Presented by MUSC Health
Matchday Preview
The Charleston Battery are back in action to host Louisville City FC on Sat., Oct. 10, in Week 32 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Patriots Point is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the match will stream on ESPN+ and air locally on Palmetto Sports Network.
Charleston and Louisville clash for the second time this season after the Battery blanked the Kentucky club in the first meeting, 0-2, back in April. Kirill Pakhomov and Laurent Kissiedou were on the scoresheet for Charleston in their first road win in the all-time series.
The Battery (14W-8L-4D, 46pts) were inactive in Week 31 due to Hartford Athletic’s participation in the Prinx Tires USL Cup Final this past weekend, pushing that game to October 14 and granting Charleston an unexpected reprieve before the final month of the regular season. The Black and Yellow’s last match was a 2-0 victory over Rhode Island FC, with Emilio Ycaza scoring both goals in the second half to exact revenge on the New England club. Luis Zamudio recorded his sixth shutout of the season.
Louisville (10W-9L-7D, 37pts) faced Hartford in the USL Cup Final and claimed the trophy with a 0-1 win in Connecticut on Sunday. LouCity arrive in the Lowcountry with one win in their last six league contests, and most recently played Hartford to a 2-2 draw in Week 30.
Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in third and Louisville are in seventh.
Storylines of the Match
Rivalry Renewed – Charleston and Louisville clash again for the first time since April, adding another chapter in the rivalry between two of the league’s top sides historically. LouCity currently hold the advantage in the all-time series with an 11W-5L-7D record against Charleston, but the Battery’s form at home in the series is more favorable, with a 4W-3L-4D record when hosting Louisville.
Back from the Break – The Battery were off this past weekend due to the schedule conflict created by the Hartford-Louisville clash in the USL Cup Final. Interestingly enough, those two teams also represent Charleston’s next two opponents, as the Battery will visit Hartford on October 14 after facing Louisville on October 10.
Top-Four Finish in Reach – Next on the Battery’s postseason punch list is to clinch a top-four finish in the Eastern Conference, which would secure a home game in the opening round of the playoffs, and is achievable this weekend with the correct combination of results: Charleston win against Louisville AND Rhode Island FC draw/lose to Detroit City FC OR Hartford Athletic lose to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Ones to Watch – Two players to keep an eye on this weekend are Charleston’s Joey Akpunonu and Louisville’s Taylor Davila. Akpunonu has been a stalwart at center-back for the Battery and currently leads the team in clearances (134), blocks (22) and accurate long balls per 90 (8.1) in Championship play. Davila, the league’s reigning Player of the Year, is tied for the Championship lead in assists (nine) and is LouCity’s primary creator with a team-high 62 chances created. It’s likely that the two opposing forces will be at odds throughout the evening.
Business End of the Season – This weekend will officially kick off the final month of the regular season for Charleston. The Battery have four games remaining, two home and two away, and the heat is on for playoff positioning across the conference. The Battery sit in third, one point out of second, with a game in hand, but the Players’ Shield is still within reach after leaders Tampa Bay Rowdies (52pts) lost to Miami FC last weekend. On the other end, Louisville are aiming to fight off Miami and Indy Eleven for a postseason spot, as just four points separate the three sides from seventh to ninth in the table.
Career Year for the Captain – Emilio Ycaza is amid a banner year for his career as he continues to set and match personal records. Ycaza’s eight goals are a single-season best for his career, and his four assists have tied his personal high set in 2022. His 12 goal contributions are also a new single-season career best. Additionally, Ycaza’s eight goals rank second-best among midfielders in the Championship this year, which could set him up for his first All-League selection of his career.
Zamudio Back in the Mix – Luis Zamudio was back between the sticks for Charleston for the first time since August 15 and delivered a key performance in the win over Rhode Island. The shot-stopper ended the night with five saves and one punch en route to his sixth clean sheet of the year. Should he feature again, Zamudio will look to replicate the shutout against Louisville, the team he notched his first clean sheet in 2026 against back in April.
Kelly in Golden Playmaker Hunt – With nine assists in league play this year, Jeremy Kelly is tied for the league lead in the Championship Golden Playmaker race. In fact, Kelly matched his single-season career-high with 10 assists across all competitions in 2026. One more assist would both set a new career best for Kelly and match the single-season club record of 11, held jointly by Fidel Barajas (2023) and Temoc Suarez (2000).
Milestones in Reach – Three Battery players are approaching career milestones in the USL Championship regular season entering this weekend. Laurent Kissiedou is 18 minutes away from 10,000 minutes played, Langston Blackstock is one appearance away from 100 matches played and Maalique Foster is 120 minutes away from 10,000 minutes played.
Battery Go Pink – It’ll be a pink out at Patriots Point as the Battery recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Night while donning the special-edition pink Resilience Kits against Louisville. The jerseys feature stripes comprised of words of encouragement symbolic of the fight against breast cancer, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the stadium in support of the cause.
From the Training Ground
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. Louisville City FC
Saturday, October 10 – 6 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will also stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally. The match will also air on local television on Palmetto Sports and Entertainment Network, channel WCSC 5.3 (SD) and WZCH-TV 35.3 (HD) in Charleston. Check with your TV provider for the exact channel number.
A limited amount of tickets for Saturday are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
