Battery Blank Detroit in 2-0 Win on Goals by Swan, Blackstock
USL Charleston Battery

Battery Blank Detroit in 2-0 Win on Goals by Swan, Blackstock

Published on May 30, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Battery secured a dominant 2-0 victory over Detroit City FC on Saturday. Charleston struck twice in quick succession at the quarter-hour mark with goals by Colton Swan and Langston Blackstock, and the double tap proved to be the decisive moment of the evening. Luis Zamudio notched his third clean sheet of the season. With the victory, the Battery extended their unbeaten run at home in 2026.

Following a flyover by a C-17 Globemaster III over the stadium, the match kicked off amid pleasant and warm conditions as the club celebrated Military Appreciation Night at Patriots Point.

Both sides brought ample energy out of the gate, and goalkeeper Luis Zamudio made the first save of the game in the 11th minute, denying Kobe Hernández-Foster.

Charleston broke the game open in the 14th minute with Colton Swan flying in with a header off a Nathan Messer corner kick, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Swan timed his run in the box perfectly to meet the service from Messer, and the U.S. youth international's header went over the reach of goalkeeper Carlos Herrera.

Swan's goal was his seventh of the year across all competitions, most on the team. Messer's assist was his fourth, placing him into a tie for the league lead, as of writing.

The Battery were not done yet and Langston Blackstock doubled the lead just moments later, scoring in the 16th minute to make the score 2-0. Messer forced the issue with a cross into the box to Miguel Berry, and Berry laid it off to Swan in a dangerous spot inside the box. Swan, however, teed up Blackstock, who then sent the ball into the net.

Blackstock's goal was his second of the year, and Swan's assist was his first of the season.

Detroit thought they pulled a goal back in the 21st minute via Devon Amoo-Mensah, but the referee's flag was raised for offside.

Zamudio was called on to make a big save in the 39th minute, a diving stop that denied Tommy Silva. The goalkeeper made another key stop in stoppage time to deny Ryan Williams, his fourth save of the first half.

Charleston took the 2-0 lead into the break despite an otherwise even first half. Both teams recorded four shots on target in the first half, and possession was held almost perfectly even, favoring Detroit by just 0.2%.

Play resumed in the second half with the Battery looking to maintain their advantage on the scoreboard.

Kirill Pakhomov nearly added a third goal for the Battery in the 61st minute, but his strike on target was saved by Herrera. Maalique Foster had a dangerous look in the 69th minute but his shot on target was saved.

A notable moment occurred in the 90th minute when Chris Allan and Alex Hughes entered the match off the bench. It marked Allan's first appearance of the year, and since August 2025, and Hughes' official club debut.

Detroit recorded three shots in the second half, but none were on target.

Charleston secured the 2-0 shutout victory over Detroit, extending the club's unbeaten run at home in 2026, and marked the club's first home win over the Michigan club in the all-time series.

Additionally, the win advanced the Battery's record to 5W-4L-1D (16pts), placing them fifth in the Eastern Conference table.

Luis Zamudio notched four saves en route to his third clean sheet of the year.

Colton Swan turned in another impact performance before heading out on international duty with one goal, one assist, and a co-match-high seven duels won and two chances created.

Jeremy Kelly and Douglas Martinez co-led the game with three tackles won each.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann and defender Langston Blackstock addressed the victory after the match, with key quotes to follow.

Coach Pirmann on the team's overall performance...

Yeah, it was a pretty good, complete performance. We've had a lot of games this year where we've been dominant on the ball and poor in transition or didn't finish chances. There have been games where it's been cagey and we didn't create enough.

It was a good performance. An early goal helps, and then we go and get the second one, and we were on them, tails up. I thought even in the second half, we knew they would have the ball a little bit more. We knew we would be a little more defensive, but I thought we had the best two or three chances. [We] didn't concede anything.

Coach Pirmann on the win over Detroit in the second meeting...

Detroit's a good team. They're that high up the table for a reason. They smacked us in Detroit, so we wanted to get them back here. It was good to even out the series for the year.

I'm proud of the boys. It was a tough week. They got after it. They knew the job they needed to get done. It was a good overall performance and one the supporters can celebrate.

Blackstock on the preparation for round two with Detroit...

Detroit at [their] home kind of got us, suffocated us. So, all week, we wanted to do the same thing to them, and I think it was mission accomplished. It was a big game, and we were able to get it done. It's super nice [to be home], we've been on the road for a while, and it was good. You've got to make the home one count.

I think it's a team effort. Luis played great, he always plays great. Joey [Akpunonu], Graham [Smith], Dougie [Martinez], Nate [Messer], those guys did amazing. It's up to us [in the] front four, just keep putting pressure and make their jobs easy.

Blackstock on the play that led to his goal...

When I play forward, I just want to crash the box as much as possible. I saw it kind of go wide to Nate, and he's always getting crosses in. I was just kind of in the right spot, and I called, and Colton put it on a plate for me, so it was just my job to finish it.

Charleston's next match will be home vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Sat., June 6, in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. The next league contest will be the following Saturday against FC Tulsa at Patriots Point. Tickets for both games are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Lineups:

CHS: Zamudio, Akpunonu, Smith, Martínez (Hughes, 90'), Messer, Blackstock (Foster, 63'), Kelly (Allan, 90'), Pakhomov, Ycaza, Swan (Cabrera, 77'), Berry (Suber, 63')

DET: Herrera, Silva (Stanley, 46'), Montgomery, Amoo-Mensah, Yamazaki, Hernández-Foster, Williams (Diop, 63'), Diouf (Williams, 77'), Rodriguez, Dalou (Mentzingen, 63'), Smith

Scoring Summary:

CHS - Colton Swan, 14' (Nathan Messer)

CHS - Langston Blackstock, 16' (Colton Swan)

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 30, 2026


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