CHARLESTON, S.C. – For a second consecutive postseason the No. 4-seed Charleston Battery and No. 5-seed New York Red Bulls II will square off in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs, with the matchup the only one this weekend to feature two former USL Cup winners. #CHSvNY kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and can be watched live on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally, and followed live via the USL Match Center.

2012 USL Cup champion the @Chas_Battery return to the postseason for the eighth consecutive season, the only club to have done so in the league’s modern era and bring with them another strong squad that is hoping to make a run at a championship. Led by Trinidad & Tobago internationals Ataulla Guerra and Neveal Hackshaw, the Battery produced another solid regular-season that saw the side finish with one of the best chance conversion rates in the league (17.87 percent) and a defense that finished tied for fourth-fewest goals conceded in the league.

2016 USL Cup champion @NYRBII will challenge that defense with its once-again blistering attack, which finished the regular season with 71 goals – one off the league-lead held by FC Cincinnati – and recorded a league-high 617 shots in the regular season. New York took a 4-0 victory when it visits Charleston last season at the same stage of the playoffs, and the two teams played to a compelling 4-4 draw when they met at MUSC Health Stadium on August 25.

Opta Says

43.05 – The Charleston Battery held on average 43.05 percent possession in the regular season, the second-lowest mark in the league.

259 – The New York Red Bulls II have scored 259 goals since joining the league in 2015, the most of any team in the league since the start of the 2015 USL regular season.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Charleston Battery 62%, New York Red Bulls II 38%

Projected Lineups

Charleston Battery – GK: Joe Kuzminsky; D: Skylar Thomas, Taylor Mueller, Neveal Hackshaw; M: Nico Rittmeyer, Tah Anunga, Angelo Kelly, Jay Bolt; F: Ataulla Guerra, Ian Svantesson, Gordon Wild

New York Red Bulls II – GK: Evan Louro; D: Ethan Kutler, Hassan Ndam, Kevin Politz, Allen Yanes; M: Andrew Tinari, Cristian Casseres Jr., Jose Aguinaga; F: Brian White, Tom Barlow, Amando Moreno

Discipline

Charleston – None

New York – Suspended: Anatole Abang

Officials
REF: Rosendo Mendoza
AR1: Walter Heatherly
AR2: Jeffrey Skinker
4TH: Gustavo Solorio