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USL Charleston Battery

Charleston vs. Louisville Preview

September 10, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON -- In its first year in Kentucky, the USL franchise previously known as Orlando City has continued its tradition of success and MLS-quality talent. It paid off Wednesday night when New York lost at Montreal, granting a second-place finish and a first-round playoff bye for Louisville City FC.

The result? When the Coopers make their first-ever visit to MUSC Health Stadium for their return match with Charleston on Saturday (6 p.m. gate, 7:30 p.m. kickoff), they'll be playing for nothing but pride.

The hosts, on the other hand, still have plenty at stake. With just two regular-season home games remaining in 2015, the Battery could rise as high as third in the USL East, or hold their fourth-place spot and host a first-round match. But they could just as easily fall to a fifth or sixth seed and be forced to travel, or -- with the right combination of disasters -- drop out of the playoff field entirely.

Such is life near the top of 12-team USL East, in the final two weeks of what must be counted as the biggest and most successful season in league history. Nothing is guaranteed to the six teams vying for the final four spots, but it must also be said that none of those six have more control over their playoff destiny than the Charleston Battery.

New York Red Bulls II sit precariously at third on 42 points, yet the Baby Bulls are down to their final match -- and it's at Rochester, where the Rhinos haven't lost all season. Charlotte tied Charleston on 40 points Wednesday night, but the Independence's win over Toronto was its last home game. Expansion Charlotte visits Charleston for the regular-season finale on Sept. 19. Richmond, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg all remain in contention, but each would need a series of fortunate events to bypass the Battery.

What a difference two weeks makes. After losing the first two matches on a four-game away-trek that extended over the past three weeks (including a 3-1 defeat at Louisville on Aug. 22), Mike Anhaeuser's Battery salvaged four critical points against playoff aspirants Richmond and Pittsburgh in Games Three and Four, crushing the Kickers' hopes 2-0 and nicking a 1-1 stoppage-time draw against the Riverhounds.

"I think (Maikel Chang's 94th minute equalizer) was huge, because of the numbers," Anhaeuser said. "Maybe the players wouldn't think so, but look at the points. Look where we are because of that one point. Look where Pittsburgh is. They lost two points and we have the (first) tie-breaker now. Same with Richmond.

"We played well enough at Pittsburgh to get a win, but with the way it ended, that draw was like winning the game, and the players all feel it. It's the kind of thing you have to be able to do in the playoffs."

Louisville comes to Charleston as the highest-scoring team in USL -- and the third-best defense. Charleston trails only Rochester on average goals allowed. But the biggest difference between this meeting and the last might well be this old sporting cliche: Who wants this the most?

SCOUTING THE BATTERY

Charleston (40 points, 10-6-10, 38gf, 27ga, +11gd) and Rochester are the only two teams in USL with undefeated home records, but the Battery's undefeated streak is the longest, dating back 22 league home games to May 10, 2014. They'll need as much of that Lowcountry magic as they can muster as they face two of the best teams in the East in their last two regular-season games.

For the Battery, the Week 27 headline is the anticipated arrival of internationals Quinton Griffith (fullback/midfielder, Antigua and Barbuda) and Sebastien Thuriere (defensive midfielder, Haiti), plus a return to match fitness by fullback Obi Woodbine, who missed the last four games while rehabbing a knee sprain. The team is likely to be without forward Heviel Cordoves, who went down with a hamstring injury in the first half at Pittsburgh.

Even if Griffith, Thuriere and Woodbine are less than 100 percent, each has been a major contributor to the club this season, and just the addition of three names to the active roster bolsters a team that couldn't muster 17 players in Pennsylvania a week ago.

Meanwhile, Anhaeuser anticipates that another factor might play a hand in Saturday's matchup: The Lowcountry weather. The forecast for the Saturday calls for subtropical late-summer weather, with temperatures in the mid-80s, high humidity and the chance of thunderstorms.

"We've been in it, and we know how it affects the way you play," Anhaeuser said. "It affects maybe the way you close on a cross, whether you have that energy to sprint that final 15 yards. And here we're a grass field, and its softer grass, Bermuda. So we know what we have to do defensively... and I think you're going to see us play like we did earlier in the season, maybe putting pressure on the ball (up high). And we know that (goalkeeper Odisnel) Cooper has to have a big game."

Anhaeuser said he expects to open things up more at home against Louisville than he did on the road, and cautioned his players Wednesday to stay patient if the Coopers choose to drop back in a shell and play for the besieged draw. The Battery learned the hard way how effective Louisville can be if given even a glimpse of a counter-attacking opportunity.

Losing Cordoves hurts, but with leading scorer Dane Kelly back in the starting lineup and support from recent goal-scorers Maikel Chang and Zach Prince, the team has enough firepower for a win.

If there's a concern, it's yellow cards. Kelly is one caution away from missing the regular-season finale, and Prince -- who has 10 yellows on the season -- will receive a three-game suspension if he gets an 11th.

SCOUTING LOUISVILLE CITY FC

The big name for the Coopers is Matt Fondy, the former Pittsburgh/Orange County star who moved up to MLS with Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire before returning to USL in January. His 2015 goal tally is already two more than Kevin Molino's USL-record 20 in 2014, and he's done it every which way. He's great in the air, a clever trickster on the back line, and a skilled operator in tight spaces.

He is also, simply put, a marksmen. Fifty-one of his 103 shots have been on target, and his shot percentage is a remarkable .214. By comparison, Battery leading scorer Dane Kelly -- who trails only Fondy in shots and has been one of the most consistent scoring threats in the league over the past three seasons -- has a shot percentage of .102.

But with the Coopers assured of a bye, and with Fondy leading Oklahoma City's Danni Konig and Pittsburgh's Rob Vincent by two goals and four goals for the scoring title, just how much will he play on Saturday? Fondy has started all 26 of Louisville's games, and trails only star fullback Bryan Burke among outfield players when it comes to minutes. With a rivalry match at St. Louis next weekend before a bye the week after, only Coopers Coach James O'Connor knows whether the team will offer their star a bit of a rest.

There are other attacking threats in purple -- like forward running mate Kadeem Dacres -- but high-scoring midfielder Magnus Rasmussen missed last week's game, and his status for this week is unclear. Much of the offense runs through fullback Burke, who leads USL with 10 assists.

Anhaeuser will be paying particular attention to the central midfield paring of Aodhan Quinn and Juan Guzman. The Battery coach said their ability to control the center of the pitch and distribute the ball wide to Burke on the right and Irishman Niall McCabe on the left is the key to much of the purple offensive.

Goalkeeper Scott Goodwin, a former UNC Tar Heel who spent 2014 as a reserve with Carolina Railhawks, has started every game for the Coopers, with stats comparable to Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper.

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