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USL Charleston Battery

Match Preview: Charleston at Harrisburg

May 8, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


Charleston Battery vs. the Harrisburg City Islanders
Charleston Battery vs. the Harrisburg City Islanders
(Charleston Battery)

The Charleston Battery will conclude its two-game road trip tomorrow when the team takes on the Harrisburg City Islanders at 7:00 pm at FNB Field. The Battery is looking to bounce back after a disappointing result at Sahlen's Stadium against Rochester on Friday.

The City Islanders (2-4-1) enter the match versus Charleston in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, while the Battery sits in 7th. The middle of the table is tight; although the two teams are four places apart, they are separated by just two points.

Harrisburg played well in its game versus high-scoring FC Cincinnati at home on Saturday night and will feel disappointed with the result. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw and split the points after Harrisburg gave up a soft equalizer from a restart in the 83rd minute. If you look at the stat line, the result seems fair, but conceding in the final stages of a match at home will make the draw feel more like a loss to those wearing Islanders colors.

The result becomes even more disappointing when you look at Harrisburg's schedule. The team is in the middle of a four game home stretch, one that will likely prove instrumental in its push for a playoff spot come September. The home stand includes Saturday's draw with Cincinnati and tomorrow's game versus the Battery, followed by Bethlehem Steel FC and Toronto FC II.

Harrisburg could look back at this part of its schedule come playoff time and point to it as the defining portion of the season. It's early, but if the City Islanders want a shot at the playoffs, they need to earn points in this run of home games. This becomes even more glaring when you see what lies ahead after the stint at home: Harrisburg hits the road for four tough games at Cincinnati, Wilmington, NYRBII, and Charleston.

With Saturday's draw against FC Cincinnati, the City Islanders are 1-1-1 at home this season. Harrisburg beat USL newcomers Orlando City B 2-1 on 4/25 and lost to first place Louisville City FC 2-3 the week before.

All of the City Islanders' games this season have been close, with six of the opening seven decided by one goal. Harrisburg has outshot its opponents 69-60 on the season, making the tight results even more frustrating. The ball has simply not bounced the Harrisburg's way so far in 2016.

The team's four losses were suffered at the hands of quality opponents. The losses include road matches against Richmond, Charlotte, and Rochester and the home defeat to Louisville. All four teams are within striking distance of first place in the conference.

Harrisburg is paced offensively by Jamaican center forward Craig Foster. Foster is the only player on the roster with multiple goals. He's on a bit of a scoring streak entering the game versus the Battery, having found the back of the net in his team's matches against Cincinnati and Rochester. He also scored Harrisburg's only goal in a 2-1 loss at Charlotte in week two.

The center forward is only 24 but has a considerable amount of professional playing experience. He spent five years with FC Reno of the Jamaican National Premier League, scoring 15 goals in 30 appearances. Before joining Harrisburg permanently for 2016, Foster was loaned to the City Islanders for the 2015 season and scored 8 goals in 15 appearances.

Midfielder and fellow Jamaican Paul Wilson pulls the strings behind Foster, effectively fulfilling the role of set-up man. Wilson has three assists on the season so far and also chipped in with a goal against Louisville. The two Jamaicans make up the majority of the attacking threat Harrisburg poses to Charleston's veteran defense.

BATTERY P.O.V:

Charleston owned the three-game series with the Islanders in 2015, going 3-0 and outscoring Harrisburg 10-1. With just two points from its last four games, the Battery will be hoping for more of the same against the Eastern Conference rival this season.

Despite going 0-2-2 in over the last three weeks, Charleston's attack has finally come to life. The team created several quality scoring chances at home versus Pittsburgh on 4/30 and were unlucky not to come away with all three points.

The Battery scored two goals on the road on Friday night against a Rochester defense that is traditionally very difficult to break down. A late penalty, called for a questionable O'brian Woodbine handball in the box, prevented Charleston from walking away with a hard-earned point on the road.

Ricky Garbanzo scored his first goal of the season versus the Rhinos, a welcomed sight for all Battery fans. Perhaps more importantly though, center forward Romario Williams got himself back on the scoresheet.

Williams rebounded well after a difficult match against Pittsburgh, scoring the opening goal and assisting Garbanzo's. The goal he scored really showed the Jamaican's abilities. Williams jockeyed for positioning between two Rhinos defenders and effortlessly brought a 50-yard Zach Prince pass down on his chest before tapping the ball in at the back post. The 21-year old was the Battery's most dangerous attacking threat all night, pressing hard and creating chances throughout.

Garbanzo earned his first start in nearly a month versus Rochester. The second-year forward had been nursing a knee injury for a few weeks, but finally looks to be close to 100% fit. Prince returned to the starting lineup as well on Friday night after serving a two-game suspension for a red card received in the game against Charlotte on 4/16. The veteran midfielder's leadership is a welcomed addition to the Battery's starting XI during a shaky period. Coach Anhaeuser will lean on the player-assistant to help guide Charleston out of this rough stretch of games.

Ataulla Guerra was notably missing from the Battery's 18 on Friday night. The Trinidadian playmaker suffered a knee injury in the first half of team's match against Pittsburgh and will likely be unavailable again tomorrow.

The club announced the signing of 19-year old center forward Jose "Yepito" Nazareno on Friday afternoon prior to the match in Rochester. Nazareno took Guerra's place in the 18 and was an unused substitute in the game.

Alex Tambakis earned the start in goal versus Rochester after serving as Odisnel Cooper's back up for two straight weeks. After conceding three goals on Friday night, Cooper may step in and get the start tomorrow versus Harrisburg.

Monday's game is crucial for both teams given their recent form and positions in the table. The Battery are not desperate by any means, but three points on the road will be huge at this point in the season. Kick off is at 7:00 pm.

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Charleston Battery vs. the Harrisburg City Islanders
Charleston Battery vs. the Harrisburg City Islanders
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 8, 2016


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