CHARLESTON, SC – The two longest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in the country meet for the third and final time in the regular season Saturday night at City Stadium.
The Battery will travel to Richmond Friday afternoon in preparation for their match against the Kickers at 5:00pm the following day. Charleston earned four of a possible six points in the two matches against Richmond earlier this season. The Battery comprehensively defeated the Kickers, 2-0, at MUSC Health Stadium in July and split the points with their rivals in Richmond two weeks ago.
Now that all team’s have played 28 matches (apart from Toronto FC II who have played 29), the battle for playoff positioning has become a little more clear. Richmond (12-7-9), Rochester (11-5-12), and Charleston (12-7-9) are all tied on 45 points and are all still in the hunt for a top four spot and the right to host a first round playoff game. A win over Richmond on Saturday all but removes them from the top-four equation; and if Charleston wins both its final matches, they will own the first tie-breaker (total USL wins) over Rochester, making the Rhinos’ results irrelevant.
New York Red Bulls II and Louisville City FC have already clinched top two finishes, but third and fourth place are still to be determined. FC Cincinnati (50 points) and Charlotte Independence (49 points) currently occupy the final two hosting places.
The Battery need to win their remaining two matches against Richmond and NYRBII and get a little help from the rest of the league to earn a home playoff game the weekend of October 1st. If Charlotte loses their last two, or loses one and draws the other, and the Battery wins both of their matches there will be first-round playoff soccer at MUSC Health Stadium. The Independence face two tough tests to finish out the 2016 season, playing at home against Rochester and on the road against Louisville. In the unlikely event that Cincinnati drops all six points in their final two matches, the Battery could finish third.
With its destiny in other teams’ hands, the Battery will focus on controlling what it can in the final two weeks of the season. Charleston will look to finish the season series against the Kickers undefeated and earn three valuable points on Saturday. Following the match in Richmond, the Battery returns home to play the Eastern Conference Champions NYRBII in the regular season finale. Kickoff in Richmond is scheduled for 5:00pm Saturday night.
