The Charleston Battery head to Pennsylvania for a midweek match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Wednesday, August 31. Kickoff at Highmark Stadium is tabbed for 7 p.m. ET.
This will be the second time Charleston and Pittsburgh meet this season. The two sides clashed in June when the Battery blanked the Hounds 3-0 at Patriots Point. Augustine Williams, Andrew Booth and Romario Piggott all scored in the first half. Hugo Fauroux notched his first clean sheet with the club to secure the victory.
Pittsburgh return to their home grounds following a 1-2 road victory over Atlanta United 2 on Saturday. The Hounds were powered by a brace from Albert Dikwa on either side of halftime. Dikwa’s second goal proved to be the match-winner after Atlanta equalized in the second half. Sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, Pittsburgh are aiming to preserve their spot in postseason play while vying for a top-four finish to secure a home match in the playoffs.
Charleston will look to bounce back after falling 0-3 at home to Detroit City FC last Saturday. The match was scoreless at halftime, but the visitors’ overbearing pursuit of breaking the deadlock in the second half made the difference. Pato Botello Faz netted twice and Detroit added a third via an own goal conceded by Patrick Hogan. The Black and Yellow are hoping for a turn in fortune on the road after their previous success against Pittsburgh.
Wednesday will be a clash between black-and-yellow 90s clubs when Charleston and Pittsburgh meet, however the Battery are six years the Hounds’ senior.
There is plenty of familiarity between the two rosters. Preston Kilwien, who joined the Battery ahead of the 2022 season, spent 2021 in Steel City and will be visiting his old stomping grounds for the first time. Current Hounds Angelo Kelly-Rosales and Dane Kelly host their former club for the first time after both joined Pittsburgh this past offseason.
AJ Paterson is nearing a personal milestone this week as he’s poised to make his 75th club appearance (all competitions) on Wednesday.
Ones to watch
Albert Dikwa
Dikwa was the man of the hour against Atlanta when he bagged both goals in their victory on Saturday. The Cameroonian striker also registered one chance created, six duels won and earned a player rating of 8.9 (out of 10) from FotMob.com, the highest of the match. Dikwa has scored nine goals this season, the best mark of his career, and is a player the Battery will want to contain on Wednesday.
Andrew Booth
Booth has been working his way back into matches since making his return to action in mid-August against New York Red Bulls II. The June 11 match against Pittsburgh produced Andrew’s best match of the season, he scored his first goal in the USL Championship and helped set up the Battery’s third goal to put the game out of reach. He was also a force in the midfield, winning all three of his tackles and winning nine duels, and will look to replicate that production on Wednesday.
From the training ground
The Battery returned to training on Monday after a period of recovery and will travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Head Coach Conor Casey and defender Preston Kilwien discussed the upcoming road match, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Casey on the quick turnaround between matches…
First is recovering from the game on the weekend, trying to get some fresh legs and making sure that we have the right energy going into the match on Wednesday. The stadium is right on the river, they have the turf field, and Pittsburgh have a very good home record.
Coach Casey on what to expect against the Hounds…
They’re a good team, it will be a good atmosphere for us to play in and we’ll have to step up in the moments to make plays. They have experienced players, they’ve had a lot of success together and they’ve had a good year. Pittsburgh make adjustments on the move quite well, but for us, it’s going to be about making sure that we come with the right mentality.
Coach Casey on the team entering the final stretch of the regular season, starting with Wednesday…
We had a good result at home against them and we’ll certainly look at that game in terms of some of the things that helped us be successful. We need to keep focusing on our performances, working hard and pushing the tempo to the end of the game. There are guys that are fighting to get on the field and they’re fighting to show that they belong in this league.
Kilwien on the squad looking to bounce back on Wednesday…
We’re trying to forget everything that’s happened already and just really focus on the month and a half left, the last eight games. This whole year has been kind of tough for everybody. So, just take those games, don’t take them lightly, and come out and do everything we can to win.
Kilwien on the approach against Pittsburgh…
They have a lot of established players who are very good tactically and they can change formations on the fly, so I think we’re going to have to deal with that. We’re going to get a team that works hard, so we’ll try to stick to our game plan and stick to our guns and make sure it works. We’ll have to do our jobs with our individual battles and I think, if we can win those battles, we’ll win the game.
Kilwien on how the squad is handling the quick turnaround…
Earlier in the season, we had a few weeks where it was back-to-back-to-back in terms of three games in a week. So, this being the last one, I think it’s just important for us to get our legs back. We had a day off Sunday, a light day Monday and then travel Tuesday. It’s about everybody focusing on the recovery aspect and making sure that everything that we do goes towards getting a win.
As of posting, Leland Archer is questionable; Joe Schmidt, Kyle Holcomb, Brett St. Martin and Joe Kuzminsky are out.
Match info
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Charleston Battery
Wednesday, August 31 – 7:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
Highmark Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
The club is hosting a Battery Watch Party at Coastal Crust Wood-Fired Pizza in Mount Pleasant! Join supporters and the staff to cheer on the Black and Yellow from afar. Start time for the watch party is 6:30 p.m., a half-hour ahead of kickoff.
Can’t make it to Coastal Crust? All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
