May 28, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery are set for a cross-country trip to face Monterey Bay FC on Wed., May 29. Kickoff at Cardinale Stadium is 10 p.m. ET and the match will air on national television on CBS Sports Network.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the second between the clubs in the all-time series. Charleston won the inaugural meeting last season, a 1-0 victory at Patriots Point. Arturo Rodriguez scored the match-winner.
Charleston (8W-1L-3D, 27pts) head to California looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season last Friday. The 10-man Battery fell 1-2 to El Paso Locomotive FC, snapping a 13-game undefeated streak across all competitions to start the year. Despite the one-man disadvantage, the Battery were the more effective side and nearly salvaged a point at the end. Jackson Conway scored his second goal of the season during the contest.
Monterey Bay (4W-5L-3D, 15pts) are making a cross-country trip of their own after playing away against Hartford Athletic on Friday, a 2-1 defeat in Connecticut. The California club are winless in their last five league matches and their last victory came on April 20, over Memphis 901 FC. Frank Yallop’s side will look to turn things around after returning home from a two-game away stand against Eastern Conference sides.
Looking at the league standings, Charleston are first in the Eastern Conference and Monterey Bay are fifth in the Western Conference.
Storylines of the Match
Bounce Back Battery – Charleston endured their first defeat of the league campaign after a grueling week where the team played 120 minutes in the Lamar U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday and were reduced to 10 men for the whole second half against El Paso three days later. Now, the Black and Yellow will aim to return to winning ways on Wednesday.
Midweek Mayhem – Wednesday’s match will be mark the fourth consecutive week the Battery have played a midweek match, going back to the May 8 game in the U.S. Open Cup.
Familiar Faces – A pair of players could face off against their former clubs on Wednesday. Tristan Trager spent 2023 with the Battery and helped the side capture the Eastern Conference title before being transferred to Monterey Bay the following offseason. Robbie Crawford spent the first half of 2022 with Monterey Bay prior to transferring back to Charleston that same year and it will be his first trip to Cardinale Stadium since then.
The National…