Preview: Battery Travel to Rhode Island for Wednesday Clash
USL Charleston Battery

Preview: Battery Travel to Rhode Island for Wednesday Clash

Published on April 21, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Battery have a quick turnaround to face Rhode Island FC on Wed., April 22, in Week 8 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Centreville Bank Stadium is 7:30 p.m. ET and the match will stream for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network.

Charleston and Rhode Island clash for the first time in 2026.

The Battery (3W-2L-1D, 10pts) enter Wednesday looking to build upon their strong performance against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Charleston commanded much of the afternoon, but a late Rowdies goal was immediately answered by Douglas Martínez, leaving points shared. The goal was Martínez's first with the club and proved to be a clutch one.

Rhode Island (1W-2L-2D, 5pts) were last active on Tuesday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where New England Revolution eliminated them after a penalty shootout. Their last league foray was a 1-3 road victory over Lexington Sporting Club in Week 6. The triumph snapped Rhode Island's four-game winless run to start the league campaign.

Looking at the Eastern Conference table, the Battery are in fourth and Rhode Island are in 11th.

Storylines of the Match Coastal Rivalry Renewed - Charleston and Rhode Island have developed a budding rivalry since Rhode Island's introduction to the league in 2024. The two clubs last met in the 2025 playoffs for the second consecutive postseason, with Rhode Island advancing after a penalty shootout. The all-time series favors Rhode Island slightly, with two wins to Charleston's one, and three draws.

Aiming for First Away Win in RI - The Battery will hope it's a case of third time is the charm as they make trip No. 3 to Rhode Island. Charleston's results in the Ocean State have been one draw and one loss, with the defeat occurring in the 2025 trip to Centreville Bank Stadium. It's not the only away fixture the Battery were winless in coming into this season, as Charleston had a similar streak at Louisville that was ended earlier in April with a 0-2 road win.

Messer Returns In Form - For Nathan Messer, Wednesday will be a trip back to familiar territory. The Battery's leading chance creator made his professional debut with Rhode Island in 2024 and played a portion of his collegiate career at Providence College, prior to his breakout 2025 season in Maine with Portland Hearts of Pine. Messer currently leads the league with 61 crosses, and his two assists are one away from a share for the league lead.

Another Busy Stretch - Charleston find themselves amid another busy period on the road with two away games this week. First is Rhode Island on Wednesday and then they will jet out to Virginia to face Loudoun United FC for the opener in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. The Battery had just concluded a three-week stretch of four road matches prior to the Tampa Bay game.

Breeze Cup Introduced - Wednesday also marks the start of the newly minted Breeze Cup between Charleston and Rhode Island, who are both sponsored by Breeze Airways and share a direct flight between their respective markets via the airline. The cup will be contested on aggregate across the two regular season games, meaning the winner will be presented a trophy on September 26 at Patriots Point in the reverse fixture. The first tiebreaker is away goals.

Martínez Opens His Account - Douglas Martínez officially opened his Battery account with his goal against Tampa Bay on Saturday, his 30th game with the club since joining ahead of the 2025 season. Martínez made an immediate impact off the bench when he flicked forward the corner kick by Nathan Messer into the net less than two minutes after the Rowdies took the lead.

Ycaza Nears 10K - Emilio Ycaza is approaching 10,000 career minutes played in the USL Championship regular season. The midfielder currently has 9,974 minutes played to his name going into Wednesday.

MATCH INFO Rhode Island FC vs. Charleston Battery

Wednesday, April 22 - 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff

Centreville Bank Stadium

HOW TO WATCH:

Wednesday's match will stream for free on the CBS Sports Golazo Network and through the league's YouTube channel for free internationally.

The Golazo Network can be accessed for free via the CBS Sports App (under the 'Live TV' section), Pluto TV, Roku TV, Paramount+ app (no subscription needed), the PlutoTV app or on the channel's website: https://www.cbssports.com/watch/cbs-sports-golazo-network

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 21, 2026


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