Success!: Charleston Playoff Bound

Well they did it, and a little more handily than the scoreboard would show at the end of the match. Charleston defeated Charlotte 4-3 and are headed to the playoffs.

A great crowd of 4,773 (Largest of the year) at the 'Baud would see the Battery score the most goals they've scored all season in one match. The goals came from Zach Prince, Mike Zaher (2), and Dane Kelly. Zach Prince scored his first goal of the season, while Zaher scored his first and second of the season.

The Battery will face Orlando City next Saturday night at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Orlando has only lost one match at the Citrus Bowl this season, and the Battery came home with zero points in their two matches played in Orlando.

This is the Battery's fourth straight season of making an appearance in the playoffs. So even if the run is short lived, it is still a great accomplishment for the club.

Preview friday. My playoff predictions is also a possibility at some point this week.

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So It All Comes Down to This: Charleston-Charlotte Preview

Well the Battery have had a long season. They've had a five game goal-less streak, they've traveled high and low, they've played two games in two nights, and it all comes down to one match. One match with a familiar foe: the Charlotte Eagles.

The Battery have played the Eagles twice this year, winning both matches 1-0 at home and 2-1 away. This is also a Southern Derby match, even though that will take a backseat to the race for the playoffs that the two sides are in.

This will be a very interesting match, because no other match in the league has this kind of do-or-die position. The added intensity of this rivalry also just adds coal to the fire.

Starting XI:

Dykstra

Marples Falvey Wilson Zaher

Peverley Paterson Caskey Armstrong

Kelly Coleman

In my opinion, this is the strongest line-up by far. This accumulates everyone's season performances, and their current form, and I really think this would be a winning combination. But will just have to wait and see.

This is all the Battery could ask for in the end: Control of their own destiny.

Here are the previews from the Battery, and No Quarter.

The match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel, and first kick is set for 8:00 at Blackbaud Stadium. You can also follow the Battery on Twitter @Chas_Battery, for constant updates from the match.

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Charleston-Dayton and Portsmouth FC is Coming to Town

The Charleston Battery will face the Dayton Dutch Lions at 7:30 at Blackbaud Stadium. The Battery are coming off a US Open Cup victory over Regals FC. Will the Battery bounce back?

Here's the preview from the Battery's website. The match will be broadcast on USL Live

In the biggest news of the week, English Championship side, Portsmouth FC, is coming to Chucktown for an International Friendly with the Charleston Battery on July 27th. This is great news for all soccer fans in the Lowcountry.

Portsmouth will be their "home" during their 12 day stay in the US.

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USL Derby's: Are There Any True Rivalries in the League?

I've been wanting to write this piece for awhile, but with the Portland Timbers-Seattle Sounders match this previous Saturday, it seemed like the perfect time.
Let's start with a fact: Rivalries are crucial to all sports.

Major League Baseball has the Yankees and the Red Sox, the NBA has the Celtics and the Lakers, college football has Michigan-Ohio State, and the list goes on and on. But in soccer, there is something special.


The derby (pronounced darby) is something that is unique to soccer, and is exhibited in leagues all around the world. Barcelona-Real Madrid, Manchester United-Manchester City, Celtic-Rangers, I could name them all day, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.

What I'm trying to get at here is; Are there any real derby's in the USL? And the answer is a challenge.
You may be wondering, "Why the USL? What about the MLS? There are plenty of clubs that have a hatred for each other in the top league."

Well a couple of reasons. First off, its the league I cover, so I know the more about it than a lot of other leagues, and also the USL has been around longer than the MLS, so they've had more time for the rivalries to develop.

Plus their are only two real rivalries in the MLS, the Rocky Mountain Cup between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids, and the Cascadia Cup which involves the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
The latter laid its ground in the NASL in the 70's and 80's, but developed in the USL in the late 90's and early 2000's. So its obvious that the USL can support rivalries, and that they aren't always friendly.
Right now the rivalries are a little more laid back, and are a lot more likely to be discussed between the sides over a couple of drinks in the parking lot before the match than in previous years. But inside the stadium and within the various forms of internet taunting we still see some bad blood between a couple of teams.

The Battery are involved in the Southern Derby, which currently also includes the Charlotte Eagles and Wilmington Hammerheads. Other teams that have participated in the past are; the Raleigh Express, Atlanta Silverbacks, and the Carolina Railhawks. This derby was completely fan-started and fan-based. Here's an article on No Quarter about it.

