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2017 Carolina Challenge Cup – Match Day 2

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 02/21/17, 10:13AM EST

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Battery look to build on draw as they face Crew, while Seattle squares off with Atlanta


Photo courtesy Zach Bland / Charleston Battery

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The 2017 Carolina Challenge Cup continues on Wednesday night at MUSC Health Stadium as the USL’s Charleston Battery look to build on a draw in their opening contest when they face Match Day 1 winner Columbus Crew SC, and Atlanta United FC and Seattle Sounders FC square off in a star-studded nightcap.

Charleston Battery vs. Columbus Crew SC
Kickoff:
5 p.m. ET | Tickets: http://bit.ly/2kUR39E

The Battery claimed a 1-1 draw on Saturday night in their opening game of the tournament as Kotaro Higashi scored in stoppage time against Seattle Sounders FC. The game saw the return to action for Battery midfielder Justin Portillo, who saw his season end early due to injury in 2016, while a number of familiar faces also saw action including Maikel Chang and Dante Marini. Another familiar face was goalkeeper Alex Tambakis, who was one of five Atlanta United FC players that joined the Battery for the contest through the partnership between the two clubs.

Columbus rallied from an early deficit to take a 2-1 victory against Atlanta in the opening game of the Day 1 as Federico Higuain’s two goals led his side to the top of the round-robin tournament’s standings. Higuain scored twice in five minutes in the second half, while former Pittsburgh Riverhounds loanee Zack Steffen earned the start for the Crew as he looked to claim the starting position for the side this season.  

Player to Watch: Dante Marini, Charleston Battery
Marini made 31 appearances for the Battery, and almost doubled his minutes played, a season ago, but was mostly utilized coming off the bench by Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. Now entering his fourth season, the former Reading United AC standout in the PDL could be auditioning for a larger role in the starting lineup for the 2017 season as the 24-year-old looks to take his game to the next level. 

Atlanta United FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Kickoff:
7:30 p.m. ET | Tickets: http://bit.ly/2kUR39E

Seattle and Atlanta are both looking to claim their first win of the tournament on Wednesday night, and bring two star-studded lineups for the marquee game of Match Day 2. The Sounders almost claimed victory against Charleston on Saturday, only for a late equalizer to cancel out a first-half own goal that gave Seattle the lead against their old USL rivals. With a lineup that included Clint Dempsey, Jordan Morris and Chad Marshall – who scored in the inaugural edition of the tournament back in 2004 – the Sounders will be looking to get in the win column.

The same can be said for Atlanta, which held an early lead in its opening contest against Columbus but then conceded twice in the second half to fall 2-1. Designated Player Josef Martinez scored on a diving header in just the sixth minute, but United let the lead slip in the second half as Alec Kann conceded twice. The contest did see Atlanta’s Designated Player trio of Martinez, Miguel Almiron and Hector Villalba take the field at the same time, and grouped with Trinidad & Tobago international forward Kenwyne Jones leading the attack, United will continue to build chemistry in their second outing.

Player to Watch: Josef Martinez, Atlanta United FC
Martinez scored his second goal in as many preseason games on Saturday, and the Venezuelan loanee from Serie A’s Torino will want to continue his strong preseason against Seattle’s strong defensive presence. The center back pairing of Marshall and Panama international Roman Torres should be a strong test for an Atlanta attack that is trying to develop chemistry ahead of its opening season in Major League Soccer.

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