USL Charleston Battery

Match Preview: Battery vs. Pittsburgh, Saturday April 30th

April 29, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON - The Battery returns home this week after back-to-back road games. During the stint on the road Charleston played in Charlotte and Bethlehem while MUSC Health Stadium played host to the Southern Ground Festival.

Both the field and the team look to be recovering well after difficult couple of weeks. The game pitch is in great shape less than two weeks after taking the brunt of the impact of about 24,000 country music fans in two days and the team regained its defensive form in a 0-0 draw against Bethlehem Steel FC on Sunday.

After surrendering three goals in a loss to the Charlotte Independence on 4/16, the Battery defense found the stability that has come to be expected against Bethlehem. Charleston had the second best defense in USL in 2015 and started the 2016 season with three shutouts including the 3-0 win over NASL side NY Cosmos.

The Battery defense looked unbeatable at times in the first few weeks of the season. It took a perfect set-piece goal from the Wilmington Hammerheads on 4/9 to beat goalkeeper Alex Tambakis for the first time this season, but the floodgates opened in the game in Charlotte.

The Battery back four made uncharacteristic mistakes in the game versus the Independence and Charlotte's attacking players did well to capitalize on them all. Going into the game in Bethlehem, Coach Anhaeuser's primary focus was to get back to the good habits that have made Charleston one of the best defensive teams in the league in the past.

"We just had a pretty simple conversation (before the game) about betting back to the basics and not trying to do things that we don't do. We really just got back to what we do well."

Captain Shawn Ferguson led the way in the righting of the ship. The center back made the Team of the Week after shutting down the Steel attack. In their third year together as starters, Ferguson and Taylor Mueller are forging center back partnership that is proving incredibly difficult to break down.

Anhaeuser gave high to praise the entire back four after the performance against Bethlehem. "Shawn and Taylor did a great job. Our outside backs, Obi and Q, really defended. They're good on the outside and they did a great job covering us."

Charleston held Bethlehem to just two shots in the entire match, while it managed nine. With players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, international duty, and suspension, the Battery is still trying to find its attacking rhythm.

Charleston certainly had chances to steal three points on the road on Sunday, but should not feel hard-done with the draw. Despite dominating large portions of the game, with the 10-hour bus ride and short roster, a point in Bethlehem will do this time around.

When asked about how the Battery would build on its performance in Bethlehem, Anhaeuser said, "We're going to do the same thing defensively, but we have to push forward more." Look for Charleston's outside backs to be more involved the attack on Saturday night, especially with Pittsburgh coming off of a tough midweek game.

NEXT UP: PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS

Pittsburgh has had a rough go of it in the early part of the 2016 season. The Riverhounds currently sit in second-to-last place with two points from four games. To say their schedule has been tough would be an understatement: three of the first five on the road and reigning champions Rochester and USL newcomers Orlando City B at home.

The Riverhounds trip to MUSC Health Stadium is the second leg of a brutal Wednesday-Saturday road trip at league-leaders Louisville and unbeaten-at-home-in-two-years Charleston. Pittsburgh only managed a draw versus Louisville despite having a man advantage for the final fifteen minutes.

Romeo Parkes has been one of the few bright spots during Pittsburgh's slow start. The Jamaican center forward has scored in three straight games, including the opening goal in the rain-soaked game on Wednesday. After two lengthy weather delays, Louisville answered Parkes opener with a goal of its own in the 57th minute. Corey Hertzog earned and converted what looked to be a game-winning penalty in the 75th minute, but, Louisville found a goal in the 86th minute after having its goalkeeper sent off to deny Pittsburgh its first win of the season.

So, if you're keeping score it appears the already daunting task of facing the Battery at MUSC Health Stadium has become even more difficult. Pittsburgh comes to Charleston as a team desperate for points, in the middle of a two-game road trip, after a long game that ended in heartbreak on Wednesday, facing a rested Battery team.

The Riverhounds will rely on its core of talented players that consists of the streaking Parkes, veteran Kevin Kerr, and proven goalscorer Corey Hertzog. Before joining Pittsburgh, Parkes played for various professional teams in his native Jamaica and made appearances for the Reggae Boyz at various levels (four appearances for the full national team).

Scottish midfielder Kevin Kerr has an impressive playing resume, having spent time playing in the German and Dutch second divisions as well as USL. Kerr has made 78 appearances, scored 15 goals, and provided 11 assists since joining Pittsburgh in 2013. Kerr was suspended for the game in Louisville after being red carded in the 36th minute of the Riverhounds' game versus Orlando City B, so he will have fresh legs on Saturday should the coaching staff choose to play him.

From afar, it appears Pittsburgh breaking out of its early season slump could hinge on Corey Hertzog's performances. The forward has an impressive career goal record. Prior to being drafted 13th overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, Hertzog led the country in scoring as a junior at Penn State. The former New York Red Bull averaged 2.09 goals per game during his breakout season at PSU, an impressive number regardless of the level.

Hertzog has proven he can score goals in USL as well. While on loan with Wilmington from NYRB in 2012, Hertzog finished third in the league in scoring with nine goals and helped the Hammerheads reach the final.Since 2012, the Pennsylvania native spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS), Orange County Blues (USL) and the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) before joining Pittsburgh in 2016. The Riverhounds need to get Hertzog going if they want move up the table. Coming off his first goal of the season on Wednesday, Hertzog will be looking to add to his goal total versus Charleston.

