July 11, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery hit the road this week to take on Hartford Athletic on Fri., July 12. Kickoff at Trinity Health Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the match will stream for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Charleston and Hartford meet for the reverse fixture after the Battery won the first match back in May. The Black and Yellow triumphed 1-0 over the Athletic thanks to Nick Markanich’s bicycle kick goal, a dazzling strike that landed him No. 1 on the SportsCenter Top 10 the following day.
The Battery (10W-2L-6D, 36pts) enter Friday’s match on a two-game winning streak after defeating Birmingham Legion FC last week, 2-0. Markanich scored both of Charleston’s goals to earn him USL Championship Player of the Week honors. The Battery are just two points outside of first-place Louisville City FC.
Hartford (5W-10L-1D, 16pts) return home following a 3-0 road defeat at Loudoun United FC. The result was the third consecutive defeat for the Athletic, who are five points outside a playoff spot. Hartford will be searching for a return to their earlier form, when they won three of their first four matches to start the season.
Looking at the Eastern Conference standings, the Battery are in second and Hartford are in 10th.
Storylines of the Match
All-Time Series – Charleston lead the all-time series against Hartford with an 8W-0D-3L record, but have had more limited success in Connecticut with a 2W-0D-3L record. The last time the Battery visited Trinity Health Stadium, they stormed back for a dramatic 3-4 victory at the death.
Reigning Player of the Week (Again) – The Battery have returned to form lately and have been sweeping up league awards in the process. Markanich earned his third Player of the Week award of the year and it follows up MD Myers winning the same honors after Week 17.
The M&M Boys 1-2 Punch – Nick Markanich and MD Myers have reasserted themselves as the league’s top-scoring duo in recent weeks. The pair have combined for 29 goal contributions in league play, the most of any duo in the Championship. They also have six multi-goal games between the two of them across all competitions.
Double-Digit Clean Sheets – The Battery were the first team in the Championship to crack 10 shutouts on the year when they blanked Birmingham 2-0. Charleston are on pace to top their mark of 13 shutouts across the regular season and playoffs in 2023. Adam Grinwis is…