Hartford, Connecticut: Athletic Beat Detroit City 2-1 for the First Playoff Win in Club History, Anaku Scores Twice

Hartford Athletic has the first playoff win in club history. Sadat Anaku scored in the 33rd and 75th minutes on Friday night and the No. 6 seed Athletic beat the No. 3 seed Detroit City FC 2-1 at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan, in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs, the league reported.

A red card changed the night early

Detroit started the brighter side, and Darren Smith had an early shot saved. The match turned in the first half when Detroit midfielder Kobe Hernandez-Foster was sent off after an altercation with Hartford's Adrian Diz Pe during a dead ball situation, the league reported. The Detroit Free Press reported that Hernandez-Foster tossed the ball at the Hartford player's head, and that coach Danny Dichio was shown a yellow card arguing the call.

Dichio did not hide his view of the decision after the match. "It was a playoff game tonight that wasn't decided by the two teams. I thought it was decided by the officiating, which was very, very poor for a playoff game," Dichio said, according to the Free Press.

Anaku twice, around a Detroit equalizer

With the extra player, Hartford went ahead in the 33rd minute. Anaku stole a pass in midfield, ran in behind the Detroit back line and finished neatly off the inside of the right post, the league reported.

Detroit, down to 10 players, still leveled the match in the final minute of the half. Aedan Stanley's cross from the left deflected to Amoo-Mensah, whose first time shot deflected off a defender in front and found the net, the league reported.

Smith then pushed for a Detroit winner. Just past the hour his near post flick was turned wide by Hartford goalkeeper Antony Siaha, and a few minutes later he stole possession in midfield and shot over the crossbar. The winner instead came at the other end with 15 minutes to play. Emmanuel Samadia's bouncing cross came through the six yard area with deflections on its way, and Anaku redirected it home at the back post for his second goal of the night.

Detroit had one last chance in the closing minutes. Maxi Rodriguez put a free kick from 22 yards toward the bottom right corner, Siaha saved it, and Cheikhou Niang sent the rebound from inside the six yard area off the crossbar and over, the league reported. The Free Press put the same Niang miss in the 86th minute.

What the win means for Hartford

The numbers show how much defending Hartford did. Detroit finished with 20 shots and eight shots on target to Hartford's seven shots, the league reported, and still lost at home. Hartford was the first USL Championship side to score more than once on the road at Detroit City this season, and the win stretched Hartford's undefeated run in this series to seven matches.

For Anaku, the league's player of the game, it was his first two goal game in the USL Championship, after a two goal game in the USL Cup earlier this year. The Free Press noted that he scored four goals during the regular season, and on Friday he provided all of Hartford's offense.

The prize is a trip to Louisville City in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a rematch of the Prinx Tires USL Cup Final, the league reported. Detroit's fifth straight playoff appearance ends in the quarterfinals, at home, with its coach still arguing about the red card that shaped the night.