Presented by MUSC Health
Matchday Preview
The Charleston Battery hit the road to face Sporting Club Jacksonville on Sat., June 20, in Week 16 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Hodges Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will stream on ESPN+.
Charleston and Jacksonville clash for the second time this season. The inaugural meeting ended in a 4-0 win for the Battery back on May 2.
The Battery (6W-4L-2D, 20pts) head to the Sunshine State following their 5-1 triumph over FC Tulsa last weekend. Charleston fell behind in the 15th minute, but in the space of the three minutes that followed, they equalized and took the lead, and never looked back. Five different players added their names to the scoresheet: Colton Swan, Maalique Foster, Emilio Ycaza, Wilmer Cabrea and Chris Allan.
Sporting Jax (0W-10L-3D, 3pts) enter this weekend still in search of their first league win in their inaugural season. The Jacksonville attack has been active in recent games, as their nine goals in the last five matches equal the Battery’s amount in that time, but they have been unable to come away with a victory. Jacksonville’s last match was a 2-6 home loss against Detroit City FC.
Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in fourth and Jacksonville are in 13th.
Storylines of the Match
First Official JAX Visit – Charleston make their first visit to Jacksonville for an official competition this weekend, a trip down I-95 which also represents the Battery’s shortest away trip in their league schedule. The Battery visited Hodges Stadium for a preseason exhibition in February, a 2-1 result for the hosts.
Round II vs. the Newcomers – This will be the second time the league’s oldest club clashes with one of their newest sides. Charleston kicked off the series with Jacksonville with the 4-0 win on May 2 at Patriots Point, a game that kick-started Colton Swan’s Player of the Month-winning run with his brace. Maalique Foster and Kirill Pakhomov also found the back of the net, while Luis Zamudio pulled off the rare no-save shutout as Jacksonville were held to zero shots on target during the night.
High Stakes in Eastern Conference – Every league match involving the Eastern Conference will loom large over the standings picture. Currently, only four points separate second place and eighth place, and ninth place is just two more points behind that. The tightness of the table means the state of the standings could swing wildly any given week, aside from first-place Tampa Bay, who are distanced by seven points. A win for the Battery could catapult them as high as second, but a loss could see them slip back down out of the top four.
Charleston’s Top Attack – The Battery now average the league’s third-best goals-per-game mark at 1.8, behind only El Paso Locomotive FC and Rhode Island FC at 1.9 each. This ascent follows Charleston’s five-goal performance against Tulsa, which was also the most goals allowed by Tulsa in a game this year.
Foster Finding Form – Maalique Foster will arrive in Florida after scoring goals in back-to-back games, as the dynamic attacker has been hitting his stride recently. Foster is the team’s leader in xG (Expected Goals) by Opta at 5.32 across the regular season and the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Additionally, Foster will be facing a Jacksonville side against which he tallied a goal and an assist back in the first meeting.
Golden Boot, Playmaker Contention – A trio of Battery players are currently in the mix of the Championship’s Golden Boot and Golden Playmaker races. Colton Swan’s recent goalscoring streak has put him into a tie for sixth in the Golden Boot race with six tallies. Meanwhile, Jeremy Kelly and Nathan Messer are tied for first in the Golden Playmaker race with four assists each, tied with seven other players.
Zamudio Saves 100 for Club – Last Saturday, Luis Zamudio notched 100 regular season saves for the Battery. Additionally, he is the eighth goalkeeper to record at least 100 saves for two clubs in the league, after previously achieving the feat with Loudoun United FC.
Super Sub Cabrera – With his performance against Tulsa, Wilmer Cabrera became only the third player in the club’s USL Championship era to record a goal and assist as a substitute, and the first since Ricky Garbanzo against the Charlotte Independence on Sept. 21, 2017.
Best of Luck, Kruz! – This week, the Battery bid farewell to USL Academy defender Kruz Held after he officially departed to start his collegiate career at the University of Portland. Held made two appearances for the Black and Yellow and the club wishes him well in his new chapter with the Portland Pilots.
MATCH INFO
Sporting Club Jacksonville vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, June 20 – 7 p.m. ET Kickoff
Hodges Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s contest will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
