Presented by MUSC Health
The Charleston Battery host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Sat., April 29, in an East vs. West showdown in the USL Championship. Kickoff at Patriots Point is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
While the history between Charleston and Colorado Springs is brief, last year’s inaugural meeting was a memorable one. After a back-and-forth night with Switchbacks FC taking a 3-2 lead into stoppage time, AJ Paterson provided the late-game heroics and scored off a free-kick, off the crossbar, to earn the Battery a point at the death.
The Battery enter Saturday’s match as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 4W–0L–3D record (15 pts). Last league match, Charleston played Louisville City FC to a 0-0 draw at home in a duel between the top teams in the conference. The Battery were in action again on Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup, defeating Charlotte Independence in extra time, 1-0. Nick Markanich scored the match-winning goal in the 113th minute.
Switchbacks FC sit third in the Western Conference standings with a 4W–2L–1D record (13 pts). The Colorado club defeated New Mexico United, 2-1, in their last round of action. After going down 0-1 in the first minute of the second half, Colorado Springs equalized via an own goal and scored the eventual match-winner shortly after, by Drew Skundrich.
The Black and Yellow will look to keep their strong start to the season going against another formidable Western Conference side. Charleston rank third in goals scored (12) and tied for fourth in fewest goals conceded (6).
Colorado Springs have conceded the second-most fouls in the league so far (114), only Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC have more (115).
Saturday will see the return of former Battery players Romario Williams and Joe Kuzminsky in Charleston. Both signed with Switchbacks FC ahead of the 2023 season.
Leland Archer is a player to watch for the Battery, he currently leads Charleston in clearances with 32, good for sixth-most in the league.
Maalique Foster is one to keep an eye on for Switchbacks FC, the Jamaican international leads the team in chances created with 12.
Augi Williams is unavailable for Saturday’s contest due to a pair of yellow cards picked up in the Louisville game.
It will be Legacy Night at Patriots Point, presented by MUSC Health, on Saturday, commemorating club legends and team history as part of the Battery’s 30th-anniversary celebration.
From the training ground
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and defender Deklan Wynne previewed the upcoming match against Colorado Springs, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his message to the team this week with the packed schedule…
I think the biggest thing we’ve continued to do for the first nine matches of the season is focus on improving. It was four games in 12 days, then we come back and we’re in the middle of three games in a week. So, it’s tough, physically and mentally. We want to make sure that we’re progressing forward, and the boys have really bought in, they’re working hard. Right now we’re really focused on ourselves and making sure we’re taking slight little improvements every day.
Coach Pirmann on what Colorado Springs bring to the table…
Colorado Springs went to the conference final last year and they’re in third place right now. So, they’re one of the top three or four teams in this league. They’re very well coached, they have a very distinct system. They want to build the game from the back and they want to create the extra numbers in midfield to try to make their opponents suffer. So they’ve got strength, they’ve got quickness and then they’ve got the midfield play underneath, to be able to be creative and link it all together.
Coach Pirmann on what he sees Saturday’s match coming down to…
I think it’s going to be a 50-50 game, similar to Louisville, similar to pretty much every game in this league. For us, if we can make sure we’re mentally focused on the little details, maybe that can tilt the game in our favor, but it’s going to be a really tough match. We want to use the energy of the crowd, being at home. It is our third game in eight days, we played midweek, [Colorado Springs] were off, so they’re going to be fresh, they’re going to be focused.
Wynne on how the week has gone between the games and training…
It’s been a busy week with the game on Tuesday. But, I think after winning that game, everyone is looking forward to the next one and working hard. We’ll finish the week off strong and then hopefully put in a strong performance on Saturday.
Wynne on the team looking to keep the early momentum going…
We’re taking every game one game at a time. Of course, we’re looking to extend the unbeaten streak as long as we can, but we’re just focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can. We’ve bonded well together and the mentality has been strong. You can see that by the way we play and never give up, by scoring a lot of last-minute goals and then on Tuesday scoring that late goal to win the game.
Wynne on the impact fans have on games at Patriots Point…
Every game they’ve had an impact, the fans have been quite good, so I’ve really enjoyed my time so far. Hopefully, as we continue to do well and as the season goes on more, more people will come out and support us. The more fans we get, it helps us on the field.
I encourage everyone to get out and help us along. It’s one of those things you hear all the time, the 12th man. If we’re defending and struggling at times, and the fans are behind us, then we have that extra support to push on and try to win for them.
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Saturday, April 29 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Only a very limited number of tickets are still available for Saturday’s match and can be purchased via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
All Battery matches will also stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
