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The Charleston Battery Soccer Club is set to host the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club on Saturday afternoon at MUSC Health Stadium. The ’03 and ’07 boys teams from each club will square off in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM (’03) and 3:00 PM (’07). Saturday marks the first time CBSC will host another USL Championship youth club at MUSC Health Stadium. 

“The fact that we are able to play these matches in a professional stadium in a big deal,” said Youth Technical Director, Derek Broadley. “We’ve started to have our teams train on the main pitch and there’s a different feel to those sessions. The aim is to replicate everything that takes place at the professional level, here, with our youth teams.” 

Director of Coaching, Dave Proctor, has headed the coordination and scheduling of matches against other USL academy clubs this season. The ’03 and ’07 boys traveled to Statesboro, Georgia in September to play Tormenta FC in their first away friendly. “The USL is very interested in the league we’ve been able to set up,” said Proctor. “The other academy directors have been receptive to this games program and we are working to schedule home and away matches with those clubs heading into the Spring.”   

In addition to playing on the professional field, the matches will be live-streamed on CBSC’s website. “It’s an added pressure on the kids that are playing,” said Broadely. “People are going to be watching these matches and it’s crucial for us to see how the boys respond to that.”

All of this is in preparation for the USL Academy Cup taking place in February of 2020. Those CBSC boys teams have friendly’s scheduled against North Carolina FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, taking place on October 26th and November 23rd-24th, respectively. For more information on CBSC’s program and the USL Academy Cup, please visit https://www.chsbatterysc.com.

Taylor Mueller v. Gordon Wild – The Battery have allowed just six goals since the end of August with Taylor Mueller leading the line. Mueller has started in twenty-seven matches this season playing every minute of those contests. Mueller leads the team in clearances and blocked shots and scored his first goal of the season against Loudoun in August. Jarad van Schaik has paired well alongside Mueller in Charleston’s last three matches, allowing one road goal in two matches.  

On the flip side, Gordon Wild has completely changed the dynamic of Loudoun’s attack. Wild has scored eight goals for Loudoun since making his debut for the club, a 3-0 win against Louisville City, and is one goal shy of being tied for the team lead. While it’s an away match for Loudoun, Wild should feel right at home in Charleston. Wild scored seven goals in 33 appearances for the Battery in 2018.

The Bottom Line: Charleston are a strong, well organized defensive team and if Mueller can limit the chances Wild can create, the Battery could close out the week with three points.

Bosua/Svantesson v. Harri Hawkins – Ataulla Guerra will miss Sunday’s match after picking up a red card against Birmingham while Zeiko Lewis will be returning from international duty with Bermuda. Arthur Bosua and Ian Svantesson are likely replacements in what could be a physical battle. The two are capable goalscorers and have combined for seven goals on the year.

Much like Mueller for Charleston, Hawkins has been a consistent defender for Loudoun. Hawkins and Loudoun are coming off a shutout win over Tampa Bay and will look to finish the season on a high, stealing three points from the Battery on the road. Hawkins ranks 7th in the league in clearances (135), and at 6’3″, is an imposing matchup for smaller attackers.

The Bottom Line: If Bosua and/or Svantesson end up filling the voids left by Guerra and Lewis, they will need to use their physical tools to beat Hawkins and Loudoun’s defense.

Grab tickets for Sunday’s match online or by calling the Battery ticket office at (843) 971-GOAL!

Loudoun are in town for a Sunday afternoon match at MUSC Health Stadium at 2:00 PM. A 0-0 draw against Birmingham on Saturday night means a win is crucial for the Battery as they eye a place in the USL Championship Playoffs.

Home Field Advantage – Charleston wrap up their regular season with three straight home matches starting with Loudoun United FC on Sunday afternoon. The Battery are 6-2-7 at home this season with impressive wins against Nashville SC and Indy Eleven. Visitors have struggled to win matches at MUSC Health Stadium and Charleston has quickly become one of the toughest places to play in the USL Championship. Over the last six seasons, the Black and Yellow have lost just eleven regular-season home matches and carry a 0.82 goals per game average.

A Wild Ride – While it’s been a disappointing inaugural season for Loudoun, the D.C. United affiliate club has shown flashes of brilliance this season, beating teams like New York, Louisville, and Tampa Bay. Former Battery forward Gordon Wild, who was acquired by D.C. United following a stint with Atlanta United and Atlanta United II, has been in fine form of late registering a hat trick against Swope Park on September 25th. He’s likely to feature as D.C. United prepare to take on Toronto FC in the MLS Playoffs.

