Charleston Battery

For other uses, see Battery Park (Charleston).

Charleston Battery

Full name	Charleston Battery
Nickname(s)	Battery
Founded	1993
Stadium	Blackbaud Stadium Charleston, South Carolina (Capacity: 5,113)
Owner	Tony Bakker
Head Coach	Michael Anhaeuser
League	USL Pro
2011	Regular Season: 6th, American Division: 4th, Playoffs: Quarter-finals
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Charleston Battery is an American professional soccer team based in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

Charleston is one of the more successful minor-league soccer teams in the United States, having previously won the USISL Pro League in 1996, the USL A-League in 2003, and the final season of the USL Second Division in 2010.^[1]

The team has played its home games at the soccer-specific Blackbaud Stadium since 1999. The team's colors are yellow, black and red. Their current head coach is Michael Anhaeuser.

History

The Battery were formed in 1993 as a member of the PDSL, and joined the A-League (now USL First Division) in 1997. The Battery won the PDSL championship in 1996, defeating the Charlotte Eagles 3-2 and the A-League championship in 2003, defeating the Minnesota Thunder 3-0 to win the title. In 2010, after voluntarily going down to USL Second Division Charleston finished first in the regular season with a record of 11-4-5, 38 points. Charleston defeated the Richmond Kickers 2-1 to claim the championship, the third in the history of the club.

In 2008, the Battery qualified for the U.S. Open Final match for the first time, playing against Major League Soccer team D.C. United.^[2] In the final the Battery conceded an early goal but bounced back with a quick-fire equalizer through an Ian Fuller goal, assisted by Chris Williams. Later in the half Lazo Alavanja hit the post but at half time the scores were tied at 1-1. At the start of the second half Charleston conceded early again, but in the final seconds of extra time Marco Reda put the ball in the back of the net for Charleston, only to have his goal controversially disallowed as offside. DC would go on to win the match 2-1.

The Battery started the 2009 USL-1 season impressively, recording 7 wins, 6 ties and not a single loss. Late in the season, the Battery lost goalkeeper and captain Dusty Hudock to injury, but were still able to make it to the USL-1 finals, losing to the Montreal Impact 4-2 on aggregate goals.

The Battery began 2010 play in the USL Second Division on April 17, 2010 with a 3-2 win at rival Charlotte Eagles. Charleston lead the league standings for the entire season, finished with 38 points, and won (and hosted) the championship game. Lamar Neagle was named the USL-2 league MVP and lead the league in scoring with 13 league goals.^[3] Battery Manager Mike Anhaeuser was named the leagues manager of the year, his second time receiving that honor.^[3] The Battery finished the 2010 season unbeaten at home.

Colors and badge

Charleston's traditional colors are yellow, black and red. The club badge is a classic shield in yellow and black featuring a pair of crossed artillery cannons (alluding to the city of Charleston's part in the American Civil War and American Revolution) above a depiction of a traditional-style soccer ball.

Stadium

• Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, South Carolina (1999–present)

Blackbaud Stadium opened in 1999. The first privately funded soccer-specific stadium built in the United States, it seats 5,100 people.^[4] The stadium is modeled on lower level English soccer stadiums and features an on-site pub called "The Three Lions."

Club culture

The Battery's official supporters' group is called the Regiment. The Battery's most passionate fans stand in section E10. The Battery competes for the Coffee Pot Cup every time it faces their rival team DC United of Major League Soccer, a trophy established by the two sides' supporters. DC United currently hold the Coffee Pot Cup. The 2008 US Open Cup final remains the highest profile match between the two clubs to date.

Broadcasting

Players and staff

Current roster

As of June 30, 2011.^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Andrew Dykstra 2 DF Mark Wiltse 3 DF Graham Dugoni 5 DF Nigel Marples 6 MF Cole Peverley 7 MF Evan Taylor 8 MF Nicki Paterson 9 FW Dane Kelly 13 MF Kevin Jackson 14 MF Alex Caskey 15 FW Seedy Bah

No. Position Player 16 MF Stephen Armstrong (captain) 17 MF Jon Gruenewald 19 FW Levi Coleman 20 MF J. C. Mack 21 DF Brandon Massie 22 DF Sean Flatley 23 DF Mike Zaher 24 MF Zach Prince 25 MF John Wilson 30 GK Keith Wiggans 32 DF Colin Falvey

Staff

• Andrew Bell - President
• Michael Anhaeuser - Head Coach and General Manager
• Stephen Armstrong - Assistant Coach

Notable former players

• See also: All-time Charleston Battery roster

Osvaldo Alonso Raúl Díaz Arce Khalil Azmi Jamar Beasley Dan Calichman Omar Daley Linval Dixon Seamus Donnelly

Paul Dougherty Jake Edwards Gavin Glinton Dusty Hudock Lee Hurst John Limniatis Barry Moore Lamar Neagle

Bo Oshoniyi Terry Phelan Robert Rosario Brent Sancho Nicky Spooner Dino Maamria Eric Wynalda Velko Yotov

Head coaches

• Tim Hankinson (1993–1994)
• Nuno Piteira (1995–1999)
• Alan Dicks (1999–2001)
• Chris Ramsey (2001-)
• Michael Anhaeuser (2004–present)

Achievements

• USL A-League
  • Winners (2): 1996*, 2003
  • Atlantic Division Champions (2): 1995*, 2000
  • Southeast Division Champions (2): 2002, 2003

• USL Second Division
  • Champions (1): 2010
  • Regular Season Champions (1): 2010

• US Open Cup
  • Runner Up (1): 2008
  • Semifinals (2): 1999, 2004
  • Quarterfinals (3): 2007, 2009, 2010

