I'll post my full recap of the match tomorrow, with my perspective on how the Battery performed, along with player ratings, and my selection for man of the match.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Charleston Downs Lions 2-1
I'll post my full recap of the match tomorrow, with my perspective on how the Battery performed, along with player ratings, and my selection for man of the match.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com
Friday, April 15, 2011
Preview: Charleston Battery-Dayton Dutch Lions
Last Saturday, the Charleston Battery won their 2011 USL Pro season opener 1-0 against the Charlotte Eagles. This Saturday they will begin a three-game road trip with a fixture with the Dayton Dutch Lions, who are playing their first game of the season. Here's what to expect:
Dayton Dutch Lions:
Last Year: In 2010, the Lions played their first season in the Great Lakes Division of the USL's Premier Development League. They finished 3rd in their division, missing the PDL playoffs. They were knocked out in the 1st round of the US Open Cup.
Who's Back: Since they are moving from the PDL (which is an amateur league) to the USL Pro, they couldn't bring all of the players from last year's team back for the 2011 season. They did keep a few, among these were Julius Wille, who was part of the FC Twente youth system, and Brett Jones who played formerly played for the Cincinatti Kings.
Who's New: The Lions obviously had to pick up a lot of player's for this season, and they were fairly successful in bringing some talent in. The back line looks solid, as they brought in the 2010 PDL Defender of the Year, Joe Tait, into Dayton. As well as Bahamian defender Happy Hall and Evan Schwartz, who was highly touted by many MLS teams, including Toronto FC. They picked up forward Kolby LaCrone, who looks to be a promising young prospect.
What to Expect:
The Battery will, again, come out in a 4-4-2. The Starting XI will probably look something like this:
Dayton Dutch Lions:
Last Year: In 2010, the Lions played their first season in the Great Lakes Division of the USL's Premier Development League. They finished 3rd in their division, missing the PDL playoffs. They were knocked out in the 1st round of the US Open Cup.
Who's Back: Since they are moving from the PDL (which is an amateur league) to the USL Pro, they couldn't bring all of the players from last year's team back for the 2011 season. They did keep a few, among these were Julius Wille, who was part of the FC Twente youth system, and Brett Jones who played formerly played for the Cincinatti Kings.
Who's New: The Lions obviously had to pick up a lot of player's for this season, and they were fairly successful in bringing some talent in. The back line looks solid, as they brought in the 2010 PDL Defender of the Year, Joe Tait, into Dayton. As well as Bahamian defender Happy Hall and Evan Schwartz, who was highly touted by many MLS teams, including Toronto FC. They picked up forward Kolby LaCrone, who looks to be a promising young prospect.
What to Expect:
The Battery will, again, come out in a 4-4-2. The Starting XI will probably look something like this:
Dykstra
Marples Wilson Zaher Dugoni
Prince Peverly Paterson Armstrong
Coleman Kelly
We should see Dykstra in goal this Saturday. He played fair against Charlotte, but got caught way off his line once, but luckily John Wilson was their to save the day (and Dykstra's starting job).
The back line should stay the same as last week. Marples and Zaher both had solid performances in the back and both got forward well. Wilson was the man of the match last week. He showed that he really hasn't lost a step, and honestly if we didn't have him to anchor our back, we'd be very shaky. Dugoni played well in his debut for the Battery, showing he could defend crosses well, and I see him starting again today. Colin Falvey is back for this match, I could see him coming in for Dugoni later in the game, but it wouldn't surprise me if he got the start.
Not many changes to the midfield. The only change I have from last week is Nicki Paterson for Kevin Jackson. Jackson just didn't play effectively enough for me, and Paterson had some great diagonal balls into the box late in the game. Armstrong, Prince, and Peverly all played well enough to get spots in the starting XI.
I was really pleased with Coleman's performance last Saturday. He kept the ball well, and showed that he could use his physical presence to make himself space. Kelly played well, creating some pressure throughout the game and showing off his speed, but seemed to have bad stretches occasionally where he couldn't keep the ball. A little more help coming from behind him, instead of the wings could help him a lot.
