NEW HAVEN, Conn. –
Nicky Downs '19 is ready for his second season of professional soccer with the USL's Hartford Athletic. He's just had to wait a little longer than expected for it to begin. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USL's season was suspended in March, but after a nearly four-month delay, the Athletic is set to play its first game on Friday against the New York Red Bulls II.
"I'm super excited," said Downs, who earned All-Ivy recognition three times during his days at Yale.
Downs, who grew up in Lakeville, Connecticut, and attended the Hotchkiss School, made a significant impact in his rookie season with the hometown team. He appeared in 23 games and started 11, all despite juggling finishing his schoolwork at Yale with soccer early in the year. Now, he's hoping to build on that success this summer.
"Physically I feel stronger and more prepared," he said. "A lot of my rookie year was spent adjusting to the speed of play and the environment. This year I have a better sense of how things work, and I'll be able to invest all my energy in soccer."
The highlight of his first year was the opportunity to start in the franchise's first home game – played at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
"There was a crowd of about 12,000. It was surreal to be on the field that night," he said. "I had a bunch of family and friends there. That night was particularly special."
The Athletic has experienced quite a bit of turnover from last year, so although he is only in his second season, Downs will be one of the more experienced players on the roster.
"I try to set an example with my work ethic and attitude in trying to get the group working hard," he said.
It's certainly been an unusual start to the season, due to the pandemic. The Athletic reported for preseason camp in late January and was just about to jump on the bus to travel to New Jersey for the first game when word came down that the season had been suspended.
"We all had our bags packed, but when we got out of training and were headed back to the locker room, the decision was made," he said.
The next few months were spent on zoom meetings and individual workouts to stay ready.
"The coaching staff did a great job keeping us engaged," Downs said.
The team resumed in-person training in May, starting with individual workouts before moving to groups of five and then finally full contact. Protocols remain in place to keep the players safe.
"We have to show up to the facility already dressed," he said. "It's almost a throwback to my youth soccer days – get out of the car ready to play."
As a Connecticut native, Downs has emerged as a fan favorite in Hartford.
"Last year I did a number of events, going into schools and giving youth soccer clinics," he said. "Being from Connecticut it means a little more to be able to see how invested in following our team our supporters are."
Downs, an economics major at Yale who earned a number of accolades for his work in the classroom, has always been an active participant in community service. Since high school, he has been involved with a program in Ghana called the Right to Dream Academy, which is a residential soccer academy that identifies talented children throughout West Africa and provides them with an education and character development training using soccer as the vehicle. Many Right to Dream graduates attend elite boarding schools across the United States, which is how he first became involved with the program. At the Hotchkiss School, he got to know and played soccer with several of them. He spent three of his four summers prior to attending Yale at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana where he assisted in the classroom as well as training with them on the field.
Being in Connecticut also allows Downs to keep tabs on the Bulldogs. He attended a number of games last fall, including the home victories over UConn and Harvard, and followed closely as Yale captured the Ivy League title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
"That was the awesome thing about being close by," he said. "It was really cool to watch those guys, especially that senior class, put together the season they did. Once they got on a roll, they were almost unstoppable."
Downs also has kept in touch with
Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs.
"He's been super supportive, especially when I was making my debut last spring," Downs said. "He came up to the home opener and a couple of other games last summer. Obviously, he was a big part of me getting to this level."
Following Friday's opener, the Athletic plays it home opener on Monday vs. Loudoun United FC at Dillon Stadium which will open to fans at 25 percent capacity. Monday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m.
