Penn FC Opens Its Inaugural Season at the Charleston Battery
March 24, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Match Day Info:
Charleston Battery vs. Penn FC
Kickoff: Saturday - 7 p.m. ET.
Charleston, S.C. - MUSC Health Stadium
Follow us and interact live: @PennFCOfficial #CHSvPEN
Watch Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyEmLt7EZVk
Live Stats: https://www.uslsoccer.com/charlestonbattery-pennfc-971234
Harrisburg, PA - After months of roster building, training sessions, and preseason games, Penn FC kicks off its inaugural season in the USL on Saturday. Penn FC heads to South Carolina to face the Charleston Battery on March 24 at 7 p.m.
The team is excited to play its first regular-season match, including Head Coach Raoul Voss, who leads a club for the first time in his professional coaching career.
"It's great," Coach Voss said. "It's a big honor for me to be the head coach of Penn FC. It's just fantastic for all of us here. I've been an assistant coach in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa for the past seven years. So you always want to bring in your own ideas and your own vision [as a head coach]. I now have that opportunity so I'm very excited and thankful for that chance."
Defender Jake Bond echoed his manager's excitement.
"Everyone's ready to go and itching to go out and play," Bond said. "[We are] always looking for the W. That's going to be our main focus - bringing a win back home is going to be big."
Penn FC built a roster of mostly new players, with four players returning from the 2017 Harrisburg City Islanders' roster. Harrisburg soccer fans will recognize Bond, defenders Tiago Calvano and Chris Hill, and goalkeeper Sean Lewis.
Other players familiar with the Harrisburg area are defender Ken Tribbett and forward Lucky Mkosana. Tribbett played for the City Islanders in 2015 and Mkosana played for the City Islanders during the 2012-13 seasons.
Mkosana brings momentum into the Charleston game following his offensive outburst against the Philadelphia Fury in a preseason match March 16. Mkosana netted a first-half hat trick against the Fury and assisted a goal in the second half on the way to a 7-1 victory.
Tribbett's presence will help anchor the backline for Penn FC. The 2015 USL Rookie of the Year finalist earned his first goal in a Penn FC kit during the match against the Fury when he converted Mkosana's second-half assist. In between stops in Harrisburg, Tribbett split time between the Philadelphia Union and its USL affiliate Bethlehem Steel from 2016-17. Tribbett appeared in 34 matches and averaged 82.5 minutes played per match for the two sides.
Newcomer Dan Metzger also shined in the final preseason game. The midfielder scored the opening goal off a free kick that required a clever bend to find the inside of the right post. Metzger also earned an assist when his corner kick found Mkosana's head. Metzger joins Penn FC after a successful stint with New York City Red Bulls II from 2015-17 where he helped the team win the USL Cup in 2016. Metzger's efforts earned him a call up to the MLS with the New York Red Bulls in 2017.
Penn FC heads south to face a formidable Charleston Battery team that finished second in the USL Eastern Division in 2017.
Despite losing 1-0 to FC Cincinnati in its home opener, Charleston was the dominant offensive team in the match. Charleston outshot Cincinnati 24-9, but were victims of Evan Newton's efforts in goal and Cincinnati's tenacious defense.
Against Cincinnati, forwards Ian Svantesson and Ataulla Guerra combined for six shots and five created chances. Svantesson scored 11 goals with the Tulsa Roughnecks in 2017 while Guerra scored six goals for Charleston. The Penn FC defense will need to be sharp all game to suppress the attacking duo.
Penn FC's attack faces an experienced goalkeeper in Charleston's Odisnel Cooper. Cincinnati's lone goal against Cooper was off of a rebound that Cooper initially saved but could not corral. Last season, Cooper started 24 games and earned 10 clean sheets, which ranked fourth in the USL.
Charleston will be without two key players after defender Quinton Griffith and midfielder Neveal Hackshaw were called up for international duty this week.
Penn FC's match against Charleston is the first of two with the club in less than a month. Penn FC hosts the Battery in its home opener at FNB Field on Saturday, April 21. Single-match tickets are now for sale for the inaugural home opener.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 24, 2018
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- Real Monarchs SLC Top Tulsa Roughnecks FC 3-2 - Real Monarchs
- Switchbacks Fall 0-1 to Portland at Home - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Atlanta United 2 Wins Inaugural Match 3-1 - Atlanta United 2
- Penn FC Falls at Charleston Battery 1-0 - Penn FC
- Charleston Battery Blanks Penn FC for First Win of the Season - Charleston Battery
- Bethlehem Steel FC Falls to Rowdies in Road Debut - Philadelphia Union II
- Hounds Scrap Hard-Fought Point in Nashville, 0-0 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Kickers Drop Home Opener to Indy Eleven - Richmond Kickers
- #LOUvNCFC Postponed - Louisville City FC
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- Lights FC Shifts Focus from Last Week's Success to Reno 1868 Showdown - Las Vegas Lights FC
- Penn FC Opens Its Inaugural Season at the Charleston Battery - Penn FC
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