The Charleston Battery are set to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, June 11, as the club celebrates diversity and inclusivity in the Lowcountry during Pride Night at Patriots Point. Kickoff for the match is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
Charleston will be seeking revenge this weekend after Pittsburgh got the better of the series in 2021, winning twice and drawing twice. Romario Piggott scored last time the Hounds visited Patriots Point, on August 6, in a 2-3 defeat. Since 2014, however, the Battery lead the series with a 5W-4L-8D record.
Pittsburgh arrive in South Carolina following a 1-1 home draw against Detroit City FC. The Hounds took a 1-0 advantage into the break when Albert Dikwa scored at the half-hour mark. The visitors leveled the terms in the 70th minute after Maxi Rodriguez found the back of the net. Detroit exploited Pittsburgh’s compact shape with a ball over the top and across wide to the left side of the field to Deklan Wynne, and Wynne connected with Rodriguez in the middle of the box for the tally.
Charleston will look to build on the positives from their 3-4 home defeat to Indy Eleven. Despite going down 1-4 in the first half, the Battery rallied late with EJ Johnson and Augustine Williams both scoring in the waning moments of the match. It was ultimately a story of what could have been for Charleston, with Williams having two goals chalked off for offside earlier in the second half, a difference that could’ve lifted the Battery to victory. Johnson’s goal was the first of his professional career and a moment he will look to replicate more often.
Saturday will be another clash between black-and-yellow 90s clubs when Charleston and Pittsburgh meet, however, the Battery are six years the Hounds’ senior.
There is plenty of familiarity between the two rosters. Preston Kilwien, who joined the Battery ahead of the 2022 season, spent 2021 in Steel City and will square off against his former club for the first time. Current Hounds Angelo Kelly-Rosales and Dane Kelly also return to Charleston after both joined Pittsburgh this past offseason.
As for milestones, Battery midfielder Dominic Oduro is nearing the century mark in career regular-season USL Championship appearances and currently sits at 97 heading into Saturday.
Ones to watch
Alex Dixon
Dixon stung the Battery last season with three goals across the four contests, accounting for one-third of his goals during the year. The winger has found the back of the net three times this year and leads Pittsburgh with five assists. He also ranks second in chances created with 21. Dixon has been a regular piece of the Hounds and has appeared in all but one of Pittsburgh’s matches. Expect the veteran player to play a key role for Pittsburgh again on Saturday.
Preston Kilwien
Kilwien will be relied upon in keeping Pittsburgh’s offense – which is tied for seventh in most goals in the league – in check on Saturday. Coming into the match against his former team, Kilwien leads the Battery in interceptions (22) and is second in clearances (17). Against Indy, Preston clocked in with two clearances, two key passes, four interceptions, seven recoveries and a passing accuracy of 84%. Look for Kilwien to be heavily involved in the action once again this weekend.
From the training ground
The Battery returned to training on Tuesday after a period of rest and recovery following the Indy match on Saturday.
Head Coach Conor Casey said the squad has been aiming to build upon the performance against Indy, while also making the necessary adjustments.
“The main message in training has been to continue to build with the ball, we’ve been better and better the last month now,” said Coach Casey. “On the flip side, [we’ve worked on] a lot of one-on-one defending. We had some breakdowns against Indy last week and we’ve been really hammering that mentality of individual defending.”
Charleston also received a boost in training this week when Matteo Ritaccio rejoined the squad for their Riverhounds preparations. He will continue to work his way back to match fitness now that he is back on the pitch with the team.
The Battery will look to be ready for however Pittsburgh line up on Saturday as Bob Lilley’s sides have been known to adjust formations week-to-week and even mid-game.
“Pittsburgh are a very good team, they have a good group of players and they’re strong,” said Coach Casey. “They started with a lot of different formations and they make a lot of changes throughout. So, they’re quite adaptive and have changed on a game-by-game basis, in terms of who plays.”
Forward Augustine Williams, who scored twice against Indy, said this week the team has been working to capitalize better on their enhanced chance creation.
“When we were down 1-4, we knew that there was an opportunity to come back,” said Williams. “We’re trying to make sure we put the ball in the back of the net early, so we don’t have to fight more towards the end to try to come back.”
As the Battery enter the middle of the season, they also enter the heat of the summer, which can become an adversary on its own to overcome.
“It’s been hot lately, but this is part of our job, making sure that we adapt to different types of conditions,” said Williams. “With the heat, making sure you get enough rest, hydration, you’re doing the little things right and making sure, building up towards the game, that we’re ready to go when it’s time.”
Come kickoff, Coach Casey believes a complete game will be needed to secure the three points against Pittsburgh.
“I think it will be important that we start strong, get the first goal, get some momentum,” said Coach Casey. “Then in our transition to defending, those times when we lose the ball, being able to stop plays quickly and protecting our own goal.”
As of posting, Matteo Ritaccio is questionable, and Joe Kuzminsky, Patrick Hogan, and Enock Kwakwa are out.
Match info:
Charleston Battery vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, June 11 – 7:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Tickets are available for Saturday’s match, but sections are starting to sell out. Buy tickets for the game via SeatGeek here.
All Battery matches will also stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.