Former Hartford Athletic forward Danny Barrera has been named the head coach the Athletic’s women’s soccer team that will begin playing in the United Soccer League’s (USL) W League next summer.
The W League is the nation’s premier pre-professional women’s league, providing a pipeline between elite youth clubs, collegiate teams and the professional arena.
To create more opportunities for women to play at the elite level, college players will be eligible to play. As such, all games take place in the summer, from the beginning of May to the end of June, with playoffs running through July.
As of 2025, the USL W League consisted of more than 90 clubs competing in over 25 states.
Barrera joined Hartford Athletic partway through the club’s inaugural season in 2019 and remained with the team until his retirement at the end of the 2024 season.
In his five and a half years in Hartford, the Bogotá, Colombia native set several club career records including appearances (150), minutes (10,7773), goals (17, which was just this season beaten by Mamadou Dieng) and assists (34).
In 2021, which was widely considered to be his best year with the club, Barrera became the first Hartford Athletic player to be named to the USL All-League First Team, following a season that saw him score eight goals and lead the league with 12 assists.
“My vision is to create a pathway for girls in Connecticut and the Northeast – a place where they feel like they can come and train at a very high level and be prepared for the next step in their journey,” Barrera said.
Hartford Athletic will be hosting open tryouts for the women’s first team on Dec. 15-18.
“Be ready to work. And enjoy yourself,” Barrera said. “Come here and you will be better after the season than you were when you came in. That I can guarantee.”