Most of the others are pretty obvious, but not really official. You have the North Carolina Derby between the Eagles and the Hammerheads, and a brand new one up in Pennsylvania that's contested between the Harrisburg City Islanders and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Another rivalry/derby of note, is the most historic USL rivalry of all time. The Richmond Kickers and the Charleston Battery have played each other 42 times dating back to 1993. It couldn't be any closer, as both teams hold the same record (19-19-4) in this rivalry. They will face one more time this season to decide who will take the edge.

Luckily for the fans in Chucktown, we have a few matches to look forward to every year that can be considered "derby's" or "rivalries." They may not be what they have over in Europe, but its our own little slice of what the rest of the world gets to enjoy.

(Sorry about the formatting issues if there are any, Blogger seems to be having some technical difficulties.)

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Charleston Holds On for Second Road Win of the Year

It's not easy to win on the road. Any player in any sport can tell you that. It doesn't matter what team you play, how good they are, how good you are, it's just an uphill battle.

So when the Charleston Battery went down early to a team they've already beaten this season, that team scored their first goal, and they were on the road; you'd think that their confidence would be dashed right?

They would lay down and die, and they'd be ready to pack up and hit the road back to Chucktown for their match the next night.

But that's not how this team has been playing.

Charleston has found an uncanny ability (considering Charleston has an unbeaten streak at home dating back to 2009) to play quality soccer on the road this season.

A 2-1 win against Dayton in their first match as a professional team, a 2-1 loss against Richmond, which looks to be the best team in the league, and now another 2-1 result, this time a victory for the Battery over the Charlotte Eagles.

In the 21st minute, Josh Rife headed in a goal off a short Sallieu Bundu cross to give the Eagles their first goal of the season.

11 minutes later the Battery answered with Gambian, newcomer Seedy Bah. Bah connected on a corner after a scramble in the box.

Nicki Paterson would do Bah one better. He curled in a free kick from just outside the 18 to give Charleston a 2-1 lead in the stoppage time of the first half.

Keith Wiggans played excellent, recording 5 saves with one being a game-saver in the 66th minute. Wiggans made a one handed save on a Bundu shot from just 5 yards out.

Well played Keith, well played.

This was an important win for the Battery. This was a must win against a much weaker opponent, and its nice to see that they kept their composure after giving up the early goal. Their is still a whole season in front of them, but early success is never a bad thing.

Charleston has a match with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday, and will be at Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday and will be available on USL Live. The match kicks off at 7:30, and it is the Battery's "Kick for a Cure," so make sure to go to the 'Baud and support the Battery.

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Preview(s): Charlotte Eagles-Charleston Battery and Charleston-Pittsburgh Riverhounds

In the first of Charleston's "2 matches in 2 days" (that we'll be seeing a couple of times this year), the Battery take on the Charlotte Eagles for the second time this year, and the National Division's Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Here's a quick preview:
Charlotte Eagles:
This Season: The Eagles have had a rough start to their season. They have lost 2 and drawn 1 of their three matches so far, and have failed to score a goal. Their first match was against Charleston, which they lost 1-0 off an own goal by Mark Bloom. Here's a full recap of that match.
Who's Playing Big: Well right now nobody. The Eagles have failed to even put out a good performance this year, their best match probably being against a Charleston team that was in the process of finding itself in that first match. The best play is probably coming from their keeper, Eric Reed. Reed has given up only 2 goals in 3 matches. Considering that they've earned one point in those two matches, less than one a game is not bad at all.
Who Needs to Step Up: THE WHOLE TEAM. Someone needs to find the back of the net to give the team some confidence, and playing Charleston is no easy task, as the Battery have been playing well this season earning 6 points in 3 matches.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds:
This Season: Pittsburgh comes into their match with Charleston holding a 1-1-0 record. Their first match came away against the red-hot Richmond Kickers, which they lost 2-1. The second match was against their in-state rival the Harrisburg City Islanders. They won that match 1-0 off a Shintaro Harada goal.
Who's Playing Big: The back line has been playing solidly in their first two matches. Giving up 2 goals in 0 matches (and both of them being against Richmond) is fair, not to mention that their game winning goal against Harrisburg was scored by Harada (a defender).
Who Needs to Step Up: Nobody in particular, but the strikers need to be scoring a little more prolifically if the Riverhounds want to compete in the league.

