Presented by MUSC Health
The Charleston Battery are set to host the penultimate game of the regular season on Sat., Oct. 7, against Miami FC. Kickoff at Patriots Point is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Charleston and Miami square off for the second time in 2023. Andrew Booth grabbed a late equalizer in the reverse fixture back in July to earn the Battery a point in the 1-1 draw.
Charleston (16W-8L-8D, 56 pts) return home looking to get back to winning ways after their five-game unbeaten streak was snapped last weekend. The Battery fell 3-2 to El Paso Locomotive FC in Texas, Augi Williams and Emilio Ycaza found the back of the net. Fidel Barajas recorded his ninth assist of the year.
Miami (10W-14L-8D, 38 pts) head into the Lowcountry on the heels of a three-game winning streak, most recently downing Hartford Athletic at home, 2-0. The South Florida outfit are getting hot at the right time as they fight for survival in playoff contention. Miami currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Derek Dodson is a player to watch for Charleston. The Georgetown alum currently leads the team in minutes played (2,863), which is fourth-most in the Championship.
Claudio Repetto is one to keep an eye on for Miami. The Italian striker and former Battery player will be making his first visit to Patriots Point since departing after his breakout rookie campaign.
On the flip side, Saturday could be Mark Segbers’ first match against his former club. The defender joined the Battery from Miami last month.
Fidel Barajas will look to get back on top of the assists leaderboard, his nine are one tally off the pace of the league lead.
Miami and penalties have come hand in hand this year. The club leads the league in both penalties awarded (nine) and penalties conceded (nine).
The Battery have tied the league record for the best season-to-season points turnaround with a +31 point differential from last year’s campaign. With two games remaining in the regular season, Charleston will have a chance to set a new Championship record.
The club will also be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Night at Patriots Point in tandem with MUSC Health and the American Cancer Society. There will be various fundraising initiatives including special-edition merch and one-off warm-up kits that will be sold and auctioned, respectively, that benefit the club’s Men Wear Pink campaign.
FROM THE TRAINING GROUND
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Pierre Reedy addressed the media ahead of Saturday’s match, with key quotes to follow.
Pirmann on the response he wants to see from his squad this week…
I think the biggest thing is, with a minimum of three weeks left, 270 minutes left in the season, full go for Miami. We know they’re a tough team, we know how organized they are. So for us, it’s about our energy, it’s about our attitude, it’s about our effort. We know we’re going to have a big crowd. We want to play with passion, play with conviction, move the ball, and try to be the aggressive team.
Pirmann on facing a Miami team that’s fighting for playoff survival…
[Miami] took it to us in the second half last time we played them, we are quite fortunate to get the 1-1 draw. We also know that Miami are hot, they’re flying right now. They’re in the playoffs and they’ve got a lot to play for. So, hopefully, we can go out and have good attention to detail, be the aggressive team and push for all three points.
Reedy on playing against Miami again, the team he made his Battery debut against…
We’ve done a good job bouncing back in training this week, executing on what the coaches asked us to do. I think it’ll pay off this weekend against Miami. [Miami] are a good team, every team in this league is pretty good. They do a good job of keeping it compact in the middle. So we’ll look to expose the spaces to get behind them. It’ll be a good game and hopefully we come out with three points
Reedy on what the remaining games will feel like at home…
Coach Pirmann, for the last several weeks, has been telling us how every game is a playoff game, especially this week with Miami fighting for their lives and trying to make playoffs. They’re going to give us their best game. So, we got to make sure we show up 100%. Every game is a playoff game from us from here on out. We want to show out, we want to play well for the crowd and end the regular season on a high going into playoffs.
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. Miami FC
Saturday, October 7 – 6 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.
