CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery hosts Orlando City B Wednesday night at MUSC Health Stadium seeking its first win against the USL newcomers. The game has been chosen as the ESPN3 USL Game of the Week.
Charleston and OCB have met twice already this season. The two teams split the points in the first meeting at Titan Soccer Complex in Melbourne, Florida. The week two game ended 0-0 despite the Battery controlling the match from the outset.
Orlando bested the Battery at MUSC Health Stadium two months later, winning 2-1 and handing Charleston back-to-back losses at home for the first time in over six years. Michael Cox and Conor Donovan scored first-half goals to give the visitors an early lead in the match. Teenage winger Pierre Da Silva recorded assists on both the goals.
A scuffle between Ricky Garbanzo and Tyler Turner at the end of the first half ended in Turner’s ejection and a penalty for the Battery. Justin Portillo converted the spot kick to cut the deficit to one. Despite playing the entire second half with a man-advantage, Charleston could not find an equalizer and dropped all three points.
Since the two-game home skid in late May and early June, the Battery have really put the pieces together. Charleston is unbeaten in the four matches since the loss to OCB on 6/11, winning three straight and drawing with league-leaders Louisville City FC last week at Slugger Field. The draw at Louisville brought the Battery’s unbeaten streak away from home to five games. Charleston is getting healthy and gelling together as a team at the right time; the veteran group has racked up a 7-2-1 record in its previous ten matches.
OCB has turned things around recently after a tough opening few weeks of the season. With only one loss in its previous nine matches, Orlando is making a solid mid-season playoff push and currently occupies the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. A 0-0 draw in Rochester on Sunday extended OCB’s unbeaten streak to five games.
Following the clash with Orlando City B, Charleston will head to Atlanta to take on the Nigerian Olympic team at Silverbacks Park. The Battery hits the road for two weeks after the international exhibition for massive matches against New York Red Bulls II and FC Cincinnati. NYRBII (35 points) and FCC (34 points) are the two teams directly above Charleston (31 points) in the table, making the back-to-back road games two of the biggest of the year.
We’ll be serving DOLLAR BEERS at tomorrow’s match. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online here or by calling 843-971-4625.
Top image: Neveal Hackshaw shields the ball from OCB’s Richie Laryea in the teams’ previous meeting on 6/11. Vin Duffy photo.