What to Expect:
Charleston should come out in a 4-4-2 again:

Wiggans

Marples Wilson Zaher Falvey

Peverley Paterson Taylor Armstrong

Coleman Bah

Wiggans should be playing both of the matches for the injured Andrew Dykstra (who should be back in 2-3 weeks). Wiggans played decently against the Kickers, but the first goal he couldn't do much about (except maybe come out), and the second was a nice goal as well.

The rest is a bit of a mystery. In these back-to-back matches, the line ups very greatly. I imagine that a weaker line up would be put out against Charlotte, and a stronger against Pittsburgh. I can see Coleman playing 2 games, or a little of each. Wilson and Armstrong will most likely play one or the other, but besides that, my guess is as good as yours.

I think that Charleston could easily win both of these matches. The Charlotte match is important, as we can't lose points to a terrible team. Pittsburgh will be the toughest challenge, especially because of that quick turn around, but at worst I see Charleston getting a single.

The match against the Eagles will not be on USL Live, but it will be on 1340 AM in Charleston, and on the Battery's website. The match starts at 7:30 PM on Friday and will be played at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.

The fixture with the Riverhounds will be at Blackbaud Stadium 7:30 on Saturday and will be available on USL Live. It is the Battery's "Kick for a Cure," so make sure to go to the 'Baud and support the Battery.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/scsoccerblog.

USL Pro: Week 3 Observations

After missing last week, I'm back for another edition of my weekly look at the results of the USL Pro's matches.

This weekend we had a huge slate of matches that started on Friday night with two matches, Rochester @ Richmond, and LA @ Sevilla FC.

Richmond defeated Rochester on Friday with another goal from Matthew Delicate. Delicate is making an early case for the USL Pro Player of the Year, as this is his 3rd goal in three games. The big surprise for Rochester would come on Sunday afternoon, but we'll get to that a little later.

The expansion LA Blues shocked the league when they went down to Sevilla FC and just demolished the hosts 3-0. This was a shock as many (including myself) had the Blues finishing in the lower half of the league.

On Saturday, the day was highlighted by torrential rains all across the east coast, postponing two games (Harrisburg @ Pittsburgh and Rochester @ Wilmington). Harrisburg and Pittsburgh are yet to reschedule this match, while Rochester and Wilmington would play on Sunday afternoon.

The two games that were played were Orlando City @ Charlotte and Charleston @ Dayton.

Orlando City traveled up to Charlotte to face the Eagles, who were playing their home opener. Orlando City showed that they are for real, and defeated Charlotte on a goal from Rob Valentino. Orlando City is making a strong case for a playoff spot.

Charleston headed up to Dayton, and defeated the Lions in their home opener 2-1. Here's a full recap.

On Sunday, we had the make up match between Wilmington and Rochester, as well as the Blues second game at Barracuda FC.

Wilmington gained their first points of the season in a 1-0 victory on a Luke Mulholland goal in the second half. This was the Rhinos second straight loss in 3 days.

The LA Blues gained their second win on Sunday night, on 2 set piece goals, against Antigua Barracuda FC. This was Barracuda FC's first game of the year, so it is no time for hitting the panic button.

Biggest Surprise: LA Blues winning their first 2 games
Los Angeles was looking at a brand new team, with brand new players, and in a brand new league. But they have taken the International Division over in their matches this week. Defeating two of the better Caribbean teams is no easy task. Especially when playing away for both matches.
Biggest Disappointment: Rochester Rhinos losing their first 2 games
Rochester was looking to win the National Division this year, but now their fans might have a little doubt. To lose their first two games without scoring a single goal is a cause for some concern. Now the first one wasn't a bad loss (Richmond looks to be one of the hottest teams in the league), but the loss to Wilmington isn't a good sign.
Player of the Week: Walter Gaitan-Los Angeles Blues
No questions here. Gaitan had 3 goals in his two matches with the Blues. His first goal came against Sevilla FC on Friday night in stoppage time, while his next two would come in their match with Antigua Barracuda FC. The first came off a free kick, while the second came from the penalty spot. LA needed to find someone who could consistently put the ball in the back of the net early this season, and I think they've found their man.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Highlights and Full Game Film of the Charleston-Charlotte Match

Here's the highlight I put together of the Battery's match last Saturday against the Charlotte Eagles:

The full game is at USL Live as well.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Charleston Defeats Charlotte in Their Season Opener

Last night, in front of 4,083 spectators at Blackbaud Stadium, the Charleston Battery opened up their 2011 USL Pro campaign with a 1-0 win over the Charlotte Eagles.

