Published on April 16, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release
The Charleston Battery return home to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sat., April 18, in Week 7 of the USL Championship regular season. Kickoff at Patriots Point is set for 3 p.m. ET and the match will air exclusively on national television via CBS Sports Network.
Charleston and Tampa Bay meet for the first time in 2026. The Battery hosted the Rowdies twice in 2025, once in the regular season and again in the USL Cup, and earned 2-1 victories in both contests.
The Battery (3W-2L-0D, 9pts) are aiming to bounce back after being dealt a 3-0 road defeat on Saturday against Brooklyn FC. The loss capped a three-week period of four road games as Charleston were unable to cap that stretch on a positive note.
Tampa Bay (4W-0L-1D, 13pts) enter this weekend as the final remaining undefeated team in the Eastern Conference, and the last of two in the league, with El Paso Locomotive FC. The Rowdies started the campaign on a four-game winning streak but were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Oakland Roots SC last weekend.
Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in sixth and Tampa Bay are in first.
Storylines of the Match
No Quarter Derby – Back in play this year is the supporter-led No Quarter Derby. The rivalry is contested across both regular season games, meaning the true winner of the derby will be determined on June 10 for the reverse fixture in St. Petersburg. The Battery have won the derby the past four seasons (2022-25) after sweeping the series last year.
Competitive All-Time Series – The Charleston-Tampa Bay fixture is always a hotly contested one, regardless of the form the teams might have been in the weeks prior to the meetings. Those in attendance on Saturday should expect another spirited display in the rivalry, given that only four points separate the sides in the Eastern Conference table. The Battery currently hold a 15W-9L-3D record over the Rowdies in the all-time series, including an 11W-3L-0D record at home.
Familiar Faces Return – Among the main storylines on the minds of Charleston fans will be involving the trio of former Battery players who departed to join the Rowdies in the offseason: Nathan Dossantos, MD Myers and Leland Archer. Dossantos has played the most minutes of the three (449), while Myers has tallied two goals and one assist, but Archer has yet to appear in a match for his new club. The trio’s arrival in…