Let’s Go Loudoun – Loudoun finish off a five-match home stretch Wednesday night against Saint Louis FC. Much like Swope Park a few weeks ago, Loudoun can help the Battery’s playoff hopes with a win tomorrow night at Segra Field. United jumped out to a 0-2 lead before Saint Louis rallied back to level things ending in a 2-2 draw. Saint Louis are two points about the Battery in the table and have struggled of late, losing two of their last three.

It’s a quick turnaround following Charleston’s match against Loudoun as the Battery host Memphis 901 FC at 7:00 PM on Wednesday night. Make the most out of the final three games of the season with our buy two get one free Hat Trick Package! Individual game tickets are also available online or by calling (843) 971-GOAL!

We are less than two weeks away from the conclusion of the 2019 USL Championship regular season and as teams continue to punch their tickets to the postseason many teams are still fighting for final spots. The Battery are locked in a fierce playoff battle with Birmingham and Saint Louis for positioning in the East and wrap up the season with three straight matches at MUSC Health Stadium.

There is still plenty to be decided in the last few weeks including our annual player awards. Brilliant individual and team efforts have defined Charleston’s season and it’s time for you, the fans, to select those most deserving of the following awards. 

Offensive Player of the Year

Derek Revord Defensive Player of the Year

Betsy McAdams Newcomer of the Year

Nigel Cooper Most Valuable Player

Let your voice be heard by submitting your selections, here.

Voting will remain open until Friday, October 11th at 12:00 PM with awards being presented prior to kickoff at our season finale against Bethlehem Steel FC. Tickets for the match are available for purchase online or by calling (843) 971-GOAL.

Charleston’s playoff hopes are still alive as the Battery battled the Birmingham Legion to a 0-0 draw at BBVA Field on Saturday night. The two teams stay level on points (40) and closed the gap on Saint Louis after their loss to Louisville City earlier this evening. The match got off to an electric start with both teams gunning for an early goal in what’s turning into an ever-intensifying playoff race.

Birmingham’s Mikey Lopez, who scored against Charleston when the sides squared off at MUSC Health Stadium earlier in the year, produced the first big chance of the match. Lopez sent a blistering shot in from the right corner of the eighteen-yard box but Joe Kuzminsky was able to get his body behind and make the save.

It didn’t take long for the Battery to respond with Ataulla Guerra and Zeiko Lewis Zeiko getting into dangerous positions inside the Legion penalty area. Both of Guerra’s first-half attempts were blocked in quick succession while Lewis saw his only shot on goal saved by Matt van Oekel. It was a relatively quiet night for van Oekel who only needed to make one save.

Prosper Kasim led all players with three first-half shots including an open header following a corner that nearly gave the Legion a 1-0 lead. Kasim found himself wide open in the Battery penalty area following a cross and made great contact on the header, but the midfielder pushed his attempt over the crossbar.  Birmingham and Charleston combined for sixteen shots in the opening forty-five minutes with each team registering eight shot attempts.

Second half action was delayed for over an hour after inclement weather passed through the Birmingham area seconds before the start of the second forty-five minutes. The delay put a damper on what had been an exciting first half, as both teams looked to get back into their groove. Lopez registered the first shot of the half, ten minutes after play resumed.

The storyline of the second half was Guerra’s red card after the forward picked up two yellow cards in a matter of six minutes. The match turned into a physical battle, producing a total of seven yellow cards. Charleston relied on their stout defense to keep Birmingham off the scoresheet for thirty minutes and did a wonderful job of blanking the Legion.

Kuzminsky picked up his 7th clean sheet of the season and was protected by a fantastic defensive backline, lead by captain Taylor Mueller. Six Battery players registered blocks on the night and forced the Legion into taking poor shots. Only four of Birmingham’s nineteen shots found their way through to Kuzminsky. 

The Black and Yellow return home for their final three matches of the regular season beginning with Loudoun United FC on October 13th at 2:00 PM. The Battery will host Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday, October 16th before taking on Bethlehem Steel on October 19th in the season finale. Tickets for all three games can be purchased online or by calling (843) 971-GOAL. 

