The Charleston Battery travel westward for a Friday night showdown with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on July 22 at 9 p.m. ET. Friday will be the Battery’s third road trip to play a Western Conference side in 2022.
The match at Weidner Field is also the first ever between Charleston and Colorado Springs. Switchbacks FC played their inaugural USL Championship season in 2015.
Colorado Springs return to their home grounds following a 3-0 road loss against San Diego Loyal SC on Monday. San Diego scored early and often throughout the contest, tallying two goals by halftime and tacking on a third in the second half to put the game away. Colorado Springs were disadvantaged when Steven Echevarria was dismissed from the night for his second yellow card in the 66th minute and San Diego scored their third goal a minute later. Colorado Springs were reduced to nine men when Aaron Wheeler was also sent off for a second yellow card. Friday’s hosts have been a strong side in the Western Conference all year and will look to bounce back in their return to Weidner Field.
The Battery head into Colorado looking to build upon their 3-1 home victory over Hartford Athletic on Saturday. Charleston put on a commanding display against Hartford as Augustine Williams notched his second brace of the season and Enock Kwakwa got onto the scoresheet for the first time with the club. Hartford managed to score in the 22nd minute but were kept at bay otherwise during the match. The Battery defense held the Athletic with few opportunities and goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux notched a pair of saves to further secure the three points. The Black and Yellow will aim to bring that form with them on the road in an effort to earn their first away victory of the season.
Battery forward Augustine Williams is nearing the sesquicentennial mark in regular season USL Championship appearances. He currently has 149 matches to his name, making Friday the potential 150th game for him.
Friday will be a homecoming, of sorts, for Battery Head Coach Conor Casey, who makes his first return to his native Colorado since taking the helm of the Battery. Coach Casey’s hometown is Denver, which is roughly an hour and a half away from Colorado Springs.
Both teams are dealing with a pair of suspensions within their squad due to cards issued in the previous round of matches. Charleston will be without Romario Piggott due to yellow card accumulation and Matt Sheldon due to a straight red card. Colorado Springs with be without Aaron Wheeler and Steven Echevarria as both received red cards after two yellows against San Diego.
Ones to watch
Hadji Barry
The reigning USL Championship MVP and Golden Boot winner has not skipped a beat in 2022. Despite the recent loss against San Diego, Barry dazzled in the match before that, tallying one goal and two assists against LA Galaxy II. Barry earned Team of the Week honors for his Week 19 performance. He additionally is the league leader in assists (eight) and is tied for third-most goals (11). Expect him to be a dangerous figure on Friday.
Enock Kwakwa
Kwakwa has been an impact player since making his return to the starting lineup this month. His efforts crescendoed against Hartford when he tallied his first goal with the Battery while leading the team with four chances created. Kwakwa is a versatile midfielder in both attacking and defending roles, he also tallied five recoveries and six duels won. With Piggott out due to suspension, look for Kwakwa to play another key role in the Battery’s attacking strategies against Switchbacks FC.
From the training ground
The Battery returned to training on Tuesday following a period of recovery after the Hartford match.
Charleston gear up for a tough road test against one of the top teams in the Western Conference and will look to build on the success from Saturday.
“It was a great performance from us this past weekend at home,” said Head Coach Conor Casey. “There are a lot of positives to take from the game, we’ve taken that positivity with us this week in training.”
The Battery tactician expects a competitive match against Switchbacks FC.
“Colorado Springs are a very good team, [Coach Brendan Burke] has done a wonderful job over the last two years with them,” said Coach Casey. “They’ve been one of the best teams in the league, very good in transition, a lot of speed, a very attack-minded philosophy. We’re going to have to be very good in the defensive transitions.”
Defender Leland Archer said the squad is looking to seize the momentum from the previous weekend when they head westward.
“The mindset in the team is we know where we are still, but the victory gives us a little extra motivation to keep going and to make sure that we keep getting these positive results,” said Archer.
Friday’s match is the first of the final two remaining on the July schedule and the team is hoping to make the most of both fixtures.
“We really want to close this month strong, to give us that boost going into the rest of the season,” said Archer. “It’s not going to be an easy game, they have some threats up top, but we think we’ll be able to handle it all.”
Come kickoff on Friday, Coach Casey detailed what he thinks could make the difference in the night’s outcome.
“I think the night is going to come down to us being very good in those transition moments,” said Coach Casey. “We need to finish our chances and we need to stop plays before they start. It’s difficult to play in, at altitude, but I think that we’ll put ourselves in a good position to get three points.”
As of posting, Kyle Holcomb returned to training this week and is questionable; Brett St. Martin, Mauro Cichero, Andrew Booth and Joe Kuzminsky are out. Matt Sheldon and Romario Piggott will miss Friday’s contest due to card suspensions picked up against Hartford.
Match info
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Charleston Battery
Friday, July 22 – 9:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
Weidner Field
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 8:30 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.
