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Caribbean Connection: Kelly Models Battery’s Reach

By usl admin, 04/17/15, 10:00PM EDT

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USL Feature

Wednesday, April 17, 2015

There are many blueprints, strategies and niches when teams form their personnel makeup. For the Charleston Battery, the organization’s connections to the Caribbean region have been prevalent for many years.

Coach and former player Mike Anhaeuser has been there throughout the process, and the Battery have reaped the rewards. Thanks to multiple contributions from Caribbean-based players, including standout forward Dane Kelly from Jamaica, Charleston is off to one of its best starts in 2015.

“Our ties started back when I first came to Charleston,” Anhaeuser said. “When I got there, we had connections such as Paul Young and Linval Dixon, and it’s grown from there. We’ve created and maintained those relationships.

“There are a lot of good players in the Caribbean, and the key is finding out about where they’ve been and what they want to do when they come to the States. If there are family connections, we try to help them and make them comfortable to do well. The good thing is we have great ties and we research. We always try to get in front of the players.”

With his solid play since joining the club in 2011, Kelly has naturally served as a focal point within the Battery’s Caribbean pipeline, which includes seven current players from the region. In December of 2010, the Battery traveled to Jamaica and came across a talented goal-scoring 19-year-old.

“We were down in Jamaica watching their U-21 league, and he was fantastic,” Anhaeuser said. “He scored two goals and actually, we had left the game before his second. He scored in the 89th minute. He really opened our eyes, and we took the next steps. Everything fell into place and worked out. Now, Dane’s taking it in stride.”

“A couple days after the game, the manager for our club said there were scouts there and that Charleston was interested in me,” Kelly said. “I was loaned to them after that, and in February of 2011, I came up here and started playing for them. That’s always a dream in Jamaica – you try to do well enough to play outside of the country.”

Despite being away from his family at the start, Kelly adjusted well after playing for the Jamaican Premier League’s Tivoli Gardens. In his four previous seasons with the Battery, Kelly, scored 24 goals in a 69-game clip from 2011-14.

“Being away from home as a 19-year-old is kind of difficult, but at the same time you’re focused and keep your mind on things,” said Kelly, who is now 23. “You’re going to miss your family, or the food, and at the same time you want to do better to be able to help your family and friends. I was able to put that aside.”

Kelly has had a ball at his feet since he was about 6 years old, competing and pushing his game to a higher level ever since.

“As kids, we played together outside, not for any cups or championships,” Kelly said. “I loved it. You’d get 10 or 11 players and organize a competition. It wasn’t until Grade 6 when I started competing in organized tournaments. Since then, I’ve tried to improve each and every year. I’m trying to score as many goals as I can and don’t get complacent. I keep pushing.”

Battery forward Dane Kelly started an impressive comeback victory against Toronto FC II this season.


While the soccer realm has been smooth, there naturally have been some adjustments to being in a new culture. Fortunately for Kelly, he has fellow countrymen O’Brian Woodbine and Navion Boyd as a crutch with this current squad.

“I couldn’t speak English fluently when I got here, so there were times when we’d speak our native tongue to determine what was said and what was meant,” Kelly said. “It’s also good to play with other teammates in your country to encourage each other when you’re good or say ‘c’mon, man’ when they aren’t.”

Kelly represents a small sampling in Charleston’s scouting approach as the trip has become an annual ritual for the Battery.

“We try to get down to Jamaica once a year,” Anhaeuser said. “Not every year will you have a new player, but you’re creating a pool of players who are able to produce. We have ongoing relationships and are putting the Battery name out there. It’s become commonplace for us every season.

“The great thing with this group, with Dane, Navion and O’Brian, they know each other and are comfortable, so that helps out. We’ve got an Antiguan international with Quinton Griffith, several Cuban players, and they all play each other in CONCACAF. They’re all trying to accomplish the same things, and hopefully Charleston is the best place for them.”

This corps is off to a perfect 3-0-0 start to the 2015 USL season, atop the Eastern Conference. Anhaeuser says the combination of a solid base from last season, combined with a good knack for the goal, has paid dividends during this stretch.

“We’ve scored goals right away in our first three games,” Anhaeuser said. “We’ve really gotten after the goal. Even in a couple games where we’ve given up some goals, our offense has pushed the team. Now our balance and depth are starting to show. Defensively we’re coming along and now we’re clicking. Having 12 guys back from last year’s team has also gone into having a good start.”

The Battery will attempt to extend their winning streak to four when they host the New York Red Bulls II on Saturday at Blackbaud Stadium. Charleston, which has eight goals in three games, expects another match with some high totals on the score sheet.

“They’re not shy. They don’t sit in the back,” Anhaeuser said of Red Bulls II. “They have some good young players who are trying to showcase their talents, and we’ve got to be ready defensively. We know we’ll get chances if they open up against us, and it looks like that’s what they want to do. It should be an exciting game with some balls in the back of the net.”

Charleston’s Caribbean Connections:
Navion Boyd, M, Jamaica
Maikel Chang, M, Cuba
Odisnel Cooper, G, Cuba
Heviel Cordoves, F, Cuba
Quinton Griffith, D, Antigua & Barbuda
Dane Kelly, F, Jamaica
O’Brian Woodbine, D, Jamaica


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