys who have won things and do have a lot of experience, you can see the investment in the club and we’re just looking forward to repaying the fans and ownership for what they’ve given us, and give them a product on the field they can be proud of.”

Chapman, from Brampton, Ontario, played at Michigan State, where he was a first-team All-american and Big Ten midfielder of the year, then signed with Toronto FC as a “homegrown player” in 2015. He played 79 games there, and 33 more MLS games for Inter Miami, scoring six goals. As a center midfielder, he quarterbacks, facilitates.

“Jay, you could see he’s got great experience,” said center-back Joe Farrell, “Having him as a leadership voice, in the locker room and on the pitch, is huge. Jay’s one, he leads by example, particularly. He’s really the tempo guy. When we’re firing on all cylinders, Jay is in the middle of everything.”

To get ready for the season and build cohesion, Burke lined up 10 preseason games, most against MLS opponents. Athletic will be playing the early games with a few important players out with injuries, but through the preseason Burke has worked to build the structure and communication on defense, and let the talent flow on offense.

“The shape is going to have to evolve over the first three to five games,” Burke said. “We had a lot of preseason games by design so we can iron things out, but real games are always played at a different pace and intensity. We have a lot of attacking talent and we have a good group in terms of chemistry. The communication level could come up a little bit, but the understanding, these guys have never played together, there is some positional understanding that only comes with three to five games.”

Farrell, 30, from Blue Bell, Pa., played college soccer at Lasalle, and has played six seasons in the USL at Phoenix and Pittsburgh. He was brought to Hartford to help solidify the defense.

“Brendan’s got a good hold on what it takes to win in this league and the players believe in him,” Farrell said. “They did a great job bringing in some great talent, some older, veteran guys who have won in this league, proven themselves in this league, as well as some youngers that have real, real upside. It’s going to be a good team, a fun team.”

With so many players from so many places, Europe, South America, Africa, the Caribbean, the music is always changing in the locker room, one way of bridging gaps and building relationships.

“It just takes being around each other a lot,” Chapman said. “In order to really fight for your brother on the pitch, you have to really understand them and understand what makes them work. Some guys, you can speak a little heavier to, some guys you can’t. You learn a little about someone’s background, their family, you start to respect them a little more and that’s where team cohesion comes in. If you get a bunch of like-minded individuals who want success and are determined, that’s contagious.”