The Charleston Battery extinguished Phoenix Rising FC in a sensational 4-1 win in front of a sold-out crowd at Patriots Point on Saturday. The Battery were led by Arturo Rodríguez’s two goals, in addition to MD Myers’ opener and Houssou Landry’s exclamation point goal from the halfway line. Juan David Torres notched two assists to take the league lead.
In the rematch of the 2023 USL Championship Final, the Battery came out of the gate on the front foot.
MD Myers wasted no time and put Charleston ahead, 1-0, in the 8th minute. Myers timed his run perfectly between Phoenix’s center-backs to meet a sharp through ball by Juan David Torres from about the middle of the park. Myers placed his first-time finish perfectly past goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky.
Myers’ goal marked his 11th of the season across all competitions and eighth in the USL Championship campaign.
The assist for Torres was his sixth of the year.
On the opposite end, Luis Zamudio made his first save of the night in the 26th minute when Phoenix’s Hope Avayevu unleashed a shot from inside the box. Zamudio reacted quickly and made a diving save to his right to keep the Battery in front.
The visitors managed to find the equalizer in the 37th minute via Avayevu, leveling the score at 1-1. However, Charleston were eager to reclaim the lead after Phoenix’s leveler.
Arturo Rodríguez restored the Battery’s lead in the 44th minute, giving the Battery a 2-1 lead right before the break. Torres again initiated the play with a sublime through ball from the middle of the field. Rodríguez collected the ball at the top of the box, went to his right, then cut against the grain to beat Rakovsky to the left post.
At the time, it was Rodríguez’s second goal and Torres’ seventh assist of the year, the latter placing himself in the league for helpers. It also marked the first multi-assist game for a Battery player in 2025.
The Battery took the 2-1 lead into the break despite conceding a majority of possession to the visitors.
Play resumed for the second half with Charleston on the front foot, but were met with stern opposition by Phoenix. Rodríguez sent a shot just wide of the target and Torres was denied by Rakovsky twice through the 56th minute.
Zamudio was not called into action again until the 65th minute, saving Charlie Dennis’ free kick with a routine stop.
Charleston came close to a third goal in the 73rd minute with a link-up between Myers and Cal Jennings, but Myers’ sliding touch on Jennings’ cross was not enough to send the ball into the net.
Rodríguez rose to the occasion again in the 77th minute to add to Charleston’s lead and make the score 3-1. Jennings’ low cross to the front of goal created the danger, and Myers had a savvy touch that set up Rodríguez right in front of Rakovsky. Rodríguez then slotted his shot between Rakovsky’s legs for the tally.
The brace brought Rodríguez’s season total to three goals, and the assist was Myers’ third of the year.
Houssou Landry put an exclamation point on the night with a sensational goal from the halfway line in the 88th minute to put the game to bed at 4-1. Leland Archer won possession for the Battery in the defensive third, which enabled Houssou to lead a counterattack. Houssou then caught Rakovsky off his line by unleashing a rocket from the halfway line that went to the top corner.
The goal was Houssou’s third goal of the season, and his second in three games.
Charleston were back in the win column with the 4-1 triumph over Phoenix, a bit of revenge for 2023 in front of the sold-out crowd at Patriots Point.
The win advanced the Battery’s record to 10W-3L-1D (31pts), placing them level on points with Louisville but second in the table due to tiebreakers, and a league-leading +17 goal differential.
The Battery’s efficiency with the ball was on full display as the side conceded nearly 65% possession to Phoenix, but recorded more shots (16 to 11) and shots on target (eight to four).
Juan David Torres claimed the lead in the Championship Golden Playmaker race with seven assists, as of writing.
It was also an important night for Graham Smith, who made his first appearance in a match since April 5 and played the whole first half.
Houssou Landry enjoyed a productive day on both sides of the ball. Along with the goal, the Ivorian midfielder recorded match-highs with five tackles won, nine duels won and 11 recoveries.
Joey Akpunonu led the game with seven clearances.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Arturo Rodríguez addressed the media after the match, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on big performances in the victory…
Fair credit, a lot of big performances. Juan David [Torres] had some assists and MD [Myers] had a great goal. Obviously, Houssou [Landry] was excellent. Arturo [Rodríguez] was probably the man of the match with his goals and his energy. There are also some things that go unseen, three center-backs happen to play. Leland [Archer] and Graham [Smith], who are just getting back. There was a lot of pressure on them. Joey [Akpunonu] was excellent in there. Nate [Dossantos], [Mark] Segbers and Langston [Blackstock] held up that back line. Chris Allan, you know, Mr. Dependable in there.
Coach Pirmann on bouncing back from the latest matches…
I didn’t think we were good the last two games on the road. It’s been a tough few weeks with a lot going on and injuries and everything. But, that’s football. That’s what happens in this league. You have to be ready for a lot of different moments. I thought for our players to come back home, no legs, lots of injuries, and to dominate like that was excellent. It speaks highly about our players’ character.
We talked about it in the pre-match, about how we all wanted to reward our fans because we haven’t seen them in over three weeks. Last time out here, we played a great game and dominated, but we lost, so we wanted to reward them with playing great and winning. We need them again in two weeks. It was a tough game and fair credit to Phoenix for playing well, but our fans pushed us on and they won the three points for us.
Rodríguez on his first multi-goal game of the year…
I think the guys had a mentality before the game. Everybody knows their role, everybody knows what to do, and you can see the standard we have. Thanks to that, I had the opportunity to score those two goals. Of course, I feel really good. We’ve been working really hard to get this result.
We have so much talent, not just up front, but the whole team. Everybody trusts each other. Everybody knows what to do. It doesn’t matter who is inside the field, everybody is well-trusted. When you have those kinds of players, everything comes together smoothly.
Rodríguez on scoring the brace in the win…
It doesn’t matter what position I’m playing, whether I’m playing in the middle or playing wide, I know my role. I know what to do and that’s what the team needs. I’m ready for it.
On the first goal, everything happened so fast. I just had to trust it. I saw the space and I just took the shot. On the second goal, I was ready in the box. It’s something I’ve been working on, to be more efficient in the box. It’s something I’ve been looking for.
Rodríguez on the impact of the sold-out crowd on tonight’s performance…
First of all, I want to say thank you to La Barra, to the Regiment, and to the whole community. I think today was an amazing night. Having this kind of environment will help us to win every single game. Hopefully, we can see these kinds of crowds every single match here at Patriots Point.
Charleston’s next match will be away vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC on Sat., June 28. The Battery are back home on Sun., July 6, to host North Carolina FC. Tickets for the nationally televised Independence Day weekend match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
CHS: Zamudio, Dossantos (Segbers, 82’), Smith (Archer, 46’), Akpunonu, Blackstock, Houssou, Allan, Rodríguez, Ycaza (Jennings, 59’), Torres (Klein, 89’), Myers (Conway, 89’)
PHX: Rakovsky, Flood (Cuello, 58’), Montgomery (Kowall, 87’), Essengue, Smith, Scearce, Formella (Dennis, 59’), Avayevu, Okello (Emmers, 60’), Sacko, Johnson
Scoring Summary
CHS – MD Myers, 8’ (Juan David Torres)
PHX – Hope Avayevu, 36’ (Collin Smith)
CHS – Arturo Rodríguez, 44’ (Juan David Torres)
CHS – Arturo Rodríguez, 77’ (MD Myers)
CHS – Houssou Landry, 88’