BOX SCORE

BIRMINGHAM: van Oekel, Lopez, Culbertson (90+1′), Fisher (90+3′), Cromwell, Asiedu, Herivaux (YC 59′, Holland 89′), Avila (Hollinger-Janzen 80′), Johnson, Williams, Kasim

Substitutes: Spangenberg, Kucera, Mabiala, Ward, Holland, Ugarte (YC 66′), Hollinger-Janzen

CHARLESTON: Kuzminsky, Nelson, Higashi (Marini 83′), Mueller, van Schaik, Candela, Paterson (YC 67′), Anunga, Rittmeyer, Guerra (YC 54′, YC/RC 59′), Lewis (Daley 70′)

Substitutes: Breno, Woodbine, Kelly, Marini, Bosua, Daley, Svantesson

The Charleston Battery travel to BBVA Field Saturday night to take on the Birmingham Legion at 8 PM (EST). It’s an all-important match in the race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference with both teams looking to take an advantage into the last few weeks of the regular season. 

The Legion are coming off a tough 3-1 road loss to Swope Park Rangers on Monday night. Birmingham will be without attacking option Brian Wright after the forward picked up a straight red card against the Rangers in the 76th minute. Birmingham’s leading goalscorer, J.J. Williams, will likely lead the Legion attack as he sets his sights on the double-digit scoring mark. Since joining the Legion on a season-long loan from Columbus Crew, Williams has made fifteen starts in seventeen appearances scoring seven goals in the process.

A.J. Paterson rescued a point for the Battery against New York Red Bulls II last Friday night, bringing the Black and Yellow level in the final seconds of stoppage time. It proved to be an important point that brought Charleston level with Birmingham on points. The first-year Battery defender scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 win against the Legion earlier this season. Paterson now has two goals on the year, both of which have come in second-half stoppage time. The Grenada international has made fifteen appearances in his first season with the club and has proved to be a valuable attacking option off the bench.

Romario Piggott and Arthur Bosua were also on the scoresheet for the Battery against the Legion in June. The Battery outshot the Legion fifteen to nine and peppered Matt van Oekel with nine shots on target. Bosua led the Battery on the night taking three shots and creating three scoring chances including his match-winning penalty in the 75th minute. Tah Brian Anunga pulled the strings in midfield completing 51 of his 52 pass attempts (98.1%) and winning possession a team-high nine times. Mikey Lopez scored for Birmingham to send the teams into halftime tied at 1-1. 

Success Against the New Guys – Charleston have been perfect this season against the four Eastern Conference expansions sides (Birmingham, Hartford, Loudoun, and Memphis), playing to a 5-0-0 record and scoring eleven goals across those matches. Following Saturday nights match with Birmingham, the Battery will host Loudoun and Memphis in two of the team’s final three matches. Dante Marini, who’s scored four goals on the season, has scored against every expansions side this year, except for Birmingham. Appearing in 26 of Charleston’s 30 matches this season, Marini will likely have a chance to grab his fifth of the season and check Birmingham off the list.

Playoff Watch – Perhaps the biggest match of each team’s season, Birmingham and Charleston have their eyes set on three points, and for good reason. The teams enter Saturday’s match level on points (39) and only three points off 9th place Saint Louis FC (42). A win for Birmingham would see them move past Saint Louis FC into 9th place IF Saint Louis lose to Louisville City.

A Battery win would see the Black and Yellow move above the playoff line and, coupled with a Saint Louis loss, would be level on points with the Missouri based club. Split points between Birmingham and Charleston would keep the teams where they are in the table, regardless of other results around the league. The Battery are still at a slight disadvantage when it comes to the league’s first tiebreaker, league wins, trailing Birmingham and Saint Louis FC by two wins.

Memphis are still in the playoff conversation, sitting on 34 points, but will need a near-perfect finish to the season and other league results, to go their way to get in. 901 FC’s next match is against Indy Eleven at Lucas Oil on Saturday night. 

September was another busy month for the Battery, and as the season nears its conclusion, things are heating up in the race for a final playoff spot. Big wins against Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC have kept the Battery in playoff contention with even bigger performances on the offensive and defensive ends of the ball. Voting closes Sunday night!