BATTERY UPDATE:

The Battery roster is looking healthy again after a rough couple of weeks. Since the team's last home game on 4/9, center back Forrest Lasso, forwards Heviel Cordoves and Ricky Garbanzo, and midfielder Maikel Chang had all joined the already-injured Kevin Corby on the sidelines various amounts of time. All but Cordoves and Corby were back in full training this week.

The veteran players returning to full-strength was certainly a welcomed site for Coach Anhaeuser who had to call up three teenagers for the game in Charlotte to fill out the roster. Lasso was on the bench, but did not appear against Bethlehem, while Chang started at right midfield and Garbanzo, who was still working back to full fitness, came on as a sub in the 71st minute. With another week of recovery and training under their belts, all three should be fully fit, or close to it for Saturday's match.

Cordoves' projected extended stay on the sidelines forced Coach Anhaeuser to bring in outside reinforcements in the middle of last week. Chris Tsonis signed with the Battery on Friday and traveled with the team to Pennsylvania. Tsonis spent an extended period of time with Charleston during preseason before being forced to leave because of a numbers crunch. The former NYRBII forward played 25 minutes versus Bethlehem and will likely continue to earn minutes as Cordoves works back from injury.

Outside midfielder Dante Marini earned his first start of the season on 4/24, replacing Zach Prince who was serving the first of his two-game suspension. Marini looked good playing in his home state. The tricky attacker consistently ran at the opposing back four with a confidence that Battery fans have come to expect and created chances in the early going.

While other changes may have been forced, a change was made at goalkeeper by choice. Anhaeuser elected to go with 2015 Battery MVP Odisnel Cooper over Atlanta United FC loanee Alex Tambakis between the sticks for first time this season in the game versus Bethlehem. Perhaps Cooper was chosen as a part of the conscious effort to steady the team defensively. His inclusion in the XI reunited the Shawn Ferguson-Taylor Mueller-Odisnel Cooper trio that stifled virtually every team in the league last season.

Ferguson, Mueller and the rest of the Battery defense looked solid throughout the match, leaving little for Cooper to do. The Cuban goalkeeper faced only two shots, both of which he saved easily. Ferguson made Team of the Week for his defensive efforts. The honor was Ferguson's first this season and the third time in five weeks that a Battery defender made the TOW (Taylor Mueller, Wks. 1 & 3).

LOOKING AHEAD TO SATURDAY:

For the first time in weeks, the Battery have options regarding the selection of the starting XI. Despite missing important pieces Prince and Cordoves, Coach Anhaeuser has choices in almost every position for the game against Pittsburgh.

Defenders Ferguson, Mueller, Woodbine and midfielder Justin Portillo have played every minute this season and they'll likely keep their starting places on Saturday. With three goals in five games, center forward Romario Williams is likely a shoe-in for a start as well. Neveal Hackshaw has virtually been an automatic selection since returning from international duty earlier this month, so expect him to get the nod next to Portillo in the center of the park.

Anhaeuser's decision to start Cooper over Tambakis versus Bethlehem means the competition for the starting goalkeeper spot is officially on. It's hard to imagine that Cooper will get relegated to the bench coming off a shutout on the road, but with the depth and talent in Charleston's goalkeeping corps, anything can happen.

Garbanzo could earn his first start in four weeks, playing just under Williams in his favored position. If it's not Garbanzo in that spot, it'll likely be Ataullah Guerra. However, Garbanzo's return could force Guerra out wide into the position Prince vacated, or Anhaeuser could elect to go with Marini for the second consecutive game. Chang will likely start at outside midfield on the and will look to return to his usual form after being forced to go the full 90 against Bethlehem despite just returning from injury.

Veteran left back Emmanuel Adjetey and speedster Quinton Griffith will battle for the outside back position opposite of Woodbine (assuming he starts). The Battery have only deployed a previously-used back four once this season. The back line of Woodbine, Ferguson, Mueller, and Griffith started on the road against Bethlehem and OCB, earning shutouts in both games.

KEY MATCH-UP: Taylor Mueller and Shawn Ferguson vs. Corey Hertzog and Romeo Parkes

With Parkes scoring in three straight and Hertzog finding the net for the first time versus Louisville, the Pittsburgh attack is beginning to look dangerous. Ferguson and Mueller will need to be at their best and follow up their solid defensive efforts in Bethlehem with another good performance.

Three of the five goals Pittsburgh has scored this season have come from restarts: two penalties and a free kick. Ferguson and Mueller will need to be disciplined defensively and not give away fouls in dangerous areas. Smart, aggressive defending has become the standard at MUSC Health Stadium during the home unbeaten streak, Saturday should be no exception.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Justin Portillo

In addition to scoring goals from dead ball situations,Pittsburgh has given up goals on set pieces. The Riverhounds look vulnerable on corner kicks and free kicks in serving positions around the area. Portillo's service on Saturday will be vital. If he gets it right, as he so often does, there will opportunities to score. With the Battery still struggling to find the finishing touch and Pittsburgh having difficulty scoring in the run of play, a set piece could decide Saturday's game.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 29, 2016


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.

OurSports Central