USL Charleston Battery

June 23 Match Preview - CLTvCHS

Published on June 22, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Battery look to carry their two-match win streak to Matthews, N.C., Wednesday as they face Charlotte Independence for the second time this season. Coming off Friday's win over Miami FC, the Battery are looking for revenge against their northern rivals after falling to the Independence 0-3 at the home opener at Patriots Point on May 14.

Key Storylines

The season is in full swing for the Battery after rain delays postponed two matches at Patriots Point. Wednesday's match will be the second of three in an eight-day span before returning home to face Loudoun United FC on Saturday, June 26.

The Battery look to make it 3 wins in a row Wednesday night against the Jacks after wins against Loudoun on June 8 and Miami FC on June 18.

The Battery are coming to form after their first meeting with Charlotte Independence, their only loss for the year occurring on May 14.

Coach Mike Anhaeuser's squad featured a 3-5-2 formation for the first time last Friday and will look to keep the formation fluid against a threatening Independence roster.

Fans can watch the match Wednesday at Rusty Bull Brewin Co. in North Charleston as the Battery and Rusty Bull also launch the Striker's Wit, a collaboration beer for the Battery. Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. at the brewery's North Charleston location.

CLTvCHS Match Notes

The midweek match is the second meeting between the two sides, as Charleston will look to reclaim points following the Jacks' victory in the first fixture on May 14 at Patriots Point.

In the Atlantic Division standings, Charlotte are in fourth with a 4-3-0 record (12 pts) and Charleston are in sixth with a 2-1-2 record (8 pts). The Battery, however, have games in hand with the fewest played so far in the Atlantic Division.

Charlotte are looking for a bounceback performance as they play the final match at their current grounds. The Jacks fell to New York Red Bulls II on the road 3-1, with Dane Kelly providing their lone goal of the evening. The Baby Bulls scored early and often to breakout of their recent pedestrian performances, Jeremy Rafanello notched a brace and Roald Mitchell netted the third goal. Kelly got one back for Charlotte from the penalty spot following a New York handball in the 18-yard box. The Independence defense were able to diffuse Red Bulls II's early threats, as goalkeeper Brandon Miller had two saves on the day, but New York's persistence persevered.

Charleston will aim to keep their momentum going forward after a second-consecutive victory on Friday, defeating The Miami FC 2-1 in front of a sold out Patriots Point crowd. After conceding an early goal, Zeiko Lewis leveled the terms with a brilliant scissor-kick goal in the center of the box. Lewis was assisted by Burke Fahling, reversing the roles from Fahling's match-winner against Loudoun United FC. Charleston-native Joel Bunting provided the hometown heroics in the 50th minute to break the deadlock with a close-range goal, assisted by AJ Paterson, the first of his professional career. The Black and Yellow defense locked down the rest of the match to secure the three points.

Wednesday's match will be the latest installment of the Battery-Independence rivalry. The Battery currently lead the series with a 9-3-6 record since 2015.

Ones to Watch This Week

Charlotte Independence - Dane Kelly

Dane Kelly is back with Charlotte after re-signing with the club on May 19 following a stint with Bnei Sakhnin FC of the Israeli Premier League. Kelly was with Charlotte in 2020, however he re-signed after the first match against the Battery, marking Wednesday as his first time facing the 2021 squad. The ex-Battery striker quickly re-introduced himself to the league, scoring two goals in four appearances so far this season. Expect Kelly, the all-time leading scorer in the USL Championship, to continue making an impact in the Charlotte attack as he's reintegrated into their gameplan.

Charleston Battery - Angelo Kelly

Angelo Kelly has been a consistent asset to the Battery midfield, playing all minutes of all five matches so far. The midfielder currently leads the team in passes (199) and tackles (15). Against Miami, Kelly made two essential passes in the build-up of both goals. Ahead of the first goal, Kelly featured a crafty backheel flick through two Miami players to Fahling, who then assisted Lewis' goal. Ahead of the second goal, Kelly, with his back turned and off-balance, nutmegged Junior Palacios and gathered himself around Luca Antonelli to find AJ Paterson on a cross that weaved through three Miami players. Paterson met the ball on a slide to assist Bunting's goal. Expect Angelo to continue playing a key role in the Battery midfield against Charlotte.

Coach & Training Notes

The Battery returned to training on Sunday following a rest day on Saturday after the victory over Miami.

Head Coach Michael Anhaeuser spoke fondly of his team's resilience despite Miami's early lead.

"Unfortunately we went down [0-1], but the character that our team did show after that was absolutely tremendous," said Anhaeuser. "We came back, settled down, Zeiko scored a great goal, and we really regrouped at halftime and came out great in the second half."

With a quick turnaround between matches, the squad is balancing recovery and preparations ahead of the midweek fixture.

"The biggest thing when you have a long week with three games in eight days, you really have to make sure you recover," said Anhaeuser. "We had to recover on Sunday and today was really good day to get back in to the groove, so you don't have the time to get back into really doing too much."

Midfielder Robbie Crawford discussed facing Charlotte a second time around.

"The result last time [against Charlotte] wasn't what we were looking for, we want to put that right," said Crawford. "We want to prove we're better than what we showed last time against them. We need to focus on ourselves and keep the positivity going from the last couple of results."

Crawford said the squad is building on Friday's performance to keep the momentum going on the road.

"We need to continue what we did on Friday, and just keep the ball a little bit more, Miami had a bit more time on the ball than we realized," said Crawford. "Hopefully we can take a few more chances, defend solidly, and hopefully get a clean sheet and build on the run that we've had."

As of posting, Jarad van Schaik is questionable, and Mauro Cichero and Nico Rittmeyer are out.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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