JOE KUZMINSKY

Kuzminsky started off September with a bang, making seven saves in a shutout win against Indy Eleven at MUSC Health Stadium on September 8th. He would follow up his impressive performance against Indy with a four save shutout against Swope Park in midweek. The 0-0 result against Swope marked his third consecutive clean sheet dating back to the last week of August, a span that saw the third year goalkeeper make fifteen saves without giving up a goal.

After a difficult outing in Atlanta, Kuzminsky bounced back to make four saves in a crucial match against North Carolina FC and denied MVP candidate, Jared Stroud, from the penalty spot against New York Red Bulls II at MSU Park. He’d finish the match with five saves keeping the Black and Yellow close enough to level things in the final seconds of the match.

NICO RITTMEYER

Rittmeyer scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United II finishing with a team-high two shots, both of which were on target. The midfielder completed 88% of his pass attempts and won 17 duels in the contest. Rittmeyer made appearances in all six September matches including three starts against Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New York.

Rittmeyer scored his second goal in as many matches against North Carolina FC after coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute for Dante Marini. Rittmeyer made an immediate impact on the match, taking three shots in 27 minutes of play including the game-winner in the third minute of stoppage time. He was efficient with his touches completing all of his passes and working on the defensive side of the ball to win possession three times.

TAH BRIAN ANUNGA

Anunga has been a dominant force in the Battery midfield this season and continued his fine form in September. Anunga opened the scoring for Charleston against North Carolina FC with a brilliant solo effort to put the Battery up 1-0. Anunga led the team in shots (4) and tackles (3) putting in a solids day work on both ends of the field.

Anunga started and played ninety minutes in five of six matches in September and played a pivotal role in AJ Paterson’s equalizing goal against New York Red Bulls II. Anunga collected a failed Red Bulls clearance, keeping the play alive, and finding Vincenzo Candela on the left-wing who served in a perfect ball to Paterson who headed home. Anunga finished the match with two key passes and won possession thirteen times, both of which were team highs.

Prosper Kasim v. Tah Brian Anunga – JJ Williams is Birmingham’s top goalscorer, but with the Columbus Crew loanee uncertain to feature, the Legion will look to midfielder Prosper Kasim to lead the charge. Tah Brian Anunga patrols the midfield for Charleston and is a disruptive box-to-box midfielder who could make things difficult for the crafty Birmingham midfielder. 

Prosper played a full ninety against the Battery on June 8th finishing with two shots, tied for the team-high. Prosper played a part in Birmingham’s goal against the Battery sending in a dangerous cross that was headed on by Brian Wright into the path of Mikey Lopez who tucked it home past Joe Kuzminsky. The Ghana international leads the Legion in shot attempts (50), created chances (47), and most recently found the back of the net against Atlanta United 2 in a 5-0 road win.

In his third season with the club, Anunga continues to be the heart and soul of the Battery midfield. Anunga has chipped in on the offensive side of things lately, scoring the opening goal in Charleston’s 2-1 win against North Carolina FC and turning a failed clearance into an eventual winner against New York Red Bulls II. Anunga leads the team in tackles (73) and is second in interceptions (41).

The Bottom Line: If Anunga and the Battery get off to a quick start, Prosper may have a difficult time breaking down a very strong Charleston side.

Matt van Oekel v. Joe Kuzminsky – The two number one goalkeepers will have no problem getting up for this one, and could be the major players in determining the final result of this important match. 

Van Oekel has produced ten shutout performances this season and is a big reason why the Legion are in the playoff conversation. His shutout total is tied for 5th best in the league with Tampa Bay’s John McCarthy and above Indy Eleven’s Evan Newton. van Oekel was between the sticks for every match of Birmingham’s six-game run in July that saw the Legion play to a 5-0-1 record and six straight shutouts.   

Kuzminsky enters the contest with 80 saves, good for fifth-best in the USL Championship. Kuzminsky surpassed his 2018 season total of 63 and has been red hot since the end of August. The keeper went three straight matches without conceeding a goal earlier this month and saved a Jarad Stroud penalty against Red Bulls II on Friday night. He’s allowed five goals in his last six starts and has the quality to make a big save highlighted by his save against Hartford Athletic in July.

The Bottom Line: In a match where both teams need three points, van Oekel and Kuzminsky will need to be at their very best.

Away points are always big, especially towards the end of the season when your fighting for a playoff spot. AJ Paterson reflects on his last-second equalizer against New York Red Bulls II and breaks down the play as it happened on the first installment of Battery Breakdown!