The 2017 Charleston Battery season was the club's 25th year of existence, their 14th season in the second tier of the United States Soccer Pyramid, and their first in the second tier since 2009. It was their seventh season in the United Soccer League as part of the Eastern Conference.
| 2017 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Andrew Bell | ||
| Head coach | Michael Anhaeuser | ||
| Stadium | MUSC Health Stadium | ||
| USL | Conference: 2nd Overall: 3rd | ||
| USL Playoffs | First round | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Fourth round | ||
| Top goalscorer | Romario Williams (10) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 6,563 (4/29 vs. OTT) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,015 (5/13 vs. STL) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 3,154 | ||
| Biggest win | CHS 5–0 ROC (4/15) CHS 6–1 TOR (6/24) | ||
| Biggest defeat | TBR 2–0 CHS (7/22) RIC 3–1 CHS (8/26) | ||
|
| |||
The Battery finished the season 3rd overall in the league, and 2nd in the East. They lost in the first round of the 2017 USL Playoffs.
Background
editThe Battery are coming off a season where they finished the USL with 13–9–8 record, good enough to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference and 10th in the USL. They earned a berth into the 2016 USL Playoffs as the number six seed in the Eastern Bracket. There, they beat FC Cincinnati in the first round, 2–1, before losing to Louisville City FC in the Conference Semifinals, 1–0. The Battery reached the third round of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup after beating The Villages SC, 3–0 on a forfeit. The original second round proper fixture was tied 2–2 after extra time, and the Villages won 4–2 in penalties. However, the Battery protested their use of a player cup-tied to Boca Raton FC.[1] The appeal was approved, and the Battery reached the third round where they lost in extra-time to Jacksonville Armada FC in the third round.[2]
Squad
edit| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of Birth (Age)[B] | Previous Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||
| 0 | Joe Kuzminsky | 
|
GK | January 24, 1994 (aged 23) | UAB Blazers
|
| 1 | Alexandros Tabakis | 
|
GK | December 8, 1992 (aged 24) | Atlanta United FC[A]
|
| 23 | Odisnel Cooper | 
|
GK | March 31, 1992 (aged 25) | FC Camagüey
|
| Defenders | |||||
| 3 | Forrest Lasso |
|
CB | May 11, 1993 (aged 24) | Wofford Terriers
|
| 4 | Taylor Mueller |
|
CB | September 20, 1988 (aged 29) | Washington Crossfire
|
| 6 | Skylar Thomas | 
|
RB | July 27, 1993 (aged 24) | Toronto FC II
|
| 7 | O'Brian Woodbine | 
|
LB | January 11, 1988 (aged 29) | Ottawa Fury FC
|
| 11 | Quinton Griffith | 
|
RB | February 22, 1992 (aged 25) | Antigua Barracuda FC
|
| 15 | Mikey Ambrose |
|
CB | December 5, 1993 (aged 23) | Atlanta United FC[A]
|
| Midfielders | |||||
| 8 | Neveal Hackshaw | 
|
CM | September 21, 1995 (aged 22) | North East Stars
|
| 10 | Ataullah Guerra |
|
AM | November 14, 1987 (aged 29) | Central
|
| 19 | Dante Marini |
|
LM | July 21, 1992 (aged 25) | Reading United
|
| 20 | Justin Portillo |
|
CM | September 9, 1992 (aged 25) | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
|
| 21 | Maikel Chang |
|
AM | April 18, 1991 (aged 26) | FC La Habana
|
| 22 | Brian Anunga | 
|
RM | August 6, 1996 (aged 21) | Carolina Dynamo
|
| 24 | Nico Rittmeyer |
|
CM | October 13, 1993 (aged 24) | Charleston Cougars
|
| 25 | Kotaro Higashi | 
|
LM | January 21, 1989 (aged 28) |  Bonnyrigg White Eagles
|
| 28 | Ryan Arambula |
|
RM | December 19, 1993 (aged 23) | South Carolina Gamecocks
|
| Forwards | |||||
| 9 | Romario Williams |
|
ST | August 15, 1994 (aged 23) | Atlanta United FC[A]
|
| 16 | Heviel Cordovés |
|
ST | November 10, 1989 (aged 27) | FC La Habana
|
| 17 | Ricky Garbanzo | 
|
ST | August 26, 1992 (aged 25) | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
|
| 30 | Jeffrey Otoo | 
|
ST | January 21, 1998 (aged 19) | Atlanta United FC[A]
|
- ^ On loan from MLS affiliate Atlanta United FC.
- ^ Player's age during the 2017 season.