The first 10 minutes of the match was dominated by Charlotte. Most of the possession was in Charleston's half, and the Eagles managed a couple of shots.

The Battery did have their chances though. Zaher and Coleman showed good chemistry in the 8th minute, when Zaher came down the left wing and had a good give and go with Coleman to give himself some space. He then crossed to Coleman, who was just outside of the 18 yard box, for a shot, but he couldn't get it on goal.

Charleston's arguably best chance of the first half came in the 13th minute, when Stephen Armstrong stepped up to take a free kick from about 20 yards out. His shot was deflected off the wall, but came out to Kevin Jackson for a volley that was saved by Eric Reed. Reed couldn't get a clean handle on the powerful shot, and it came out to Kelly who was caught offside.

Kelly and Coleman showed good chemistry with each other in the first half, and this would lead to some early opportunities that they couldn't capitalize on.

The first half was highlighted by Charlotte's opportunities on the counter attack. Charleston lost many balls in the midfield that led to quick counters by the Eagles, but they couldn't find the back of the net.

In the 41st minute came the Eagle's chance to take the lead.

After a scrum just outside of the 18, the ball came down to Moore who found Dykstra off his line. He attempted to chip Dykstra, but the Battery's John Wilson was on the line to make a jumping headed save. This was the play of the game.

Going into the half, the Battery showed some signs of promise, but Charlotte seemed to dominate possession. The play by Wilson gave Charleston some real momentum going into the half.

No teams made any changes to the line up coming out of the half.

Charleston went on the attack in the second half, getting some early crosses in. Zach Prince tried to receive one of these crosses, but committed a handball and got a yellow card.

Nicki Paterson came in for Zach Prince in the 56th minute, just as the game started to open up.

Finally, in the 58th minute the Battery broke through, when Dane Kelly got around his man on the right and ran onto goal. His attempted cross for Levi Coleman was deflected by Charlotte's Mark Bloom and into the net.

After the goal, Kelly really stepped his game up after playing poorly in the first half. The one thing that Kelly did that I didn't like was after he shot the ball off Bloom and into the net, he went over to the crowd pointing to his name on the back of his jersey.

Now I think that celebrating your goals in soccer is perfectly fine, but when you cross in a ball that hits off a defender and into the net, pointing at your name just makes you look like a cocky moron. I was happy that Charleston scored nonetheless.

Charleston and Charlotte would continue to make substitutions, and the Battery's defense held strong. They had many younger players step up and make crucial tackles in the last 30 minutes of the game to preserve this victory.

Charlotte's last chance was in the 88th minute, when a ball was crossed in from the right and into second half substitute Miguel Ferrer.

Ferrer had what looked to be an open shot on net, but he shot the ball off one of his own players and it went wide.

After 4 minutes of added time, the whistle blew and Charleston attained their first 3 points of this young USL Pro season.

Player Reviews:
Starters:
Forwards:
Dane Kelly: Kelly created the only goal for Charleston, and after a slow start played he was very effective in the second half. In the first half he had trouble keeping the ball, and took some shots that were speculative to say the least. He showed how fast he is, getting around Charlotte's back multiple times, but being caught offsides a few times as well.
Levi Coleman: You could tell that Coleman had been playing with some of the veterans for awhile now, as he had some good passing with the experienced midfield. He showed his great pace throughout the 70 minutes he played, and earned Charleston multiple free kicks and throws in the attacking third.

Midfielders:
Zach Prince: Prince showed a lot of confidence on the ball in the early goings, but trickled off towards the end of the first half and the time he played in the second half. I wanted him to be a little more effective on his passes, and he had trouble gathering a couple long balls that were supplied for him.
Kevin Jackson: Kevin showed that he still has it today. He didn't play outstanding, and lost a couple of balls in the center of the midfield (which seemed to be the theme of the night for the whole team), but he played well enough to stay in the starting eleven for next week.
Cole Peverley: Peverley was very effective in getting the ball forward from the back, and showed that he could cross the ball well. He had a couple of diagonal balls from near the half-way line that resulted in some chances for Charleston, and made some nice tackles as well.
Stephen Armstrong: Armstrong, as usual, had the best performance by a midfielder today. He was all over the place, making tackles in our own third, moving the ball forward down the wings, as well as supporting Coleman, Kelly, and Bah well up front.