For Dayton, it looks like some variation of 4-4-2, possibly a diamond:
Leerdam
Copier Tait Hall Schwartz
Jones
Magill Wille
Van der Pluijm
Davis IV Lacrone
We're looking at a fairly young team hear. The back line looks good, but inexperienced. The midfield should be strong with Wille and Magill working the ball forward. The diamond 4-4-2 will naturally open up the passing triangles for these young players to work it forward to Lacrone and Davis IV.
For more information on Dayton and their roster, check out this link.
Bottom line: Charleston could easily win this game. Playing your first road game of the season is always a learning experience, but with a young Dayton team (plus this being their opener), we could easily out-match and out-class them.
You can watch the game live on USLLive.com. The kick off is set for 7:30 this Saturday, April the 16th.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
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.
The full game is at USL Live as well.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Charleston Battery: Sean Flatley Signs, Wilson and Kelly Receive Awards
Former College of Charleston defender, Sean Flatley, has signed with the Charleston Battery for the remainder of the 2011 USL Pro Season.
Flatley, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was a SoCon All-Conference First Team last year with the Cougars, and scored 6 points in his 20 appearances as a Senior. He transferred to Charleston after playing one year at the University of Maryland.
Flatley is a valuable asset to the Battery's back line. He performed well in this year's USL Combine, as well as Charleston's preseason matches.
Here's a short video on Flatley, with an interview and a short bio.
Earlier today, the USL announced their USL Pro Team of the Week. Though Richmond's Matt Delicate (deservedly) earned the award for Player of the Week, two players for Charleston earned spots on the Team of the Week.
Forward Dane Kelly and Defender John Wilson were both awarded for their performances in the Battery's game against Charlotte last Saturday.
Wilson had a great performance against the Eagles, with one spectacular goal-saving header on the line.
Kelly played well against Charlotte, and created the own goal that would give Charleston the win, when he crossed the ball into Charlotte's net off Mark Bloom.
Here is the rest of the Team of the Week (apparently they come out in a 4-3-3):
Charleston will be playing at Dayton this Saturday at 7:30. You can watch the game on usllive.com.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com
Flatley, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was a SoCon All-Conference First Team last year with the Cougars, and scored 6 points in his 20 appearances as a Senior. He transferred to Charleston after playing one year at the University of Maryland.
Flatley is a valuable asset to the Battery's back line. He performed well in this year's USL Combine, as well as Charleston's preseason matches.
Here's a short video on Flatley, with an interview and a short bio.
Earlier today, the USL announced their USL Pro Team of the Week. Though Richmond's Matt Delicate (deservedly) earned the award for Player of the Week, two players for Charleston earned spots on the Team of the Week.
Forward Dane Kelly and Defender John Wilson were both awarded for their performances in the Battery's game against Charlotte last Saturday.
Wilson had a great performance against the Eagles, with one spectacular goal-saving header on the line.
Kelly played well against Charlotte, and created the own goal that would give Charleston the win, when he crossed the ball into Charlotte's net off Mark Bloom.
Here is the rest of the Team of the Week (apparently they come out in a 4-3-3):
Pos | Player | Team | |
GK | Miguel Gallardo | Orlando City | |
D | John Wilson | Charleston | |
D | Josh Rife | Charlotte | |
D | Ryan Roushandel | Sevilla FC PR | |
D | Luke Vercollone | Richmond | |
M | Ben Horner | Pittsburgh | |
M | Owen Morrison | F.C. New York | |
M | Mauricio Turizo | Puerto Rico Utd | |
F | Matt Delicâte | Richmond | |
F | Max Griffin | Orlando City | |
F | Dane Kelly | Charleston |
Charleston will be playing at Dayton this Saturday at 7:30. You can watch the game on usllive.com.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com
Sunday, April 10, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
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.
Friday, April 8, 2011
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:
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.
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