Jonathan Filipe in action, while playing for New York Red Bulls II. (Hartford Athletic)
When midfielder Jonathan Filipe (Danbury, Conn.) and New York Red Bulls II parted company after last season, Filipe's agent was in contact with Hartford Athletic.
The 23-year-old Filipe, a product of the New York Red Bulls Academy and Fairfield University, and a Connecticut native, did not want to leave anything to chance, so he attended the team's annual open tryout in December.
"It was mainly about just going there and getting to know the coaches and obviously showing what I could do," Filipe said.
Whatever he did worked, as Hartford signed Filipe to a first-team contract. Filipe said going to Athletic's open tryout was simply another opportunity to play soccer, which he's rarely refused to do since he was a little kid.