• Southern Derby
  • Winner (3): 2003, 2005^, 2009

as co-champions^

Record

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Regular Season	Playoffs	Open Cup	Avg. Attendance
1993	2	USISL	5th, Atlantic	Play-in Game	Did not enter
1994	2	USISL	2nd, Atlantic	Semifinals	Did not enter
1995	2	USISL Pro League	1st, Atlantic	Divisional Semifinals	Did not qualify
1996	4	USISL Pro League	2nd, South Atlantic	Champions	Did not qualify
1997	2	USISL A-League	4th, Atlantic	Division Finals	Did not qualify
1998	2	USISL A-League	4th, Atlantic	Conference Quarterfinals	Did not qualify
1999	2	USL A-League	3rd, Atlantic	Conference Quarterfinals	Semifinals
2000	2	USL A-League	1st, Atlantic	Conference Semifinals	2nd Round
2001	2	USL A-League	2nd, Central	1st Round	3rd Round
2002	2	USL A-League	1st, Southeast	Conference Semifinals	3rd Round
2003	2	USL A-League	1st, Southeast	Champions	Did not qualify
2004	2	USL A-League	8th Eastern	Did not qualify	Semifinals
2005	2	USL First Division	9th	Did not qualify	2nd Round
2006	2	USL First Division	3rd	Semifinals	4th Round
2007	2	USL First Division	10th	Did not qualify	Quarterfinals
2008	2	USL First Division	5th	1st Round	Runner Up
2009	2	USL First Division	4th	1st round	Quarterfinals
2010	3	USL Second Division	1st	Champions	Quarterfinals	3,641
2011	3	USL Pro			2nd Round

Record vs. International and MLS teams

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Record: 7-9-0
Carolina Challenge Cup Record: 2-13-5
Exhibition Record: 3-5-0

Date	Competition	Location	Home Team	Result	Away Team
24 April 1993	Exhibition	Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	2–0	Constant Spring F.C.
5 May 1993	Exhibition	Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0–1	FK-RAF, Latvia
17 June 1998	Exhibition	Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1–0	Tampa Bay Mutiny
4 August 1999	1999 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	4–3	D.C. United
1 September 1999	1999 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Virginia Beach Sportsplex, Virginia Beach, Virginia	Colorado Rapids	3-0	Charleston Battery
1 May 2000	Exhibition	Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1–2	Tampa Bay Mutiny
14 June 2000	2000 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-4	D.C. United
27 June 2001	2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	4-1	Metrostars
11 July 2001	2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts	New England Revolution	2-1	Charleston Battery
4 April 2002	Exhibition	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1–2	New England Revolution
17 July 2002	2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	Colorado Rapids
23 March 2003	Exhibition	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	D.C. United
20 March 2004	2004 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-2	D.C. United
24 March 2004	2004 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-3	Columbus Crew
17 July 2004	Exhibition	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	2–1	Sunderland A.F.C.
20 July 2004	2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-0	Metrostars
25 August 2004	2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium, Naperville, Illinois	Chicago Fire	1-0	Charleston Battery
19 March 2005	2005 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	Columbus Crew
23 March 2005	2005 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	2-2	D.C. United
25 March 2005	2005 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	San Jose Earthquakes
18 March 2006	2006 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	Houston Dynamo
22 March 2006	2006 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-0	New York Red Bulls
25 March 2006	2006 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-1	D.C. United
2 August 2006	2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	3-5	FC Dallas
24 March 2007	2007 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-1	New York Red Bulls
28 March 2007	2007 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-1	Houston Dynamo
31 March 2007	2007 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-3	Toronto FC
10 July 2007	2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-0	Houston Dynamo
7 August 2007	2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-2	FC Dallas
15 March 2008	2008 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-1	New York Red Bulls
19 March 2008	2008 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-2	San Jose Earthquakes
22 March 2008	2008 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	2-0	Toronto FC
1 July 2008	2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	5-4	Houston Dynamo
8 July 2008	2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas	FC Dallas	1-3	Charleston Battery
3 September 2008	2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.	D.C. United	2-1	Charleston Battery
7 March 2009	2009 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-2	Toronto FC
11 March 2009	2009 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-2	Real Salt Lake
14 March 2009	2009 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-2	D.C. United
30 June 2009	2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	3-1	Chivas USA
7 July 2009	2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-4	Houston Dynamo
13 March 2010	2010 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-0	Toronto FC
17 March 2010	2010 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	1-3	Real Salt Lake
20 March 2010	2010 Carolina Challenge Cup	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-2	D.C. United
29 June 2010	2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois	Chicago Fire (penalties)	0-0 (0-3)	Charleston Battery
6 July 2010	2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	Columbus Crew	3-0	Charleston Battery
17 July 2010	Exhibition	Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Battery	0-2	Bolton Wanderers

See also

• Battery Park
• Carolina Challenge Cup
• [1] Battery stuffs Sounders, Charleston Post and Courier Article

References

1. ^ http://usl2.uslsoccer.com/home/460834.html
2. ^ http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/13/battery_stuffs_sounders50669/
3. ^ ^{a b} http://usl2.uslsoccer.com/home/460567.html
4. ^ http://www.charlestonbattery.com/stadium_overview.asp
5. ^ http://www.charlestonbattery.com/team_roster.asp

External links

• Charleston Battery official site
• Post and Courier Battery section

Preceded by Long Island Rough Riders	USISL Pro League (USL-2) Winner 1996	Succeeded by Albuquerque Geckos
Preceded by Milwaukee Rampage	USL A-League (USL-1) Winner 2003	Succeeded by Montreal Impact
Preceded by Atlanta Silverbacks	Southern Derby Winner 2003	Succeeded by Atlanta Silverbacks
Preceded by Atlanta Silverbacks	Southern Derby Winner Co-winners with Atlanta Silverbacks 2005	Succeeded by Atlanta Silverbacks