The Charleston Battery head to Texas to close the week when they face San Antonio FC on Saturday, July 2, the leaders of the Western Conference. Kickoff at Toyota Field is 9 p.m. ET and the game will be the Battery’s third in seven days.
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between Charleston and San Antonio. San Antonio’s inaugural season in the USL Championship was in 2016.
SAFC are the top team in the Western Conference with a record of 12W-3L-1D (37 points). They are currently on a four-match unbeaten streak, most recently defeating FC Tulsa 2-1 at home. Tulsa got off to an early lead from a goal by JJ Williams that held into halftime. However, San Antonio scored twice in three minutes in the second half to claim the lead and the three points.
Charleston will look to end their stretch of three matches this week on a positive note after dropping points at home to Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday, 3-4. Atlanta scored twice in the opening four minutes of the match but the Battery continued to fight back to cut into their lead. Augustine Williams, Mauro Cichero and Geobel Perez all found the back of the net, but the Black and Yellow were ultimately unable to overcome to visitors.
Saturday’s match will be the Battery’s 17th of the season, marking the official halfway point for the Black and Yellow in the 2022 campaign.
Fans will notice a rowel spur in San Antonio’s logo, it is a direct link to the NBA team San Antonio Spurs and Spurs Sports & Entertainment, who own both SAFC and the Spurs.
San Antonio will be without defender Diedie Traore after his contract was terminated by mutual consent on June 30, per the club.
Saturday is the Battery’s sole trip to the Lone Star State this season, but not their only interconference tie in July. They will also travel to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on July 22 before closing out the month against Sacramento Republic FC at home on July 30.
Ones to watch
Justin Dhillon
Dhillon is San Antonio’s top scorer with five goals and has registered the most shots on target with 15. He additionally has 15 chances created in 2022, good for third-most on the team. The forward played in just the second half against Tulsa but assisted the equalizing goal within 10 minutes of entering the match. Dhillon has appeared in 14 of SAFC’s 16 matches and has been a consistent piece in their lineup, making 13 starts. Look for Dhillon to play another important role on Saturday.
Geobel Perez
Geobel has been a key contributor for the Battery in recent matches. In the past two games, the Cuban winger has tallied one goal, five chances created, nine duels won and a 79% passing accuracy. Against Atlanta, Geobel was constant force along the left flank and helped set up the Battery’s second goal, despite not being credited with an assist for his efforts. As he continues to play a heightened role in the lineup, watch for him to carry that form into Texas.
From the training ground
The Battery returned to training on Thursday to prepare for the road match against SAFC on Saturday.
Head Coach Conor Casey wants to see his team put together a compete performance against a tough San Antonio team.
“We need to start well, so it’ll be a big emphasis going into this game to come out more aggressive,” said Coach Casey. “We finish games really really strong in most of our matches, but we’re digging ourselves a bit of a hole early and we need to clean that up.”
The Battery tactician knows SAFC will be a tough test for his side this weekend.
“[San Antonio] are a very strong team, they’re one of the best teams in the league and have a stacked roster,” said Coach Casey.
Defender Preston Kilwien recognized the team’s tenacity in matches and will look to continue that in Texas.
“We just don’t stop fighting, I think we’ve shown that over and over again this year and [Wednesday] was another example,” said Kilwien. “So, we’re looking to go out there, do what we do, stay on top of them and come back with three points.”
Kilwien said the team will look to make the necessary adjustments to set themselves up for success against SAFC.
“Mistakes happen, that’s life, that’s football, but having that short memory and doing better the next time, that’s going to be important for us to keep going,” said Kilwien.
As of posting, Brett St. Martin is questionable, and Andrew Booth, Joe Kuzminsky, Patrick Hogan and Kyle Holcomb are out.
Match info
San Antonio FC vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, July 2 – 9:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
Toyota Field
HOW TO WATCH:
All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