Defenders:
Nigel Marples: Not much to say about Marples. The whole back line played outstanding, but Marples didn't do anything to special. A couple of decent clearances, and one or two crosses after getting forward.
Graham Dugoni: For his debut, Dugoni played very well. He did really well defending corners and crosses, having some great headed clearances to preserve the Battery's lead late in the game. He also came up for corners and got one shot on goal.
John Wilson: Wilson played magnificently. He had many tackles inside the 18, moved the ball forward the best of any of our defenders, and had that goal-stopping save off the line in the 41st minute. Wilson showed that he can still stand tall on the back line.
Mike Zaher: Zaher played very attacking today. The highlight of his play was a nice give-and-go with Coleman, on one of the few times that he got far forward.

Goalkeeper:
Andrew Dykstra: Dykstra played pretty well today. Obviously, anytime you keep a clean sheet, your play will be considered a success, but Dykstra looked like a true keeper today. He had one major mistake, when he came off his line in the 41st minute, but Wilson saved him from giving up the goal.

Substitutes:
Nicki Paterson: Paterson made his debut today, and took the half of an hour he played to put forward a couple of good long balls, and he fed Coleman well once, but Coleman took a shot that was well wide.
Seedy Bah: Bah came in for Coleman, and was quiet. He showed some decent play when teamed up with Kelly up front. Had one or two shots on target.
Brandon Massie: Came in for Stephen Armstrong and did well enough. He had one nice clearance to clean up a mess in Charleston's 18 yard box in the 81st.
Alex Caskey: Caskey replaced Jackson. He got very few touches, and didn't do anything of note.
Mark Wiltse: Wiltse was brought in for Kelly to add another defender to the group to preserve the Battery's lead late in the game. He had a fair clearance in added time.

Man of the Match: John Wilson
Wilson was the biggest player for either side today. The play he had to prevent the goal was huge, and gave the Battery so much momentum going into the second half. He moved the ball forward very well, and really led the back line.

Stats:
Charleston:
Players: Andrew Dykstra, Nigel Marples, John Wilson, Graham Dugoni, Mike Zaher, Zach Prince (Nicki Paterson 57), Kevin Jackson (Alex Caskey 79), Cole Peverley, Stephen Armstrong (Brandon Massie 72), Dane Kelly (Mark Wiltse 89), Levi Coleman (Seedy Bah 69)
Shots (on goal): 13(6)
Saves: 2
Fouls: 8
Offsides: 5
Corners: 2
Cards: Prince 52nd (Yellow)
Charlotte:
Players: Eric Reed, Mark Bloom, Jo Connor, Josh Rife, Luke Williams (Chad Smith 79), Alan Sanchez (Diego Matrins 60), Jorge Herrera, Walter Moore (Miguel Ferrer 72), Juan Guzman (Ben Page 66), Darren Toby, Sallieu Bundu (Chris Salvaggione 69)
Shots (on goal): 12(2)
Saves: 6
Fouls: 7
Offsides: 2
Corners: 5
Cards: Moore 70th (Yellow)

Charleston plays next Saturday, April 16th away, at the Dayton Dutch Lions.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Charleston Battery 1-0 Charlotte Eagles

Tonight the Charleston Battery defeated the Charlotte Eagles by a score of 1-0 at Blackbaud Stadium. Josh Rife scored an own goal off a Dane Kelly cross in the 58th minute. The Battery then held on for the remaining time to gain their first 3 points of the season.

Come back to SC Soccer Blog tomorrow for a full recap, player ratings, and more.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Preview: Charleston Battery-Charlotte Eagles

Well the Charleston Battery are returning for their 18th season of soccer in the Lowcountry.

