MUSC Match Preview: Louisville vs. Charleston
USL Charleston Battery

MUSC Match Preview: Louisville vs. Charleston

Published on April 2, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery hit the road again to face Louisville City FC on Sat., April 4, in Week 5 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Lynn Family Stadium and the match will stream on ESPN+.

Charleston and Louisville have not met yet in 2026, making this the first clash of the campaign.

The Battery (2W-1L-0D, 6pts) are aiming to bounce back from last week's league defeat against Detroit City FC that snapped their early two-game winning streak. Charleston's offense was held in check in the 1-0 result. The Battery were most recently active in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, being dealt a 3-2 defeat after extra time against Charlotte Independence. Houssou Landry and Maalique Foster were on the scoresheet for Charleston.

Louisville (4W-0L-0D, 12pts) will be aiming to maintain their early momentum to start the season. In league play, Saturday's hosts extended their winning streak to four games with a 0-1 road triumph over expansion side Brooklyn FC in Week 4. Louisville enter this weekend on a 26-game undefeated streak at home in the regular season, dating back to 2024.

Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in sixth and Louisville are in first.

Storylines of the Match

Bounce-Back Minded - Charleston will be looking to snap their recent two-game skid following the losses in Detroit and Charlotte. The Battery's offense was reignited in the second half of the Charlotte match when Houssou and Foster tallied their first goals of the year. Charleston also had 18 shots (six on target) in the match, compared to four (two) in Detroit.

All-Time Series - Historically, Louisville have had the upper hand in the fixture, with an 11W-4L-7D record in the all-time series. Charleston had tipped the scales in their favor in 2023-24, but Louisville swept the series in 2025. Since 2023, the series is relatively even at two wins for Charleston, two draws and three wins for Louisville.

Searching for First Away Win - The Battery will also be aiming to capture their first away win against Louisville in the series. Charleston have been held winless in the 11 matches at both of Louisville's grounds, with the best results coming on three draws. Charleston appeared to be in line for the win in 2023 on Leland Archer's late goal, but it was chalked off for a contentious foul call against Archer. A win would snap the 26-game undefeated streak at home for the hosts.

Swan Returns - Charleston will be receiving a bit of a boost for this weekend with the return of Colton Swan from international duty. Swan made his debut for the United States U-20 national team, scoring three goals and adding one assist in the USYNT's games against Argentina and Club Atlético Independiente reserves in Buenos Aires. Additionally, among those in the audience for the USYNT's victory over Argentina were the senior team's Leo Messi, Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul.

Pirmann Century Mark - Coach Pirmann, now the longest-tenured coach in the league following the departure of Danny Cruz from Louisville, is also nearing a career milestone that is in play this weekend. The boss has a 99W-44L-38D record in the USL Championship regular season and playoffs across his time in Charleston and at Memphis 901 FC, meaning his next triumph will eclipse the century mark for wins. The 40-year-old would become both the second-youngest manager to reach the mark in the league's history, and could become the second-fastest to achieve the feat.

First Pirmann vs. Bird - Saturday will also be the first duel between managers Ben Pirmann and Simon Bird, the latter taking over on an interim basis following Cruz's departure to become an assistant coach in MLS. Bird had been an assistant coach for Louisville for multiple years prior to the elevation and his side posted back-to-back wins in league play to start his caretaker tenure.

Houssou, Foster on the Scoresheet - On Tuesday, Houssou Landry and Maalique Foster bagged their first goals of the season. Houssou's goal helped spark the Battery's comeback bid and marked his first after scoring four times for Charleston in 2025. Foster's equalizer officially opened his Battery account, along with marking his first goal in U.S. Open Cup play for his career.

Midway of Away Stretch - Charleston are currently at the midpoint of their four-game away stretch following the contests at Detroit and Charlotte. After the Louisville game, only the trip to Brooklyn will remain before the Battery return to Patriots Point to host Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 18.

From the Training Ground

MATCH INFO

Louisville City FC vs. Charleston Battery

Saturday, April 4 - 4 p.m. ET Kickoff

Lynn Family Stadium

HOW TO WATCH:

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

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 2, 2026


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