The Charleston Battery will head north to face New York Red Bulls II on Friday, June 12, in Montclair, New Jersey. Kickoff at MSU Soccer Park is set for 7 p.m. ET.
It is a relatively late first meeting between Charleston and New York after opening the season against each other last year. In 2021, the series was even at one win apiece and two draws. Last time the Battery visited MSU Soccer Park, they scored thrice before halftime, with DZ Harmon needing less than two minutes to record the opening goal, to win 2-3.
The Baby Bulls will look to build upon the momentum of their 2-1 home victory over Atlanta United 2 on Tuesday. The match was scoreless through the hour mark until Atlanta opened the scoring two minutes after New York were reduced to 10 men via a red card issued to Michael Knapp in the 66th minute. Red Bulls II, however, rallied late to score twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to secure their third victory of the season.
Charleston continue their August away stand after opening the month on the road against Louisville City FC. The Battery got on the board first when Augustine Williams bagged his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Harmon. Louisville, however, would score four unanswered goals following Williams’ opening tally to secure the three points. After facing the top team in the Eastern Conference last weekend, Charleston will look to bounce back when they take on the bottom team in the conference this Friday.
It will be a return to the old stomping grounds for defender Preston Kilwien as his professional career began with Red Bulls II, where he featured in 36 matches from 2019 to 2020.
New York will be without midfielder Michael Knapp this Friday due to suspension from the red card he was issued during the Atlanta match.
Midfielder Enock Kwakwa will miss Friday’s contest due to suspension from a red card received during the Louisville match. He will also miss the Battery’s August 20 and August 27 matches.
Ones to watch
Jordan Adebayo-Smith
Adebayo-Smith has been a regular on the pitch for Red Bulls II, appearing in 22 of their 23 matches, the most on the squad. The winger is currently the side’s top goalscorer with four and additionally has one assist and nine chances created. At 21 years old, Adebayo-Smith is one of the more experienced players on New York and he became familiar with the Battery last as a member of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Look for him to play a key role on Friday.
DZ Harmon
Harmon found his footing against Louisville and will look to carry that form against a team he has had success against. The Liberian midfielder recorded his first assist of the season against LouCity when he picked out Williams inside the box. The last time Harmon stepped foot on the turf at MSU Soccer Park, he recorded one goal, three chances created and five duels won, and was accurate on 85% of his passes.
From the training ground
The Battery returned to training at Patriots Point on Tuesday following a period of recovery and travel after the Louisville game.
Head Coach Conor Casey and midfielder Robbie Crawford discussed the upcoming match against New York, with key quotes below.
Coach Casey on preparations this week in training…
A little bit shorter week, but it’s been a good, intense week of training, a couple of days rest and now turning our attention towards the game in two days’ time. It’s been a busy stretch the last month or so, especially with all of our road games. We’re working away, working hard and preparing ourselves to put out a good performance come Friday night.
Coach Casey on New York, a team the Battery haven’t faced yet this season…
They play very fast, very direct, and very much in transition. They’re young and they have fresh legs with a lot of energy, so we’re going to have to make sure that we approach the game with a lot of passion and with a lot of the right aggressive mentality going in against this group.
Coach Casey on the message to the team ahead of the fixture…
I think the transition battle will be a big key for us so we can win the transition moments, be able to attack quickly and create goal-scoring chances. Then there’s the mentality, this is going to be a young team we’re playing against, we have a little bit older of a group and we need to use that to our advantage.
Crawford on the team looking to bounce back on Friday…
It’s been a difficult couple of weeks, results-wise, we’ve conceded more than we would like to but that’s the nature of the game and there’s always another match coming up and we have a chance to bounce back and show what we can really do. There are 11 games left and there’s nothing to do about the game that have come before us.
Crawford on what he recalls from New York…
They’re a team I’m familiar with and I played them quite a lot last year. They’re a young team, which mean they’ve got a lot of energy and they’ve got a lot to prove by trying to establish themselves in the league at the same time. There will be some challenges for us but I think the boys are ready for it.
Crawford on how he’s been readjusting since returning to the club…
The results have been difficult but at the same time everyone’s been really welcoming, a lot of the guys, the new guys too, I have bonded with quickly and it’s like I never left, really, so it’s been nice.
As of posting, Dominic Oduro, Leland Archer, Joe Schmidt, Brett St. Martin, Mauro Cichero Geobel Perez Jr. and Joe Kuzminsky are out. The Battery received a boost in training as Andrew Booth returned to the pitch and will be available for selection on Friday.
Match info
New York Red Bulls II vs. Charleston Battery
Friday, August 12 – 7:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
MSU Soccer Park
HOW TO WATCH:
The club is hosting the two simultaneous Battery Watch Parties at Madra Rua Irish Pub – at both the Park Circle and Summerville locations! Join supporters and the staff cheer on the Black and Yellow from afar at either venue – fans in Battery merch can enjoy drink specials on Bud Light and Heineken (21+). Start time for the watch party is 6:30 p.m., a half-hour ahead of kickoff.
Can’t make it to Madra Rua? All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
