April 8, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Charleston Battery News Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery make their first cross-country road trip of the season when they face San Diego Loyal SC on Saturday, April 9. Kickoff at Torero Stadium is 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) and the match will be the first between Charleston and San Diego.
The night will see two former U.S. Men’s National Team players and teammates go toe-to-toe on the touchline with head coaches Conor Casey and Landon Donovan squaring off against each other. Casey and Donovan were teammates from 2000 to 2010, spanning from runs in the 2000 Olympics to a 2005 Gold Cup victory to qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
SDvCHS Match Notes
San Diego are coming off a 1-2 victory in the U.S. Open Cup Second Round on Wednesday against NISA side ASC San Diego. In USL Championship play, SD Loyal will look to build on their 3-2 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC last Sunday. El Paso looked to stage a late rally after a goal from Josue Gomez made it a one-score game in the 88th minute, but the hosts held on for the win. SD Loyal currently sport a perfect record at home, winning all three of their matches at Torero Stadium.
The Battery have as quick of a turnaround as they will probably deal with all year, going from Open Cup play to San Diego in a window of just two days. Charleston exited the USOC after a 0-1 defeat to South Georgia Tormenta FC in a rescheduled match that was postponed from its original date due to severe storms in the Charleston area. Coach Casey said the team is in search of finding the right combination to turn around the early woes of the young season.
In addition to the former-teammates-turned-coaches duel, Battery forward Augustine Williams will return to his ex-grounds Saturday after spending 2021 with San Diego.
Saturday’s match is the first of two California trips for the Black and Yellow as they are also slated to face LA Galaxy II away in August.
Ones to Watch
San Diego – Tumi Moshobane
Moshobane has been a key player for SD Loyal in 2022, leading the club with 12 chances created and tied for the lead with two assists. The No. 11 also scored his first goal of the season in the victory over El Paso. As a whole against the Locomotive, Moshobane also tallied two shots, three key passes while completing 22 of 28 passes and three dribbles. He was named the USLChampionship.com Player of the Match for his performance.
Charleston – Leland Archer
Archer made his 75th club appearance for Charleston during the U.S. Open Cup fixture Thursday and will likely have a heightened role in keeping the SD Loyal attack at bay. The Trinidad and Tobago international leads the Black and Yellow with 15 clearances in three league games played. He also ranks second in interceptions (nine), aerial duels won (tied, nine) and blocks (tied, two). Alongside fellow center-back Preston Kilwien, expect Archer to be a key leader for the Battery in looking to spark a turnaround for the side this season, starting with Saturday’s duel in San Diego.
From the Training Ground
The Battery were quick to turn the page following the Thursday match and flew out to California the next morning.
Upon arrival, the squad will train in San Diego in preparation for their league clash with SD Loyal.
Midfielder Andrew Booth said while the travel schedule is not ideal, the squad is making the most of the time to recover and ready themselves for the match.
“The short turnaround is tough, especially with the [Open Cup] game being moved back and it’s going to be a long travel, but that’s part of the job,” said Booth. “We have to find ways to deal with it, we rotated the team a bit so more guys should be fresh. I think the [squad] will be hungry and ready to play.”
Booth said they know Saturday’s game will be a competitive one against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
“[San Diego] have done pretty well this season, they have a bit of pedigree,” said Booth. “They play well, they’re a possession team, so hopefully our style can counter that and we can get a good result.”
Coach Casey said he will make sure the team is well taken care of prior to the game to put them in the best position for Saturday.
“With a long trip, we’ll make sure they’re eating right, sleeping right and try to prepare ourselves as best we can for the match,” said Casey.
The Battery tactician hopes the away day will spark a turn in fortune for his side.
“[Thursday] was not our day, we didn’t play well all over the board and that’s something we’re going to have a hard look at over the next day or two about why,” said Coach Casey. “We’ve got to be ready to come out and actually compete in this next game.”
As of posting, Enock Kwakwa and DZ Harmon are questionable, and Matteo Ritaccio and AJ Paterson are out.
MATCH INFO
San Diego Loyal SC vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, April 9 – 10 p.m. ET Kickoff
Torero Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
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