Photo courtesy Charleston Battery
CHARLESTON, S.C. – It won’t quite have the same stakes, but the memory of last season’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinals defeat to the New York Red Bulls II is still in the back of the minds of the Charleston Battery as they head to Red Bull Arena for the first meeting between the teams this season on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. ET | Match Center).
“We haven’t forgotten that game; it wasn’t a fun experience,” said Battery defender Jarad van Schaik. “It was a bit of letdown for us, so yeah, I guess we want to get a little revenge, but we can’t let that take over our emotions. We have to play the solid game we’ve been playing all year. Going up to New York is tough, it’s a tough place to play and they’re a good team.”
The Red Bulls II’s 4-0 victory against the Battery was the heaviest home defeat Charleston had suffered at MUSC Health Stadium in the USL’s modern era. It ended what had been a great year for the Battery as the club celebrated its 25th season with a second-place finish in the conference at the end of the regular season.
It also maintained the edge New York has held in the series overall, with the Red Bulls II having taken three wins over the course of a four-game undefeated streak in the head-to-head series between the teams to take a 3-1-3 edge all-time. While New York’s lineup will likely look different from last October, the Battery are aware of the challenge the side will pose no matter who’s on the field.
“They have a distinct style,” said Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “They like to press, they like to pressure you in the back, they like to make you try to turn it in their offensive third and if you do that, they make you pay. Then they want to pass it around and try to open you up. They have some very technical players, so they’re a tough team to play against. You just have to be prepared.”
The Battery are coming off a positive performance that saw Ataulla Guerra lift the side to a 1-0 win against Penn FC last Saturday, moving the side’s record to 1-1-0 in the early going after an opening loss to FC Cincinnati. Growing into an expanded role after the departures of Heviel Cordoves to Richmond and Romario Williams back to Atlanta United after his loan last season, the Trinidad & Tobago forward appears to be coming into his own in the Battery attack after scoring six goals a season ago.
“It’s always a pleasure to score your first goal and get off the mark,” said Guerra, “but most important was getting three points over the weekend here at home so we can go on the road with good, positive vibes and go to Red Bulls and look for three points.”
One thing the Battery will carry with them to Red Bull Arena is the fact that their lone win in the series between the clubs came on the road, a 3-2 victory midway through the 2016 season that served as only one of three losses New York suffered that year. Guerra and fellow Battery players Taylor Mueller, Quinton Griffith, O’Brian Woodbine and Neveal Hackshaw were all part of that victory, with Griffith and Hackshaw set to return to the Battery’s squad this week after international duty.
With Saturday’s game the start of a season-high four-game road trip that will also see Charleston visit Bethlehem Steel FC (April 8), Penn FC (April 21) and ATL UTD 2 (April 24) before returning home to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies at the end of next month, picking up a win would be a welcome confidence boost as teams jockey for position in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Every time you win the mood is better; the guys have bigger smiles on their faces and they have a little more energy in their bellies,” said Anhaeuser. “We know now that we’re going on the road for four straight games and we have to be prepared defensively. We played very well defensively in both of our first two games, really, so that’s something we’ll be looking to continue on the road starting with this Saturday.”