Battery Head to Tennessee for Memphis Matchup
September 15, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Charleston Battery News Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. – After a pair of home victories to start the month, the Charleston Battery travel to Tennessee to face Memphis 901 FC on Friday, September 16. Kickoff at AutoZone Park is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The Battery are seeking revenge against 901 FC after the Tennessee outfit won the first meeting, 0-2, at Patriots Point in May. The two clubs only met twice prior to this season, in 2019, with the Battery winning both matches. The Black and Yellow were victorious in their last visit to AutoZone Park thanks to a 90th-minute match-winner from Dante Marini, a 0-1 triumph.
Memphis return home after blanking Atlanta United 2 last Wednesday, 0-4, in Georgia. Phillip Goodrum scored three goals in a span of roughly 20 minutes, two just before halftime and one shortly after. Memphis tacked on a fourth in the 64th minute via Handwalla Bwana. Memphis currently sit second in the Eastern Conference table and, with a game in hand, will look to gain ground on leaders Louisville City FC.
Charleston enter Friday’s fixture on a three-match unbeaten run, their longest of the season, after defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 on Saturday in comeback fashion. Tampa Bay, fighting for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, struck in the third minute via Sebastian Guenzatti. Andrew Booth, however, had other ideas and scored a pair of goals on either side of halftime to power Charleston past the Rowdies. The victory was Charleston’s first over Tampa Bay since 2020.
Memphis’ Phillip Goodrum will be a player to keep an eye on for the Battery. The No. 10 needed less than an hour’s worth of game time to score the hat trick against Atlanta. He was named the league’s player of the week for his performance.
Goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux is a player to watch for the Battery. The shot-stopper tallied five saves against Memphis in the first meeting and will be vying for his third clean sheet of 2022 on Friday.
Dominic Oduro will be returning to his old stomping grounds Friday as the midfielder spent 2021 with 901 FC.
Romario Piggott will miss the next two contests for the Battery due to yellow card accumulation.
Friday will feature a set of former USMNT teammates squaring off, in a way, with Head Conor Casey leading the Battery from the touchline and Tim Howard leading Memphis as the club’s sporting director
FROM THE TRAINING GROUND
The Battery returned to training on Tuesday following a period of recovery after the Saturday match and are gearing up for their first away day of September.
Head Coach Conor Casey and midfielder Andrew Booth discussed the upcoming match before traveling to Tennessee, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Casey on what has been clicking with the team recently…
A lot of our work that we’ve put in throughout the season is coming to fruition a bit. We have a healthy team now and they’ve had some time now, three-quarters of the season, to build those relationships and they’ve really dedicated themselves to those last 10 games. We’ve set a lot of short-term goals and they’ve been working hard every single day to try and improve and reach those goals.
Coach Casey on the message to the team this week ahead of Memphis…
Take the positive momentum from how we’ve played over the last month and be confident, play without fear. We have nothing to lose and that’s a dangerous place to be for [opposing] teams. We want to play good football, we want to prevent teams from scoring. We only have one goal against in the last three games and that’s something we really harped on over the last month or so.
Coach Casey what to expect from Memphis in the reverse fixture…
They’re a very good team, they’ve been up at the top of the table for most of the year. They have a lot of offensive weapons, they’re well-coached, they’re organized. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but I think we feel confident in being able to go there and get points.
Booth on the team wanting to keep the recent momentum going…
It’s really important, I think we’ve been good at home the last few games. Throughout the season, we haven’t been too good on the road, but this is also the best form we’ve had. So, I think everybody is confident that we can get a result on the road and keep this momentum going.
Booth on what’s been different this month compared to others…
We’ve been focusing on the controllables and setting short-term goals for each game. Sometimes you can play well and the result doesn’t go your way, but I think if you play well most of the time, you’ll get those results. We’ve been focusing on playing well and doing the things that we think are going to help us win.
Booth on the mindset within the locker room going into the Memphis…
We’ve been in good form and just want to keep that momentum going. We’re all confident that if we focus on doing the things that we want to do well, we can get a result. Every team in this league is tough, especially when you play away, so we know it’s going to be a tough game.
As of posting, Brett St. Martin is questionable; Joe Schmidt and Joe Kuzminsky are out.
MATCH INFO
Memphis 901 FC vs. Charleston Battery
Friday, September 16 – 8:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
AutoZone 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 7:30 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.
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