Breeze Cup Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Charleston Battery: April 22, 2026
USL Rhode Island FC

Breeze Cup Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Charleston Battery: April 22, 2026

Published on April 20, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


Rhode Island FC enjoyed a bye-week break after a busy stretch of games last week, and will return to USL Championship action on Wednesday after a dramatic penalty-shootout loss to Major League Soccer club New England Revolution in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on April 14. Prior to the thrilling cup tie, which was taken into penalties thanks to a stoppage-time JJ Williams equalizer, the Ocean State club picked up its first win of the season in a dominant 3-1 victory at Lexington SC on April 11. With a pair of strong performances in the rearview mirror, RIFC will welcome another tough opponent to Pawtucket in the inaugural Breeze Cup vs. Charleston Battery on Wednesday. Although last year's No. 2 seed has gotten off to another strong start, RIFC is 2W-0L-0T in its last two meetings with the Battery, including a gritty penalty-shootout win in last year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Ahead of the first leg of the Breeze Cup, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Wednesday, April 22

Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET

Location | Centreville Bank Stadium - Pawtucket, R.I.

Broadcast | myRITV, CBS Sports Golazo Network

Digital | WPRI 12+ Streaming App

Radio | 790 The Score (WPRV 790 AM)

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)

Game Hashtag | #RIvCHS

Last Meeting | Nov. 2, 2025: CHS 0(3)-0(5) RI - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals - Mount Pleasant, S.C.

CHARLESTON BATTERY

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): 0-Cohen Rigsby, 1-John Berner, 24-Daniel Kuzemka, 56-Luis Zamudio

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Krux Held, 3-Nathan Messer, 5-Sean Suber, 7-Langston Blackstock, 16-Graham Smith, 22-Joey Akpunonu, 42-Douglas Martinez

MIDFIELDERS (7): 4-Chris Allan, 8-Emilio Ycaza, 10-Laurent Kissiedou, 13-Wilmer Cabrera, 17-Jack Wayne, 88-Kirill Pakhomov, 91-Houssou Landry

FORWARDS (5): 12-Alec Hughes, 29-Jeremy Kelly, 30-Colton Swan, 90-Miguel Berry, 99-Malique Foster

Consistency is Key

Charleston Battery will play its fifth road game in seven games across all competitions on Wednesday, with one final road trip to follow before it caps off a difficult stretch away from home. Although the club is 1W-3L-0T away from home this year across all competitions, its lone victory was a historic 2-0 shutout win at Louisville City FC, in which the Battery became the first team to take all three points at Louisville in the regular season since Rhode Island FC did so in June 2024 - nearly two full years ago. After snapping back-to-back Players' Shield winners' 26-game home unbeaten streak in the regular season with the statement result, Charleston fell 3-0 at expansion club Brooklyn FC in its next game, before rebounding vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies and collecting a 1-1 tie vs. the league leaders. Charleston has shown it can throw punches with some of the best teams in the league, but will look to find that form consistently as it looks for its first-ever win in the Ocean State.

Messer Mania

Former Rhode Island FC defender Nathan Messer has been a key contributor in his return to the USL Championship with Charleston in 2026. The Englishmen, who spent the 2024 season with Rhode Island FC before playing for USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine in 2025, leads the USL Championship with 61 crosses, averaging just over 10 per game. Messer is one of three Charleston players with a pair of assists, and leads the team (and is tied-fourth in the league) with 13 chances created through five starts as the only player to reach double-digits in that category. Messer collected his second assist of the season in Charleston's 1-1 tie vs. Tampa Bay last time out, swinging in an 82nd-minute corner kick to secure a come-from-behind point just two minutes after going behind. Messer will face his former side at Centreville Bank Stadium for the second time on Wednesday after making his first return trip when RIFC defeated Portland 4-1 in the USL Cup on June 27, 2025.

Balancing the Attack

Charleston's eight goals this season have come from seven different goalscorers, with Douglas Martinez becoming the latest Battery player to add his name onto the scoresheet with his late header vs. Tampa Bay. With the exception of its two shutout losses, each game this season has seen goals from a different player's boot. Emilio Ycaza (two goals) stands as the team's lone multi-goal contributor, headlining a well-balanced attack that has also scored goals from all three outfield positions. Martinez, Kirill Pakhomov, Laurent Kissiedou, Colton Swan, Sean Suber and Wilmer Cabrera all join Ycaza on the club's long list of goalscorers early in the season.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer, 29-Jacob Castro

DEFENDERS (8): 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 4-Hugo Bacharach, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 22-Nick Scardina, 24-Karifa Yao, 25-CJ Williams, 32-Hamady Diop

MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Dwayne Atkinson, 10-Agustín "Pity" Rodríguez, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 19-Kevin Vang, 21-Zachary Herivaux, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson

FORWARDS (5): 8-Leo Afonso, 9-JJ Williams, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Logan Dorsey, 20-Jamin Gogo Peters

Jumpin' JJ

Despite a penalty-shootout loss, the story of RIFC's second-straight U.S. Open Cup clash vs. the New England Revolution came deep into second-half stoppage time. The Revolution were holding a 1-0 lead in the 10th and final minute of added time, and looked primed to see out the narrow win until JJ Williams declared otherwise. Rising up to meet the deflected cross of Hamady Diop in the six-yard box, the physical striker found the back of the net to level the game, scoring the latest regulation goal in club history with one of the last touches to send the game into overtime in thrilling fashion. The goal from Williams was his team-leading fourth goal contribution of the season and the 21st of his RIFC career, which stands as the club's all-time lead. Both of his goals this season have come from headers. The last time Charleston came to Centreville Bank Stadium, Williams was also the difference-maker, nodding home a close-range header in the second-half to secure a huge 1-0 win over the second-place Battery on Aug. 30, 2025.

Danger from the Wings

In RIFC's first league win of the season, a 3-1 victory at Lexington SC, three different goalscorers combined for the club's best attacking showing of 2026 USL Championship season, displaying a full-throttle attack that is clicking at the right time. In the first half, both goals came from out wide. Aldair Sanchez started the party in the 22nd minute, making a blistering solo run down the left wing after forcing a turnover in the midfield and picking out the top-left corner with a powerful effort. Sanchez's goal finished as one of four finalists for the USL Championship Goal of the Week. Six minutes later, Williams played a brilliant ball through to a wide-open Jojea Kwizera on the opposite side, who doubled the lead with his second goal of the year, a composed left-footed finish that took a deflection off of the Lexington goalkeeper. The goal was the second of the year for both Sanchez and Kwizera across all competitions - both of Sanchez's career goals for RIFC have come in the last four games, while Kwizera has already matched his goal total from 2025.

For the Recordbooks

Rhode Island FC has enjoyed success over Charleston, losing just once in six all-time meetings with a 3W-1L-2T all-time record vs. the Battery. RIFC currently holds a two-win streak in the ongoing series - Charleston's last win vs. Rhode Island came in the form of a 2-0 shutout on March 15, 2025, in RIFC's 2025 season opener. The Ocean State club most recently eliminated the No. 2-seeded Battery in the 2025 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Nov. 2, 2025, defeating the South Carolina club in the playoffs for the second-straight year and fielding RIFC's run to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals. The first trophy in RIFC's history was also won in Charleston when RIFC toppled the Battery 2-1 in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. RIFC is 2W-0L-0T vs. Charleston with silverware on the line, and will look to continue that trend when it takes the field for the inaugural Breeze Cup on Wednesday.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 20, 2026


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