The home opener for Hartford Athletic’s second season in the USL Championship will take place at Dillon Stadium on Saturday, March 21st at 4:00 pm ET against Charleston Battery. Hartford will not be the home opening opponent for any other team in the Eastern Conference. 

Last season, Athletic went on the road for 8 consecutive matches to start the season before the May 4th home opener against Charlotte Independence at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. During that span, Hartford was the home-opening opponent for four other clubs.

Tickets for the home opening match will go on sale on Thursday. For more information on Season Ticket Memberships, please visit hartfordathletic.com/seasontickets.

USL Championship Announces 2020 Home Openers 

The United Soccer League today announced the home openers for all 35 clubs in the USL Championship, with the league’s 10th anniversary season set to kick off on Friday, March 6. 

The 2020 campaign opens with a Friday doubleheader that will feature three teams that reached the postseason in the Western Conference last season, with Orange County SC set to host El Paso Locomotive FC in the opening game at Championship Stadium in California before Tacoma Defiance takes on Reno 1868 FC at Cheney Stadium. 

The first Saturday of the season contains plenty to watch for, too, with perennial playoff contenders North Carolina FC hosting Louisville City FC and the New York Red Bulls II hosting the Tampa Bay Rowdies. In the Western Conference, Real Monarchs SLC will open its title defense on the road against San Antonio FC, while two sides that reached the postseason in their inaugural seasons will kick off their second campaigns when Austin Bold FC hosts New Mexico United. 

The weekend’s marquee matchup arrives late on Saturday night when expansion side San Diego Loyal SC, led by Landon Donovan, hosts Las Vegas Lights FC and Head Coach Eric Wynalda as the former U.S. Men’s National Team legends square off on the sidelines for the first time. 

Other notable home openers include the first game at home for defending champion Real Monarchs SLC, which welcomes 2019 Regular Season Title-Winner Phoenix Rising FC to Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday, March 14, while Miami FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies will meet for the first time in the USL Championship on Friday, March 13 at Riccardo Silva Stadium. 

Louisville City FC will be the visitor for two early 2019 Eastern Conference playoff rematches as it visits Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, March 21 at Highmark Stadium and then takes on Indy Eleven on April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The two-time champion will then open its new 11,700-seat Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, April 11 as it plays host to Birmingham Legion FC, kicking off a new era for the club as it aims to reach the USL Championship Final for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.