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USL Charleston Battery

Battery Back at Patriots Point Wednesday Night

September 21, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Battery return to Patriots Point Wednesday night for Hometown Heroes Night, taking on New York Red Bulls II for the fourth and final matchup this season. It's Hometown Heroes Night at Patriots Point as the club celebrates and honors the Lowcountry's Police, Fire and Healthcare Heroes during the match.

Key Storylines

It's the final meeting between the two clubs this year with the Battery leading the season series 1-0-2

Sitting fifth in the Atlantic Division standings with a game in hand, Charleston will look to tighten the gap with fourth place Charlotte Independence via three points over New York Wednesday night

The Battery are coming off a two-game road trip that included a pair of draws after facing Atlanta United 2 on September 15 and The Miami FC on September 18

The club will honor area police, fire and healthcare heroes for Hometown Heroes Night Wednesday with a pre-match presentation honoring representatives from area police and fire departments and EMS and healthcare facilities

Wednesday night also features the return of the Battery's Holy City Heroes T-Shirt Fundraiser with $10 from every t-shirt supporting the North Charleston Police Department's "Cops Athletic Program" which provides sports and educational programs to area youth through positive interactions with law enforcement personnel

The meeting is the fourth and final of the regular season between the two Atlantic Division sides. The Battery lead this year's series 1-0-2, winning the most recent game 2-3 in New Jersey after the first two fixtures ended in draws. DZ Harmon, Josh Penn and Claudio Repetto all got on the scoresheet during that August 20 meeting at MSU Soccer Park.

Looking at the division table, Charleston are in fifth with a record of 8-8-6 (30 pts) and New York are in seventh with a record of 4-16-4 (16 pts). With a game in hand, the Battery will look to gain ground on Charlotte Independence (fourth place, 37 pts) for a playoff spot.

New York are coming off a 0-3 home loss to Memphis 901 FC on Sunday. Kyle Murphy notched a brace for Memphis, scoring in the 21st minute on a penalty and in the 79th minute to put the game away. Skylar Thomas found the back of the net between Murphy's double to complete Memphis' trio of goals. The Baby Bulls were put in an early disadvantage in the first half when Daniel Edelman was sent off in the 39th minute for his second yellow card of the contest. As a result, the talented defender will be unavailable for Wednesday's match. The defeat was the third in a row for Red Bulls II and they will be looking to break that streak.

Charleston return home after a road trip that included a pair of draws. The most recent was a 1-1 result against The Miami FC which featured the first career professional goal from defender Patrick Hogan. Miami equalized after Lamar Walker managed to find the back of the net in the 66th minute. The match was not short of intensity and both defenses held firm to prevent a second goal from being conceded. Leland Archer turned in another productive night of work with nine clearances, four recoveries, five duels won and a pass success rate of 83%. The Battery will look to continue the strong form on defense when New York visit the Lowcountry.

Robbie Crawford will be available for selection again after missing the match against Miami due to yellow card accumulation attained in the game prior.

As with every match the rest of the way, crucial three points will be at stake Wednesday. Charleston are on the business end of the playoff race and will look to close the gap against Charlotte Independence for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division while also holding off Hartford Athletic in sixth.

Ones to Watch This Week

New York Red Bulls II - Cameron Harper

Harper was among the bright spots against Memphis despite the result. The forward registered three key passes, eight duels won, eight recoveries and three shots. For his efforts, Harper was New York's highest rated player by FotMob.com at 7.6 (out of 10). The ex-Celtic FC player and current United States U-20 international will likely see an enhanced role Wednesday due to Edelman's absence, if he is selected by head coach John Wolyniec. A talented player with experience on New York's first team, Harper could pose a threat that wasn't present in the previous three meetings.

Charleston Battery - Josh Penn

Penn has been growing in his role more each week and made his third start with the Battery on Saturday. The Illinois native tallied three shots on target, six duels won, three recoveries and three tackles. His four total shots were tied for the most during the game. Penn was among the top performers for Charleston against Miami, receiving a player rating of 7.3 from FotMob.com. As Penn becomes more comfortable and used to the pace of the Championship, expect him to play an important role against the Baby Bulls, whether off the bench or in the starting XI.

Training Notes

The Battery returned to Patriots Point on Sunday following the match against Miami. Charleston began training Monday ahead of the midweek match.

On coming back home from the road trip, Battery Head Coach Michael Anhaeuser said although the team would've wanted to secure more points, they will build on the two earned in two tough games.

"When you play two road games, you're going down there to try to get maximum points, but at the same time, the way it came out, getting to draws is not a terrible thing," said Anhaeuser. "Two points is better than zero, two points is better than one, so you've got to take the positive. We would've loved to get four or six points, but we have to move forward and put our focus on our home game on Wednesday."

With Charleston facing New York for the fourth time, Coach Anhaeuser said their playing style contrasts with Miami's but is similar to Atlanta's.

"New York is a younger team, they're going to work, they're going to really try to push it forward, we saw it here the last time we played them," said Anhaeuser. "Miami was possession-based, find-the-hole, move-it-around and they really work you defensively. [New York] will be a little bit more like Atlanta with their youth and exuberance, and you have to be ready for it because they have some quality players."

Battery defender Leland Archer spoke on the team's defensive performances, which have been strong in recent games, crediting the return players to the back line.

"It's really good to have everyone back playing and everyone healthy again, we had some key players missing, Jarad [van Schaik] is back in," said Archer. "We've stuck to our plan and been grinding it out to not give up as many goals as we had been."

As the team returns to the Lowcountry for the playoff push, so will the Patriots Point faithful to back them. Archer said the team is looking forward to playing in front of their fans again for the positive impact their support has on games.

"Playing at home is always fun because the fans bring a lot of energy for us, it definitely helps us more than they probably think, but it's definitely good energy that they bring to the home games," said Archer. "It's always different playing away games because we don't have that same support behind us, but the past few games at home we've felt that energy and it's been pushing us positively throughout the game."

As of posting, Stavros Zarokostas, Nicque Daley and AJ Paterson are questionable, Temi Adesodun, Romario Piggott, Logan Gdula, Nico Rittmeyer, and Mauro Cichero are out.

MATCH INFO

Charleston Battery vs. New York Red Bulls II

Wednesday, September 22 - 7:00 p.m. EST Kickoff - Patriots Point

How to Watch: ESPN+

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