The Battery start off their 24 game USL Pro season with a home fixture against their long time rival, the Charlotte Eagles. Here's a lowdown on what to expect from this game:

Charlotte Eagles:
Last Year: In 2010, Charlotte finished 4th in the USL Second Division, missing the playoffs by one spot. They were 7 points behind third place, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and 16 points behind Charleston who was in first.
Who's Back: Charlotte returns all 11 starters (plus 5 others) from last year's team, so chemistry should not be a problem. Greg Dalby and Josh Rife return to keep the midfield strong, along with a solid back line returning for the Eagles.
Who's New: One of the best pick-ups for Charlotte was the 2006 PDL Goalkeeper of the year Eric Reed. Reed helped the Cleveland City Stars win the 2008 USL-2 Championship, and he was with the Carolina Railhawks last year when they advanced to the USSF D2 championship. Forwards, Chris Salvaggione and Sallieu Bundu were also picked up in the offseason.

What to Expect:
The Battery will most likely come out in a 4-4-2. My prediction for the line up would be something like this:

Dykstra

Wilson Marples Zaher Falvey

Prince Peverley Jackson Armstrong

Coleman Kelly

Dysktra looks to be the number one option for goal right now. Wiggans is just going to have to wait and see how Dykstra performs. He'll get his chance eventually.

Not much to argue about on the back. That group is the most experienced, and best for that matter. Dugoni did play in the last preseason match against the Puerto Rico Islanders, but I give the edge to Falvey.

The midfield returns a lot of experience with Stephen Armstrong and Jackson, and Zach Prince and Cole Peverley have something to prove. Prince scored 1 goal in 16 appearances with the Battery, and is looking to capitalize on some consistent playing time this year. Peverley will be coming into his first season with the Battery, and is looking to be successful.

Up front we have Levi Coleman and Dane Kelly. Coleman is entering his second season with Charleston. Last year he scored 2 goals and had 2 assists in 16 appearances. Dane Kelly looks like the brightest young star on the Battery this year. The 20 year old was very successful in the preseason, scoring 2 goals (and drawing a crucial penalty against Toronto) in the preseason.

Charlotte will look to come out in a a 4-4-2 as well:

Reed

Bryant Bloom Smith Moore

Bryant Dalby Rife Herrera Page

Salvaggione Bundu

Newcomers Chris Salvaggione and Sallieu Bundu are look to be a dangerous duo up top, but Charlotte's main goal scoring threat seems to be Jorge Herrera, who had 22 goals for the Eagles in the last few seasons.

For more information on the Eagles roster, check out this link.

Now the Battery haven't lost a home game since September 6th, 2009, and I don't see that streak being broken by the Eagles. But it's a new season, so it's hard to tell what will happen.

You can watch the game on USLLive.com tomorrow at 7:30, or attend the game at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

USL Pro Week 2: What to Watch For

After a successful opening weekend of the inaugural USL Pro season, the second set of games is set to kick off this weekend. Bullet time:

• Can Richmond continue their early success?: I would think so. Richmond dominated a solid Orlando City side last Saturday, and their attack is looking dangerous. Last week's USL Pro Player of the Week, Mike Callahan, returns to the line up for Richmond after an admirable effort last week. They will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Saturday, April 9th at City Stadium.
• Will FC New York be successful this year?: An expansion franchise's first season is usually rough, even harder when you start from scratch. FC New York's debut will be down in the Citrus Bowl, when they play Orlando City SC this Saturday. New York is bringing a young team to the pitch this year, but have some experience in captain Paul Shaw, who played for many years over in England. City is looking to rebound off a loss to Richmond.
• Can Puerto Rico United find chemistry early in the season?: We'll see what happens, but United is my choice for last in the International Division. Their whole team looks to be a mess, and especially so in the midfield. They will host Sevilla FC Puerto Rico, who played River Plate Puerto Rico level last weekend. Sevilla looks to have a team that could compete for an International Division Championship.
• Will Charleston open up the season with a win?: Come back to the blog tomorrow for my preview and thoughts of the game.

Luckily, 3 of the 4 games this weekend will be broadcasted live on USLLive.com. The only exception to this will be Richmond vs. Pittsburgh.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Charleston Battery: The Week Ahead

The Charleston Battery will be very busy this week, with their preparations for the beginning of their 2011 USL Pro season.

It starts tomorrow, Tuesday, April 5th, when the Battery will host last year's USSF Division 2 Professional League Champions, the Puerto Rico Islanders, in the final preseason match of the season for the Battery.

The Battery have some history with Islanders, including a 2006 2-leg playoff series which the Battery won on a 3-2 aggregate. That included this amazing goal by Stephen Armstrong.

