Hoppenot’s jersey checks into the Harrisburg City Islanders game

There weren’t any Philadelphia Union players on the field for the Harrisburg City Islanders home game Saturday night, but Antoine Hoppenot’s jersey made a cameo late in the 2-0 win over the Charlotte Independence.

Ciaran Nugent, a goalkeeper who signed with the City Islanders in April after finishing his college career at Lehigh University in the fall, subbed in for the injured Jose Barril in the 88th minute of the match. Since he's a keeper, Nugent didn't have a field jersey to wear so he borrowed Hoppenot's No. 23 jersey.

Nugent, a Needham, Massachusetts native, is 6-foot-1 and has a bushy beard. Hoppenot is 5-foot-8 and while he's sported a hipster mustache before may or may not be able to grow a full beard.

Harrisburg scored a pair of first half goals and held on for the victory, their second of the season without any Union players in the lineup. The City Islanders are 2-2-1 with Union players in the lineup and 2-0 without any Union loanees.

Hoppenot has made one appearance for the City Islanders this season, scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over FC Montreal in the home opener. He made six appearances for the Union USL affiliate last season and three in 2012.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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