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USL Charleston Battery

Charleston vs. Charlotte Preview: Winner-Take-All Saturday

September 16, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON -- What's on the line when the Charleston Battery host the Charlotte Independence in the regular season finale Saturday (7:30 p.m. kickoff at MUSC Health Stadium)?

For starters, it's the tie-breaker in a four-game season series that's deadlocked 1-1-1 and dead-even on goals for and against. It's a de facto championship match for the 2015 Southern Derby Cup, the venerable fan-organized season-long tournament between Charleston and two other Southeastern opponents. The Battery regains the trophy for the first time since 2011 with a win. Charlotte keeps it with a draw.

Then there's the little matter of playoff position. With a win, Charleston (11-6-10, 43 points) would claim the third seed in the East behind Rochester and Louisville and host in the first round next Saturday. Charleston could also host next weekend with a draw, though probably as the fourth seed. A loss would toss the third-place Battery's fate into a blender of confusing scenarios, likely resulting in the club missing out on hosting a playoff game.

The situation is far more dire for the Charlotte Independence (10-7-10, 40 points), who could rise as high as third with a win or fall completely out of the field.

That means there's no shortage of motivation for both teams, who have been closely matched in each of their three previous meetings. Charleston beat Charlotte 3-2 in the new franchise's first home match on March 27. The Independence played well at MUSC Health Stadium on May 23, out-shooting the Battery 10-7 in a 1-1 draw. The two squads closed out the Charlotte portion of the series on June 20th when Tomasz Zahorski converted a Jorge Herrera assist in the 90th minute for a 2-1 win.

"When you play a team a lot, it's always tough, because you get to know what the other team likes to do," said Battery Coach Mike Anhaeuser.

SCOUTING THE BATTERY

Charleston (Home: 7-0-6, 20gf, 8ga, +12gd. Last 5: LLWDW, 2-2-1, 8gf, 7ga, +1gf) has been an up-and-down squad for most of the summer, and suffered through a gloomy six-game July-August winless streak that produced just two points at home and none on the road. Though that point total didn't reflect the team's general quality of play, the quality was also insufficient to overcome the game's not-uncommon misfortunes.

All that changed on Aug. 29, when the Battery grabbed three critical points in a 2-0 win at Richmond. The team played well on Sept. 5 at Pittsburgh, too, but again couldn't seem to buy a break -- until the final play of the contest, when Maikel Chang snuck a Ricky Garbanzo ball into the net for a 1-1 equalizer. Not only did the wins give Charleston three important points, they also secured head-to-head tie-breakers with playoff contenders.

Last week, in the Battery's first home game in a month, the team played brilliantly on defense and got the breaks on offense en route to a 2-0 win over second-place Louisville. That center back Shawn Ferguson won league Player of the Week -- only the second outfield defender to achieve that honor this season, and the only one to win it without scoring a goal -- is testament to the unit's performance.

It's hard to pick a trend out of that kind of record, but one thing is impossible to miss: The Battery's defense has generally been one of the top units in USL since April. The clean sheet on Sept. 12 dropped the Battery's team Goals Against Average to an even 1.00, second only to Rochester's amazing 0.48 mark.

Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper has been on a tear over the last three games, allowing just one goal against eight saves and turning in a Goalkeeper of the Week performance at Richmond. His 0.94 gaa is second in USL. As a unit, the Battery's goalkeeping staff has the second-best Saves Percentage in the league, trailing only Tulsa.

Charleston's midfield play continues to be a strong point, but perhaps the best portent to come out of the Louisville win was Dane Kelly's insurance goal. The 81st-minute header-finish off a Jarad van Schaik set piece gave the team's leading scorer 10 goals in USL play, extending his streak of consecutive double-digit-goal seasons to three. It also had historical significance, tying Richmond's Matt Delicate for the all-time lead in USL goals on 41.

But here's where it could really help the Battery. Kelly has often scored goals in bunches for Charleston, and had been held scoreless since July 18 before finding the net last week. If Anhaeuser's Jamaican ace gets on another scoring tear like the one he enjoyed in the late summer of 2014, that would give the home team a dangerous weapon headed into the playoffs.

