Hartford Athletic will defend its United Soccer League (USL) Cup title at home Sunday, Oct. 4, hosting Louisville City FC in a 3 p.m. championship match at Trinity Health Stadium that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
It’s the first time the professional soccer club has hosted a USL Cup final. Chairman Bruce Mandell said the club is expecting a sellout of 5,500 fans.
“There are only two games that come out of our league that are watched worldwide: the championship game and the Cup final,” Mandell said. “It’s really our Super Bowl.”
The championship match also provides a financial boost for the club. Mandell said the winner’s prize is in the six figures, and that the club keeps all revenue from the match rather than sharing it with the league. National exposure also helps the club sell sponsorships, he said, which account for roughly 40% of revenue.
The tournament features roughly 45 teams from the USL Championship and League One across eight groups, and each group winner advances to the quarterfinals. Hartford went undefeated in group play, then won its quarterfinal and beat Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2-1 in the semifinal.
Hosting rights were determined by a coin toss between the semifinal winners.
“We didn’t just have to win the semifinal, we then had to win a coin toss,” Mandell said. “Sometimes they say it’s better to be lucky than good. We were lucky and good.”
Hartford won last year’s Cup final on the road against Sacramento, earning the club’s first trophy in eight seasons. About 150 Hartford supporters traveled to Sacramento for the game.
Hartford has gone 13 straight games without a loss in regulation across its two runs in the tournament, though several have been decided on penalty kicks.
Louisville City has won two USL Championship titles and two Players’ Shields, more than any club in the league’s modern era. It reached the Cup final by beating San Antonio FC in a penalty shootout, and holds an 8-1-3 all-time record against Hartford.
Tickets are available at hartfordathletic.com.
