The Charleston Battery announced Monday the dates and opponents of the club’s 2024 USL Championship schedule. The defending Eastern Conference Title-Holders begin their 32nd season with an away match against the newly promoted North Carolina FC on Sat., March 9.
Charleston’s home opener is set for Week 3 on Sat., March 23, against New Mexico United for the Black and Yellow Derby at a newly-renovated Patriots Point. The Battery’s first two matches are on the road. Kickoff times are still to be determined.
The Battery, who finished third in the conference table last year and ended as USL Championship Finalists, will play a 34-match schedule across 34 weeks from early March through late October.
Fans have two options to buy tickets right now: a customizable eight-match pack or a Season Membership, with both currently available for purchase via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider. Single-game tickets will go on sale in early 2024.
“The USL Championship continues to grow in strength,” said Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “Clubs are using resources and want to win, making this upcoming year the toughest in the league’s history.
“The 2024 campaign is the most important season to date. We want to represent our club and community with passion and courage while pushing higher to new levels. As always, we are focused on taking things one day at a time and on improving ourselves each day.”
The Battery are slated to play every club in the league; home-and-away against every team in the Eastern Conference and six home and six away matches against teams in the Western Conference.
A notable change to this year’s conference alignment is Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa will join the Western Conference. This is to balance out the introduction of North Carolina FC and Rhode Island FC in the Eastern Conference and after Rio Grande Valley FC and San Diego Loyal SC ceased operations.
That being said, Charleston and Rhode Island’s inaugural meeting will take place on April 6 in the Ocean State. The Battery will welcome the expansion club to the Lowcountry on October 19 for the reverse fixture.
The winner of the Southern Derby will be determined on June 28, when North Carolina make their return to Charleston for the first time since 2019.
Charleston, who sported the league’s best away record last year, start the season with six of their first eight matches on the road.
The Battery are set for a rematch of the 2023 USL Championship Final on June 22 when they travel west to face Phoenix Rising FC.
Teams making their first visit to Patriots Point include El Paso Locomotive FC (May 24), North Carolina (June 28) and Rhode Island (October 19).
Breaking down the home matches by day of the week, the Battery play one on Tuesday, three on Friday and 13 on Saturday. Five of the Battery’s final seven matches will be played at home, all on Saturday.
“We are so thankful for such tremendous support from our fans in 2023,” said Coach Pirmann. “The Final was one of the best environments in the country across the entire year. We want to build off of that and make it even better for everyone in 2024.”
The top eight teams of each conference will advance to the USL Championship Playoffs. The playoffs will remain a single-elimination format, culminating in the 2024 USL Championship Final on CBS on a to-be-determined date between Nov. 21 and Nov. 25, 2024.
The 2024 USL Championship season will mark the first in the league’s new historic four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, through which USL Championship contests will air on network television for the first time. More details on the 2024 national broadcast schedule and broadcast partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
Fans should stay tuned for updates on theme nights and single-game tickets for the 2024 season, which will be unveiled early next year.
