When Brendan Burke arrived in Harford some 21 months ago, he expressed the hope his would be the team’s last major announcement. Through the United Soccer League franchise’s first five years, the tumult and turnover was nonstop, bottoming out with four wins in 34 games in 2023.

Burke, 32, who is the coach and GM, began building the kind of foundation he left behind with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in 2023. They won the championship in ’24.

“This feels like what we built in Colorado Springs,” said Burke. “We’re that stable, that heavily concentrated, we believe in everyone on the roster, we’ve been rotating through the team consistently. There are 21 guys who are going to try to win two trophies.”

Athletic got off to a rough start, but the here-we-go-again days are over. Thi

See Full Page