The game will be played at 5:30 PM at Blackbaud Stadium, and admission's free. Make sure to come out and support the Battery.

Then on Saturday, April 9th, we have Charleston's opening match of the 2011 USL Pro season, against the Charlotte Eagles. This game will also be played at Blackbaud Stadium, and kick off is set for 7:30 PM. The game will be broadcast live on usllive.com.

I'll be posting a preview of the game later this week, so watch out for that.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com

USL Pro Preview: American Division

The first year of the USL Pro will definitely be an interesting one. With the 15 team league being divided into 3 divisions, I will cover each one separately in the lead up to the first game on Saturday, April 2nd. The final division we will look at is the American Division:

The American Division looks to be the best out of the three divisions in this year's USL Pro. The division is based in the Southeast, and contains 3 teams in the Carolinas, 1 in Florida, and 1 in Virginia. Here is how I think they will finish:

5. Wilmington Hammerheads: After a season off where it looked like the team would dissolve, the Hammerheads are back and ready to get back out on the pitch. They've already won the biggest battle, but can they come back with a full head of steam into the USL Pro? I think not. The Hammerheads lost most of the players from their 2009 USL-2 Regular Season Champion Team, and are basically starting over. Two players that are returning from that 2009 team are Chris Murray and Jyler Noviello. Murray was one of the brightest young stars for the Hammerheads in both 2008 and 2009. Noviello had 8 goals and 5 assists in 33 appearances for Wilmington in 2008 and 2009. Their main hope on attack seems to be Andriy Budnyi, who played well for the Carolina Railhawks in the 2010 season. The defense is fairly young, and goalkeeper Kyle Polak will have a huge task in keeping the goals out.

4. Charlotte Eagles: Last season, Charlotte finished 4 in the 6 team USL Second Division, 7 points out of the playoffs. Charlotte returns a lot of their team from last year's squad, in fact all 11 starters are returning. The depth was hurt a little, but that may not be a problem for the Eagles. Their two main losses were midfielders Chris Klotz and Chris Lemons. Former PDL Goalkeeper of the Year, Eric Reed will be in goal for Charlotte, and should put on good performances, assuming that the backline can stand strong in the toughest division of the USL Pro. Charlotte will have to see Orlando City fall out if they plan on making the playoffs, but this is unlikely.

3. Orlando City SC: Orlando comes into the league after making a move from Austin, Texas, where they were the Austin Aztex. They finished 2nd in the USL division of the USSF D2 Pro League. They brought many of the players from that team down to Florida, but Eddie Johnson, who scored 14 goals last season, moved on up to the Portland Timbers of the MLS. Jamie Watson and Maxwell Griffin will lead Orlando's attack, and scored a combined 20 goals last season. Or 10 each. The team is experienced, former Battery player Ian Fuller will be one of the leaders of the young team. One player that I'm excited to see is Devorn Jorsling, who has scored 13 goals in 24 games for the Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team, including a hat trick against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

2. Richmond Kickers: Last year, the Kickers fell to Charleston in the USL Second Division Championship game. Richmond comes into this season looking for revenge, and didn't lose a starter from last year's runner up squad. The Kickers bring Nozomi Hiroyama to the squad this year. Hiroyama is the most experienced player on the squad, and even played 2 games for the Japanese National Team in 2001. Last year he played for the Japanese club, Thespa Kusatsu, scoring 3 goals in 73 appearances. They added Ryan Heins, who scored 5 goals for the Rochester Rhinos last year. Goalkeeper and Captain Ronnie Pascale returns to the Kickers for a 12th season. He has made 242 appearances in his career for Richmond, and will be the biggest leader on the team.

1. Charleston Battery: Now I may be a little bias, but I think that Charleston is the strongest team in the Division and one of the strongest in the league. Charleston won the USL Second Division Championship last year, over the Richmond Kickers. The Battery lost a lot of keys to that team, including forwards Tom Heinemann and Lamar Neagle, who both moved on to the MLS. Stephen Armstrong returns for the Battery for a 6th season, will be the captain of the team, and will take on assistant coaching duties as well as his playing duties. They add young promising players such as Dane Kelly and JC Mack, and I can easily see the Battery not only winning the American Division, but the whole league. The Battery have a good head coach in Mike Anhaeuser, giving them all the attributes to make a playoff run.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing a wrap up of the USL Pro, including my playoff predictions and how I think the league table will end up.

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