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Writer's pictureBenton
Apr 20, 20233 min read

Next Match – Charleston Battery vs Louisville City – 04/22/2023


For the 2nd straight year, Louisville City is on the road at Charleston during Thunder. Last year’s encounter ended in a draw, but their later meeting at LFS was a 4-1 win for City. The Battery are quite a bit more threatening this season since former Memphis 901 manager Ben Pirmann has taken the helm. He has Charleston performing as one of the East’s best. It should be another tough outing following the San Antonio win.

The Battery are currently 1st in the East with 14 points on a 4-0-2 (W-L-D) record. After drawing their first two matches of the season, they have gone on to win four straight, including two wins over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. They are T-1st for goals for (GF), 5th for goals against (GA), and are very much in “good-lucky” territory when looking at expected points and points minus expected points. FiveThirtyEight respects them, giving them an 89% chance to make the playoffs, but they don’t really view them as title contenders; just a 9% chance to make the finals and a 3% chance to win it all. Time will tell about their long-term prospects, but for now, it’s clear they have had a hot start and LouCity will be in for another big road test.

Augustine Williams is a CHS player to be familiar with. The 25-year-old Sierra Leone striker is in his 2nd season with the club and has scored a team-high four goals. He also boasts the most shots on target per 90 (1.0) and the team’s 3rd highest player rating (7.56). Fidel Barajas is only 17 but has proven to be one of his team’s better players. One goal (T-3rd) and three assists (1st) in just six matches. It looks like he has a bright future ahead of him should he continue at this pace. And finally, there is Nick Markanich. He was drafted by FC Cincy last season but only saw 110 minutes of action. Now with Charleston, he has scored three goals (2nd), averaging a team-high 3.4 shots per 90, created 10 chances (1st), and owns the team’s highest player rating at an astounding 7.92. Quite the showing for the 23-year-old. Also worth mentioning, Louisville native Trey Muse followed Pirmann from 901 and is their starting GK.

FiveThirtyEight has the boys in purple with a 44% chance to win and a 30% chance the home team comes out on top. This will be Morados’ first road test in the East and I’m sure they would like to get travel in their conference off to a good start. Let’s hope the boys can continue their form from the last few matches and secure a big inter-conference win!


Parting Thoughts

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