Match Preview | Hartford vs. Charleston

Presented by MUSC Health

Matchday Preview

The Charleston Battery hit the road again to face Hartford Athletic on Sat., June 14, in Week 15 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Trinity Health Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will stream on ESPN+.

It is the second meeting between Charleston and Hartford this season after the Battery secured a 4-2 home win in the first fixture on May 3. The game was highlighted by Juan David Torres’ two-goal, one-assist performance, along with Cal Jennings and Houssou Landry getting on the scoresheet.

Charleston (8W-2L-1D, 25pts) continue their East Coast road tour after playing Loudoun United FC to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in Virginia. The Battery struck first via MD Myers right before halftime, but a goal by the hosts in the second half forced the points to be shared. The result ended the Battery’s seven-game win streak in the league but extended their undefeated run to eight matches.

Hartford (1W-6L-3D, 6pts) are looking to bounce back from a 0-1 home defeat to North Carolina FC last weekend. After going into halftime scoreless, Hartford were reduced to 10 men just past the hour mark when Joseph Farrell received his second yellow card in a matter of minutes. North Carolina were held off until the 95th minute, when Pedro Dolabella scored the deciding goal.

Looking at the Eastern Conference table, the Battery are in second and the Athletic are in 11th.

Storylines of the Match

Eight Undefeated – The result in Virginia snapped the Battery’s seven-game winning streak in league play, but extended the undefeated run to eight games. It was also Charleston’s first draw of the season. The results around the league in Week 14 moved the Battery to second place in the league standings, level on points with Louisville City FC but down a spot on account of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

High-Scoring History – In recent years, the Hartford-Charleston fixture in Connecticut has delivered in terms of entertainment with high-scoring matches. While last season’s was a tame 2-2 draw, the two previous contests at Trinity Health Stadium ended 6-3 (2022) and 3-4 (2023). There has also been a flair for the dramatic, with the last two meetings featuring decisive 90th-minute goals for the Battery.

All-Time Series – Charleston hold the edge in the all-time series against Hartford with a 9W-3L-1D record. Despite the record’s appearance, the meetings are often close and hotly contested. Hartford jumped out to an early lead in the May match before the Battery turned the tables for the 4-2 win, a result which snapped a run of four consecutive meetings decided by one goal or fewer.

Akpunonu’s Return – This weekend will also mark Joey Akpunonu’s first visit to his former club since joining the Battery. Akpunonu played for Hartford on loan from FC Cincinnati last year and had an instrumental performance in salvaging the Connecticut club a point in the 2024 meeting at Trinity Health Stadium.

Charleston’s Away Form – The Battery have enjoyed moderate success on the road so far this season. In five league contests away from home, the Battery have a 3W-1L-1D record, with the lone loss coming back in March against North Carolina. Charleston will look to improve their existing four-match undefeated run in road matches in the Championship.

Myers-Jennings 1-2 Punch – MD Myers and Cal Jennings continue to set the pace in the league as the Championship’s best 1-2 punch. They currently have 17 combined goals in league play, the most of any scoring tandem.

Top Attacking Trio – Looking at overall goal contributions, the Battery’s trio of Jennings, Myers and Torres are playing at an elite level. The three all rank top-six in overall goals + assists in the Championship, with Jennings in first with 13, Torres in second with nine and Myers in sixth with eight.

Martínez Nears 150 – Douglas Martínez is closing in on the career milestone of 150 USL Championship regular season appearances. Martinez has 149 matches to his name going into this weekend.

Farrell Suspended – Hartford’s Joseph Farrell will be unavailable for Saturday’s contest while serving a red card suspension after picking up two yellows in the Week 14 game against North Carolina FC.

Rubín on International Duty – Rubio Rubín is still out on international duty after being called up to represent Guatemala during the June FIFA International Window. Los Chapines punched their ticket to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification after their matches against the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The third round, played from September through November, will determine which three countries qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Up next is their Concacaf Gold Cup campaign, starting on June 16. Rubín has been a fixture for Guatemala since his debut in 2022, recording 11 goals and 31 caps for Los Chapines.