The Hartford Athletic, the Capital City’s new pro soccer club, is looking for its first win Saturday night in its home opener at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
The Athletic (0-8), a member of the recently expanded division II United Soccer League (USL), will host the Charlotte Independence Saturday at 7 p.m. Broadcasting partner WTNH News 8 will air the game on its sister station, WCTX MyTV9. It will also air on subscription service ESPN+.
The team is playing its first seven home games at Rentschler Field until its delayed renovations at Hartford’s historic Dillon Stadium are completed, potentially by July 13.
Delays at Dillon began in Sept. 2018, just weeks after construction crews broke ground on the roughly 5,500-seat stadium overhaul.
In March, the team pushed back the projected home opener at Dillon to June 16, but it has again been postponed to July 13. Based on the latest schedule, the Athletic, playing a total of 34 regular season games, is slated to play only 10 matches at Dillon from July to October.
Ticket prices at Rentschler range from $10 to $20, as approximately 17,000 seats will be open for games in the lower bowl of the stadium, which is home to UConn football.
It was not clear how many tickets the team has sold as of Friday morning.
Rentschler’s parking lot will open at 4 p.m. on Saturday for fans looking to tailgate and gates are set to open an hour before kickoff at 6 p.m.
Concession stands and food trucks will also be serving food and beverages.
Earlier this week, the team named property and casualty insurer The Hartford as its newest sponsor. The insurance and financial services company will serve as the presenting partner for certain pregame and ceremonial introductions.
The Athletic has already signed Cigna, Stanley Black & Decker and Trinity Health of New England as corporate sponsors.
