MUSC Match Preview: Charleston vs. Sacramento
USL Charleston Battery

MUSC Match Preview: Charleston vs. Sacramento

Published on July 16, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery remain home to host Sacramento Republic FC on Sat., July 18, in Week 20 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Patriots Point is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the match will stream on ESPN+ and air locally on Palmetto Sports Network.

Charleston and Sacramento clash for the first and only time during the regular season this year as cross-conference adversaries.

The Battery (8W-5L2D, 26pts) will be looking to bounce back from their previous two results, a 2-0 road loss in league play to Indy Eleven and a penalty shootout defeat against Charlotte Independence in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Charleston enjoyed an undefeated month in June and will look to recapture that form in mid-July.

Republic FC (5W-4L-4D, 19pts) are also looking to rebound from their last match, a 2-0 loss in the USL Cup to expansion side AC Boise. The result also spelled the end of Sacramento's run in the tournament. In their last league game, Sacramento defeated Rhode Island FC, 2-1, on July 8.

Looking at the respective tables, Charleston are second in the Eastern Conference and Sacramento are fifth in the Western Conference.

Storylines of the Match

Head-to-Head History - The all-time record between Charleston and Sacramento is tilted in favor of the California side, who have three wins to the Battery's one, plus one draw, in the five meetings since 2014. However, the last time Republic FC visited the Lowcountry in 2024, it ended in a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory for Charleston.

Aiming to Rebound - Charleston will be looking to snap out of a current two-game skid where they were shut out against Indy and knocked out of the USL Cup against Charlotte. Prior to that, the Battery had won three games in a row and scored 14 goals in that timeframe. Now with the full focus on the regular season moving forward, Charleston will look to get back on track this weekend.

Premium Coaching Duel - Saturday will be a clash of two of the league's top coaches in Ben Pirmann and Neill Collins. Charleston's Pirmann has won 105 USL Championship matches (1.84 points per game) in his career so far, and Sacramento's Collins has won 112 (1.79 points per game). Both previous winners of the Championship Coach of the Year, Pirmann (182 games) and Collins (185 games) are the second- and third-fastest to reach 100 wins, while also ranking as the second- and third-youngest coaches to do so. The coaches have three wins each against each other in six all-time meetings.

Rodriguez Returns - A familiar face will be returning to Charleston in Arturo Rodriguez, who joined Sacramento as a free agent prior to the start of the 2026 season. Rodriguez featured in 94 games for the Battery from 2023-25, winning the Eastern Conference title in 2023.

Foster, Martinez Face Former Club - On the flip side, Charleston's Dogulas Martinez and Maalique Foster will be suiting up against their former club this weekend. Martinez played for Sacramento in 2022 and Foster in 2021-22, with the pair overlapping in 2022 and playing key roles in Sacramento's run to the final of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Home Strength - Charleston will be turning to their home support for a boost on Saturday as the side is amid a 21-game unbeaten run at Patriots Point in the regular season. The Battery are still undefeated at home in 2026 across all competitions, with Saturday's cup tie with Charlotte officially being scored as a draw. A result at home would be the ideal start to the second half of the season for the Black and Yellow.

Regular Season Midway Point Passed - This weekend, Charleston will play their 16th regular season match and thereby kick off the second half of their 2026 regular season campaign. The Battery's 26 points place them third in the Championship Players' Shield race, behind only Tampa Bay Rowdies (31pts) and Orange County SC (28pts). Of Charleston's 15 remaining matches, eight are home and seven are away.

Swan Called Up - Colton Swan was named to the United States U-19 national team for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. Set for July 24 - August 9 in Mexico, the tournament serves as the confederation's qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2027 Pan American Games. For his career with the USYNT, Swan has earned one cap (one goal) with the U-20 team, one cap with the U-19 team and four caps (one goal) with the U-18 team.

Kissiedou 150 - Laurent Kissiedou enters this weekend on milestone watch, as he is currently one match away from achieving 150 career appearances in the USL Championship regular season.

Smith Unavailable - Graham Smith will be unavailable for selection for Saturday as he serves the one-game suspension for the red card he received during the Indy match.

From the Training Ground

MATCH INFO

Charleston Battery vs. Sacramento Republic FC

Saturday, July 18 - 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff

Patriots Point

HOW TO WATCH:

Saturday's match will also stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league's YouTube channel for free internationally. The match will also air on local television on Palmetto Sports and Entertainment Network, channel WCSC 5.3 (SD) and WZCH-TV 35.3 (HD) in Charleston. Check with your TV provider for the exact channel number.

A limited amount of tickets for Saturday are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 16, 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