Then there's the homefield advantage. Charleston hasn't lost at MUSC Health Stadium in 23 league matches, going 14-0-9 since May 10, 2014. The team is 7-0-6 at home in 2015, one of only two USL teams to have avoided a loss as a host this season (the other is first-place Rochester).

SCOUTING THE CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE

Charlotte (Away: 2-5-6, 9gf, 16ga, -7gd. Last 5: DWDWL, 2-1-2, 9gf, 7ga, +2gd) and Charleston may mach up well against each other, but they're built in radically different ways. Only two Battery players -- fullback Obi Woodbine and Houston homegrown prospect Memo Rodriguez, typically a substitute midfielder-- have ever signed MLS contracts. Charlotte's roster is packed with former MLS talent.

It's a solid approach for a team that's looking to compete in its expansion year. And while the still-nomadic Independence haven't yet matched the crowds attracted by some of their expansion brethren, their results on the field have exceeded most.

Like the Battery, Charlotte is effectively a middle-of-the-curve offensive unit (tied for 13th in goals with 37) that boasts a better-than-average defense (tied for fifth with 32 goals against). That Coach Mike Jeffries' team would stack up that way in Year One is a modest surprise, given the attacking and playmaking talent available.

One reason might be nothing more than numbers. Thirty-four players have cycled through Charlotte's lineup over the course of the season. When you sort those stats, however, it becomes clear that the 2015 Independence are built around the three stalwarts who have each logged more than 2,000 minutes.

Midfielder Andrew Ribiero -- a former New York Red Bulls draft pick -- played a great rookie season in Harrisburg in 2013, earning him a contract with Chivas USA. The now-defunct MLS franchise released him without an appearance in 2014, and he caught on with Pittsburgh last season. He's strong and skilled, but seldom a threat to score.

Holding mid Paolo DelPiccolo played with Eintracht Frankfurt, Montreal Impact and the New England Revolution before being released and logging 27 matches with Arizona United last season.

Defender Bilal Duckett, who started his professional career with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2011, has been up and down between MLS and USL ever since. After playing last season with the Charlotte Eagles (now self-relegated to PDL), he wound up with Sacramento briefly last winter before returning to the Carolinas for a second season in the Queen City.

After that trio comes a bevy of talented players with proven attacking chops. Former Columbus Crew first-rounder Ryan Finley leads the team in goals with eight, but has figured primarily as a substitute for Jeffries of late, ceding the starting role to 30-year-old Polish forward Tomasz Zahorski. Colorado Rapids rookie Dominique Badji scored two goals in six appearances and looked good doing it. Twenty-six-year-old former Carolina Railhawks forward Daniel Jackson has flashed speed and talent en route to four goals for the Jacks.

The Martinez brothers, Alex and Enzo, both have experience as midfielders in higher divisions, with Enzo sharing the team lead in assists with seven. He's tied with longtime Charlotte Eagles midfield wiz Jorge Herrera.

Along the back line, Duckett is bolstered by mid-season acquisition Henry Kalungi, a former Battery nemesis during his career with Richmond. Defender Patrick Slogic, a 6-6 center back who spent 2014 with Rochester as a rookie, has appeared as a starter at left back for the Independence recently. Right back/winger Mechack Jerome is a starter on the Haiti National Team, where he is a teammate of Battery midfielder Sebastien Thuriere. Raphael Cox is another speedy option on the outside.

The position where the Jacks' revolving door has been most apparent is in goal. Five players have appeared at the position this season, with Rapids prospect John Berner getting most of the work over the course of his 16 starts.

And here's a trivia question for your next cookout: What player appeared for both Charleston and Charlotte in 2015? It's Michael Lisch, Houston Dynamo's third goalkeeper. Lisch came on loan to Charleston for the Battery's 1-0 loss at Montreal, and has since appeared in three games for the Independence.

Troy Lesesne, a former College of Charleston and Battery assistant who also played for both teams, joined the Independence as an assistant to Jeffries in the winter. A careful student of the game, Lesesne's knowledge of his former club and its roster is an X Factor in every meeting.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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