Non-competitive
editCarolina Challenge Cup
edit| February 18 1 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 | Seattle Sounders FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Vázquez  78'Higashi  90'+2' |
Report | Mueller 32' (o.g.) Delem 37'Jones 40' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium |
| February 22 2 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 | Columbus Crew SC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 5:00 PM EST | Marini 12' Chang 22'Williams 24'Lasso 25'Mueller 61' |
Report | Jonathan 8' Afful 23'Næss 63' (o.g.)Abu 79'Abubakar 83' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium |
| February 25 3 | Charleston Battery | 1–2 | Atlanta United FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Williams 45' |
Report | Asad 4' Villalba 90' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium |
Competitive
editUSL
editTable
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville City FC (C) | 32 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 62 | Conference Playoffs |
| 2 | Charleston Battery | 32 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 54 | |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 50 | 35 | +15 | 53 | |
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 53 | |
| 5 | Charlotte Independence | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 52 | 40 | +12 | 48 |
Source: 2017 USL standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions
Results
edit| March 25 1 | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | FC Cincinnati | Charleston, South Carolina |
| EST | Lasso 8' 38' Portillo 71' (pen.) |
Report | Fall 59' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,247 Referee: Geoff Gamble |
| April 1 2 | Charlotte Independence | 0–2 | Charleston Battery | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 6:00 PM EST | Alajarín 42' Duckett 49'Ross 68' |
Report | Lasso 32' 77' Williams 70' |
Stadium: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex Attendance: 2,048 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| April 8 3 | Charleston Battery | 1–2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Guerra 8' Williams 44'Portillo 85' |
Report | Hollingsworth 59' Obinwa 73'Hertzog 90+1' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,425 Referee: Aleksandar Zhelyazkov |
| April 15 4 | Charleston Battery | 5–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Williams 15', 25', 26' Guerra 31'Chang 81'Thomas 82'Anunga 88'Mueller 89' |
Report | Fall 56' James 59' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,421 Referee: Howard Ashe |
| April 22 5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–3 | Charleston Battery | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:30 PM EST | Cole 34' Hristov 62'Paterson 90' |
Report | Williams 38' Lasso 40' 61'Chang 45+1'Woodbine 62'Anunga 89' |
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,016 Referee: Jonathan Weiner |
| April 29 6 | Charleston Battery | 2–2 | Ottawa Fury FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| EST | Williams 41', 84' 73' |
Report | Williams 22' Del Campo 56' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 6,563 Referee: Chris Spivey |
| May 6 7 | Charleston Battery | 1–0 | Bethlehem Steel FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Guerra 17' Hackshaw 22'Cordoves 69' |
Report | Trusty 55' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,820 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| May 13 8 | Charleston Battery | 1–0 | Saint Louis FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Lasso 62' Anunga 68' |
Report | Bjurman 38' Stojkov 90+3' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,015 Referee: Henrik Karlsson |
| May 20 9 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 2–2 | Charleston Battery | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 PM EST | Olabiyi 23' Dabo 45'Nishanian 75'Ribeiro 82'Mendoza 90+5' |
Report | Anunga 33'  53'Guerra 38' 68'Lasso 41'Mueller 56'Williams 69' |
Stadium: FNB Field Attendance: 2,829 Referee: Luis Guardia |
| May 25 10 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 0–1 | Charleston Battery | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
| 11:00 AM EST | Monge 77' Burke 88' |
Report | Williams 32' |
Stadium: Goodman Stadium Attendance: 2,971 Referee: Jonathan Weiner |
| May 28 11 | New York Red Bulls II | 2–1 | Charleston Battery | Montclair, New Jersey |
| 2:00 PM EST | Tinari 22' Meara 42'Ndam 44'Flemmings 54'Abidor 65'Etienne 75'Bezecourt 79' |
Report | Portillo 45' Garbanzo 65' |
Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field Attendance: 505 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj |
| June 3 12 | Charleston Battery | 4–4 | Louisville City FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Lasso 23' Williams 11', 32' 77'Chang 48'Anunga 53'Garbanzo 73'Marini 88' |
Report | Jimenez 45+1' Davis IV 60'Smith 61'Ownby 79'Lasso 82' (o.g.)Ballard 90' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 3,710 Referee: Jon Freemon |
| June 10 13 | Charleston Battery | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Portillo 26' (pen.) Woodbine 61'Mueller 82' |
Report | Shanosky 12' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,526 Referee: Gustavo Solorio |
| June 17 14 | FC Cincinnati | 2–2 | Charleston Battery | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 7:00 PM EST | Fall 4' König 45+2'Wiedeman 80' |
Report | Williams 50' 63' Lasso 72' |
Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 21,074 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| June 24 15 | Charleston Battery | 6–1 | Toronto FC II | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Williams 31' 50' Lasso 42'Marini 57' 71'Portillo 90+2' |
Report | Fraser 56' Camargo 65' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 4,571 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| July 1 16 | Charleston Battery | 2–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Guerra 8' Griffith 50'Williams 70'Cordovés 81' |
