On Saturday night in Charleston, the friendly Carolina USL rivalry recommences between the Battery and the Independence. Unlike the contest with Cary’s USL side, Charleston and Charlotte get along in the stands, at the pub, and on the internet, but that doesn’t make this game any less important.

Yet these two teams are trending in different directions. Charlotte is in the midst of a mild goal drought. Charleston, on the other hand, just beat the Rowdies. Yeah, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the team everyone essentially penciled in as the Eastern Conference winners.

The Independence enter this game after finishing their last game 0–0 against Indy Eleven. They’ll have to forget previous experiences in Charleston if they hope to get three points this weekend.

Charleston’s 2018

Most everyone had written off Charleston due to the number of players that departed for elsewhere in the offseason. For the record, I was not one of them.

But their season has certainly been a peculiar one thus far. They lost 5–2 against the Baby Bulls at the end of March. They followed that up with two draws on the road against Bethlehem Steel FC and Penn FC. And to end that road trip, they won 3–0 against ATL UTD 2.

They followed that up with a 1–0 victory against Tampa Bay at home.

Joe Kuzminsky has been the keeper for Charleston the last two games. In those two games, he has faced only five total shots. He’s a lanky 6'4" and isn’t afraid to come off his line and grab the ball in the air.

Looking for a groove

After achieving a +5 goal differential, scoring eight times and only allowing three goals in three games during March, April was far less kind to the Charlotte Independence.

If you take into consideration the schedule during those two months, the Jacks might not look like a very strong team. I choose to believe that things will work themselves out, and that the team is still trying to figure itself out.

Coach Jeffries tends to likes to test things out to start the season. He has yet to fully unleash Éamon Zayed and has flip-flopped Alex Martinez and Cordell Cato on the wings.

I would assume we’ll see a similar lineup that played against Indy Eleven last week. We might see Donnie Smith, if he’s healthy enough, return to the starting 11. However, I think Sam Vines has earned time to play.

How quickly Mike Jeffries finds his preferred starting 11 will be a major key to the next few games.

Recent Form

Charleston: L | D | D | W | W

Charlotte: W | D | L | L | D

Prediction Time

The realist in me is at war with the optimist with this prediction. I’ll be making the trip with a few other Jack’s Militia members for this game, and this will be my first ever away game that I’ll be attending to cheer on the Independence.

History would dictate that Charlotte has little to no chance of scoring let alone actually winning. The last four times these two have faced each other, Charleston has come out victorious. Charlotte actually hasn’t scored a single goal in that stretch.

Could it get worse? Why yes! Charleston scored multiple goals in two of those four games. The realist would suggest that that trend might continue… but as they say, the past is the past.

That’s why I’m going with my Indy optimist prediction for this one. I’m predicting a 1–0 victory for Charlotte.

A house all our own

If you can’t make it to Charleston for the game, I strongly recommend you go to “Jack’s House.” It’s part Independence merch store, part soccer bar. This will be the official opening (and permanent watch party location) for the venue.

I was able to attend a soft opening and immediately fell in love. They’ll essentially be showing soccer (and the Kentucky Derby) all day. It all starts at 10:00 a.m. when they’ll be open for your Premier League morning fix. All the info you could ever need can be found below.

Game Details

What: Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence (Regular Season)

Where: MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston, SC

When: Saturday, May 5, 7:00 p.m.

How to watch: ESPN+

Jack’s House: 1523 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204

COME ON YOU JACKS!

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