Hartford, CT - Hartford Athletic announced the signings of Nicky Downs (Lakeville, CT), Mac Steeves (Needham, MA), Raymond Lee (Kansas City, MO) and Nikolaj Lyngø (Aalborg, Denmark) for the Club’s inaugural USL Championship season in 2019, pending league and federation approval.

The signings include two players with MLS experience, a youngster from one of the top clubs in Denmark and a 2018 All-Ivy League player from Yale.

Nicky Downs, becomes the first Connecticut native to join the club. Downs played collegiately at Yale and was named to the Ivy League’s First Team in his senior season. “There is so much soccer talent in this state and region, and we have some of the best college programs in the country,” said Bruce Mandell, Chairman and CEO of Hartford Athletic. “We’re excited to sign our first Connecticut player and look forward to continuing to support the growth and development of the game across the state.”

"I am thrilled and grateful to begin my professional career with Hartford Athletic,” said Downs. “As a Connecticut native, it's so special to start my career with my local club. I am humbled by this opportunity and can't wait to bring home some championships."

Hartford Athletic has also finalized its technical staff for the 2019 season. Chris Spendlove joins Nielsen as an assistant coach and George Kostelis will fill the role of Goalkeeper Coach. Spendlove, who hails from Liverpool, coached with Nielsen in Oklahoma City during the 2014 season. Kostelis has a vast knowledge of the area, having served as an assistant at UConn, Yale, University of Hartford, and Southern Connecticut State.

Nicky Downs is a midfielder from Lakeville, CT who played collegiately at Yale University. He played in every single match during his 4 years, scoring 9 goals and adding 15 assists. Nicky finished his decorated Yale career being named to the Ivy League First Team, the All-Northeast Region Third Team, and the United Coaches Scholar All-America second team, while also being named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award – the nation’s Premier Award for Student Athletes.

Mac Steeves comes to Hartford from the Houston Dynamo where he was selected 43rd overall in the 2018 draft. Steeves played for both the Dyanmo and their USL affiliate Rio Grande Valley in 2018. A native of Needham, MA, Steeves played collegiately at Providence College where he scored 35 goals, second all-time in Friars history. Steeves was named to the All-Big East First team twice during his career at Providence and in 2014 was named the NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

Defender Raymond Lee was a mainstay on Pittsburgh’s league-leading defense in 2018, appearing in 29 matches, starting 24 of them. Lee was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Union in the 4th round of the 2015 MLS Superdraft. He earned Second Team All-Conference honors as a senior at St. Louis University.

Nikolaj Lyngø is a 20-year-old defenseman from Jammerbugt FC in Denmark. Before playing with Jammerbugt, Lyngø played for the U19 team for AaB Fodbold of the Danish Superliga. During the 2017 season, he was promoted to the first team on a permanent basis.

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