Report | Lowe 55' Boden 62'Morrell 69' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,967 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| July 9 17 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 | Louisville City FC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST | Portillo 23' (pen.) Higashi 52'Woodbine 69'Anunga 86' |
Report | Smith 23' Ilić 27'Morad 71'Craig 85' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 3,701 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez |
| July 15 18 | Saint Louis FC | 1–0 | Charleston Battery | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 20:30 PM EST | Plewa 40' Sheldon 45+1'Guzmán 72'David 90' |
Report | Cordovés 9' Higashi 53'Griffith 89' |
Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 5,243 Referee: Mark Kadlecik |
| July 22 19 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | Charleston Battery | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 19:30 EDT (UTC−4) | Mkandawire 25' Cole 40'Paterson 69' |
Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,619 Referee: Daniel Gutierrez |
| July 26 20 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2–2 | Charleston Battery | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 20:00 PM EST | Victor Souto 21' Hertzog 62' |
Report | Miles Robinson 11' Mueller 56'Chang 84'Thomas 90+1' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,067 Referee: Charles Murphy |
| July 29 21 | Charleston Battery | 0–0 | Orlando City B | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 19:00 PM EST | Lasso 65' Kunga 84'Portillo 90+1' |
Report | Hines 5' Clowes 90'Ellis-Hayden 90+1' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,853 Referee: Gustavo Solorio |
| August 5 22 | Toronto FC II | 1–0 | Charleston Battery | Vaughan, Ontario |
| 3:30 PM EST | Hundal 52' Dunn 90+2' |
Report | Garbanzo 16' |
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 1,145 Referee: Chris Grabas |
| August 12 23 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 | New York Red Bulls II | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00PM EST | Woodbine 44', 86'  Williams 45' Anunga 51' Mueller 59' Portillo 79' |
Report | Kutler 40' Flemmings 52' Bonomo 72' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 3,233 Referee: Christopher Spivey |
| August 19 24 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Charleston Battery | Rochester, New York |
| 18:05 PM EST | Madison 45+1' |
Report | Hackshaw 21' Williams 25' Portillo 83' Cooper 90+2' |
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,319 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj |
| August 26 25 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Charleston Battery | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Jane 17' Oliver 36' 32'Imura 90+2'Eskay 89' |
Report | Cordovés 2' Thomas 38'van Schaik 53' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: Nickrod Fateh Referee: 3,527 |
| Note: yes | ||||
| September 2 26 | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Charleston Battery | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 5:00PM | Abend 78' |
Report | Hackshaw 76' Mueller 79' Portillo 86' |
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 7,612 Referee: Malik Badawi |
| September 16 27 | Charleston Battery | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Cordovés 84' Lasso 34'Williams 37'Thomas 77' |
Report | Eskay 65' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,228 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Note: yes | ||||
| September 20 28 | Charleston Battery | 3–0 | Charlotte Independence | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 6:00 P.M. EDT | Hackshaw 6' Cordoves 13', 80' Lasso 18' Garbanzo 73' |
Report | Waechter 21' Ekra 55' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,020 Referee: Dallas Rosier |
| September 23 29 | Orlando City B | 2–1 | Charleston Battery | Orlando, Florida |
| da Silva 31' Clowes 50' Carroll 70' Neal 87' |
Report | Griffith 60' Cordovés 81' |
Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 1,011 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| October 1 30 | Ottawa Fury FC | 1–1 | Charleston Battery | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 14:00 EDT (UTC-04:00) | Dos Santos 16' Dixon 35'DePuy 46' |
Report | Hackshaw 28' Lasso 40' 59'Cordovés 85' |
Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 4,587 Referee: Chris Grabas |
| October 7 31 | Charleston Battery | 4–0 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Cordoves 15', 58' van Schaik 19'Guerra 28'Griffith 89' 89' |
Report Box Score |
Olabiyi 36' Brent 82' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 4,170 Referee: David Erbacher |
| October 14 32 | Charlotte Independence | 0–1 | Charleston Battery | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 6:00 P.M. EDT | Report | Guerra 35' Griffith 42' Mueller 72' Portillo 83' Rittmeyer 90+3' |
Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,864 Referee: Daniel Gutierrez |
U.S. Open Cup
edit| May 17 Second round | Atlanta Silverbacks  | 1–2 |  Charleston Battery | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 3:30 PM EDT | Tacchi 24' Garcia 45'Harlley 73' |
Report | Lasso 20' Otoo 44'Thomas 79' |
Stadium: Atlanta Silverbacks Park |
| May 31 Third round | Jacksonville Armada  | 0–1 | Charleston Battery | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Rebellón 90+3' |
Report | Beckie 25' (o.g.) Lasso 56'Anunga 58'Hackshaw 90+4' |
Stadium: Southern Oak Stadium Attendance: 831 Referee: Esteban Rosano |
| June 14 Fourth round | Atlanta United FC | 3–2 | Charleston Battery | Kennesaw, Georgia |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Kratz 30' Larentowicz 34'Martínez 48'Walkes 59'Vazquez 72' |
Report | Lasso 3' Marini 31'Mueller 89' |
Stadium: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Attendance: 9,458 Referee: Guido Gonzalez |
References
edit- ^ "Battery Advance to Open Cup Third Round". May 19, 2016.
- ^ "Jacksonville Armada need OT to earn first tournament win, 2-1 over Charleston Battery". TheCup.us. TheCup.us. June 3, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2017.