Presented by MUSC Health
The Charleston Battery are set to hit the road and take on Birmingham Legion FC on Sat., July 29, at Protective Stadium. Kickoff in Alabama is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Charleston and Birmingham square off for the first time this season. Legion FC currently lead the all-time series with a 3W-1L-1D record over the Battery but Charleston will look to even the terms with this year’s fixtures.
The Battery (10W-5L-6D, 36 pts) enter Saturday’s match looking to build upon their 3-1 victory over Eastern Conference leaders Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Charleston overwhelmed the Hounds as Juan Sebastian Palma, Augi Williams and Beto Avila found the back of the net. Fidel Barajas provided two assists in the first half.
Legion FC (9W-8L-2D, 29 pts) return home this weekend after a 1-2 road victory over Louisville City FC on Saturday. Birmingham came back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime and won the game after two goals in the second half. The winning goal came in the 92nd minute via Alex Crognale.
Saturday’s match will feature Charleston’s four-game undefeated streak going up against Birmingham’s three-game undefeated streak.
A player to keep an eye on for the Battery is Juan Sebastian Palma. The Colombian center-back was named to the Team of the Week following his impressive display on offense and defense against Pittsburgh.
One to watch for with Birmingham is Enzo Martinez. The veteran playmaker has 13 goal involvements this year (eight goals and five assists), the most on the team.
Trey Muse currently has 299 career regular season saves in the USL Championship. He will become the 12th goalkeeper to reach 300 regular season saves in the league’s history with his next stop.
Barajas’ two assists against Pittsburgh place him in sole possession of the league lead in assists, two more than the next-highest total.
Speaking of rankings, Williams’ nine goals are one goal off the pace of the league lead (10); Muse is tied for the sixth-most saves this year with 58; Leland Archer has the ninth-most clearances in the league so far (79).
FROM THE TRAINING GROUND
Head Coach Ben Pirmann addressed the media ahead of Saturday’s match before heading to Alabama, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on the competitiveness of the league for the second half of the season…
Look, it’s a tough league. Everybody wants to win, it is a high level. There’s literally no game or moment even that you can hide. So, that’s why we really try to, iron sharpens iron per se, in training, making sure we’re getting after it, pushing each other, so that on the weekends, we’re prepared and ready to go.
We go to Birmingham, who are flying around the top of the league for a few years now. They’re probably one of the top two or three most talented teams in the league, if not the best. So, it should be a tough game on the turf, they’ve been very good at home.
Coach Pirmann on what to expect from Birmingham…
They move the ball very well out of possession. Tommy [Soehn] does a really good job coaching them and Enzo [Martinez] is as good as a player, MVP-level, as there is in the league. All these games are tough. I would say it’s 50-50, they’re at home and if they get it going, they have the advantage. If we can make them move, make them suffer and make sure that we’re buttoned up in transition, maybe it can tilt our way. We’ve got to make sure that we’re dialed in from start to finish.
MATCH INFO
Birmingham Legion FC vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, July 29 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff
Protective Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+, domestically, and through the league’s YouTube channel for free, internationally.
