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USL Charleston Battery

With Clearances, Battery Roster Reaches 20 Players

March 20, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, SC -- With clearances from the USL, MLS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service on Friday, Charleston Battery's roster of available players grew by three on Friday.

But one returning player remains in limbo, and will likely not be available for selection by Coach Mike Anhaeuser on Saturday.

Jamaican left back O'Brian "Obi" Woodbine became Charleston's 18th signed player Friday after receiving his work visa and clearing the USL registrar's office. Woodbine, 27, previously played for the Battery from 2009-10, serving on the club's third championship team. Since departing Charleston before the 2011 season, Woodbine has played professionally in Finland, Major League Soccer, and Canada.

He became a regular starter for Anhaeuser from almost the moment he set foot in the Blackbaud Stadium complex this winter.

Also cleared on Friday were Houston Dynamo loaned players Jose "Memo" Rodriguez and Oumar Ballo.

Rodriguez, 19, is a skilled product of the Dynamo academy system. A central midfielder from Wharton, Texas, he earned his first MLS contract as a Homegrown Player in 2014.

Rodriguez made his first appearance for the Battery as a reserve in the Carolina Challenge Cup loss to New York City FC on Feb. 28. He returned to Houston with the Dynamo after the tournament, but flew in to Greenville last week on Thursday with Ballo to join the Battery for its 2-0 preseason win at Clemson.

Ballo, 24, was Houston's first pick in the second round of the 2015 MLS Superdraft. He's a center back who was born in Mali but raised in Baltimore, Md., where he remained as a college player, rising to prominence as a dominant defender and aerial specialist at University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Ballo has figured in three Battery preseason matches, displaying the kind of physical potential that makes scouts go back and check the tape. In December he led his college squad to the semi-finals of the NCAA College Cup in UMBC's first-ever appearance in the tournament.

Per club and league policy, details of Battery contracts are not published.

The clearances raised the number of Battery players eligible to compete in USL to 20 -- a figure diminished by one because fullback Emmanuel Adjetey, who played with Charleston on loan last summer, will be serving a red-card suspension earned in the team's playoff loss at Richmond on Sept. 13. Having Woodbine cleared to start opposite right back Quinton Griffith is a big boost to the Battery's chances, given Adjetey's status.

One player who has competed and trained with the team since the start of training camp is not yet under an approved contract and will not be available for selection on Saturday.

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