MUSC Match Preview: Brooklyn vs. Charleston
USL Charleston Battery

MUSC Match Preview: Brooklyn vs. Charleston

Published on April 9, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery are set to conclude their current away stretch with a road duel against Brooklyn FC on Sat., April 11, in Week 6 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Maimonides Park is 7 p.m. ET and the match will stream on ESPN+.

Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between Charleston and expansion side Brooklyn, putting the league's oldest team against one of their newest.

Charleston (3W-1L-0D, 9pts) arrive in the Big Apple aiming to maintain their momentum from last weekend's 0-2 road win over Louisville City FC. It was a day of firsts and milestones, as it was the Battery's first away win against Louisville in the all-time fixture and featured Kirill Pakhomov's first career professional goal. In the process, Charleston snapped Louisville's 26-game regular season undefeated run, and Ben Pirmann notched his 100th career win in the Championship.

Brooklyn (1W-4L-0D, 3pts) head into this weekend amid a four-game losing skid in league play, most recently losing at home against Louisville, 0-1, on March 28. The newcomers had a bye week last weekend and will come into the game well-rested in search of their second win in club history. Brooklyn's lone victory of the campaign came in Week 1 against Indy Eleven.

Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in third and Brooklyn are in ninth.

Storylines of the Match

Inaugural Clash - Charleston and Brooklyn meet for the first time following the New York club joining the Championship this year. It pits the league's oldest club in Charleston, who kicked off in 1993, against one of the newest in Brooklyn. It won't be the first time the Battery face an expansion side this year, as Sporting Club Jacksonville are also in their inaugural season in the Championship.

First Visit to NYC Area Since 2022 - The Battery will also be making their first trip up to the New York metropolitan area in roughly four years. Charleston last visited there on August 12, 2022, to face New York Red Bulls II, a commanding 1-3 victory for the Black and Yellow.

Closing Out Road Stretch - This weekend, the Battery will play their fourth road game in the last three weeks, concluding a grueling stretch of travel early on in the campaign. Charleston will return home the following week to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 18 at Patriots Point for their first home game in almost a month.

Kissiedou, Pakhomov Open Battery Accounts - Two new names were on the scoresheet for the Battery against Louisville in Laurent Kissiedou and Kirill Pakhomov. For Kissiedou, his first Charleston goal came 3,143 days after making his club debut on Aug. 26, 2017, and was a nominee for Championship Goal of the Week. Pakhomov's tally put the game further out of reach for Louisville and marked the first of his professional career, another early highlight for his rookie campaign. Additionally, Charleston had two goals on three shots against Louisville, becoming the 15th team to record a victory while taking three or fewer shots since 2017.

Zamudio Posts First Shutout - Equally worthy of praise for their showing in Louisville is Luis Zamudio, who notched his first clean sheet of the campaign. The feat didn't exactly come easy, as the shot-stopper made three saves, including two from close-range in the final stages of the match, three punches and four clearances. In 2025, Zamudio set a career-best eight shutouts in the regular season.

Pirmann Eclipses Century Mark - Among the main headlines coming out of Charleston's triumph in Kentucky was Ben Pirmann's 100th career win in the USL Championship (regular season and playoffs). The 40-year-old was the sixth individual to reach the century mark in the USL Championship era and the second-youngest to do so. Pirmann also achieved the milestone in the second-fewest games in league history.

Ycaza Nearing 10K - Just a few matches removed from hitting 100 Battery appearances, Emilio Ycaza is now closing in on 10,000 career minutes played in the USL Championship regular season. The midfielder currently has 9,822 minutes played going into this weekend.

'96 Anniversary Kits Unveiled - On Thursday, the Battery unveiled their '96 Anniversary Kits to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the club's first league title, the 1996 USISL Pro League. Both jerseys take direct inspiration from the same uniforms worn on August 24, 1996, at Stoney Field when the Battery defeated the Charlotte Eagles to claim the league crown. The kits are set to debut together on Sat., April 18, when the Battery host the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Patriots Point.

From the Training Ground

MATCH INFO

Brooklyn FC vs. Charleston Battery

Saturday, April 11 - 7 p.m. ET Kickoff

Maimonides Park

HOW TO WATCH:

Saturday's contest will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league's YouTube channel for free internationally.




United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 9, 2026


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