CHARLESTON, SC – After a one year hiatus, the Carolina Challenge Cup (CCC) will return to Charleston in February 2017. The Charleston Battery will welcome Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Seattle Sounders, Columbus Crew SC, and Atlanta United to MUSC Health Stadium for a preseason tournament.
This year’s CCC will be the 13th staging of the tournament. The Charleston Battery first held CCC in 2004, becoming one of the first lower-division American soccer clubs to host multiple MLS teams for preseason. The tournament has offered soccer fans in South Carolina the opportunity to see international superstars play in Charleston for more than a decade.
World Cup winners David Villa (NYCFC) and Ricardo Kaka (Orlando City SC) headlined CCC in 2015, bringing a global spotlight to Charleston and the Battery. Both Saturday night doubleheaders in 2015 sold out for the first time in the tournament’s history. This year’s CCC rosters include United States Men’s National Team players Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders) and Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew SC), former Battery player Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders), and Trinidad & Tobago captain Kenwyne Jones (Atlanta United).
“We are thrilled to bring Major League Soccer back to Charleston, South Carolina for the 2017 Carolina Challenge Cup,” said Andrew Bell, Charleston Battery President. “We always enjoy the level of excitement that these games bring and we look forward to our local soccer fans being able to see some of the very best players in the U.S. right here in the Lowcountry.”
Columbus Crew SC won the first ever Carolina Challenge Cup and returned in 2005 and 2012. Seattle Sounders took part in the tournament in 2012, and will return for the second time this February. MLS expansion side Atlanta United will play some of its first matches against MLS competition in Charleston this winter.
The four participating teams will play in a round robin style tournament with matches taking place over the course of three days in February.
All 2017 Season Ticket plans include CCC; season ticket packages are on sale now. Tickets for the 2017 CCC will be available for purchase beginning on Friday, November 25th. Single-game tickets start at $30 and series passes start at $60. Special rates for groups of 15 or more are available. To purchase on November 25th, visit https://www.www.charlestonbattery.com. Tickets will be available for purchase over the phone starting Monday, November 28th by calling the Charleston Battery box office, 843-971-4625.
For more information on the 2017 CCC, visit https://www.www.charlestonbattery.com/carolina-challenge-cup
About Charleston Battery: Charleston Battery is an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the United Soccer League and, along with the Richmond Kickers, is the oldest continuously operating professional soccer club in the United States. In 1999, Charleston Battery moved into what is now known as MUSC Health Stadium, becoming the first non-Major League Soccer professional club in the United States to build its own stadium. Charleston Battery is one of the most successful lower division soccer teams in the nation, 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. In 2012, the team won the USL Pro Championship. For more information on the Charleston Battery, visit https://www.www.charlestonbattery.com, call 843-971-GOAL, Facebook (Charleston Battery), Tweet (@Chas_Battery) or Instagram (CharlestonBattery).
About MUSC Health Stadium: Completed in April 1999 as Blackbaud Stadium, MUSC Health Stadium is the first privately funded soccer-specific stadium constructed in the United States during the modern era. Styled after the classic English soccer experience, the stadium seats 5,100 and offers fans an unmatched environment with superb sight-lines, concessions, and a plush English-styled pub, The Three Lions Club. Additionally, the complex includes sky boxes, a plaza for corporate entertaining, and state-of-the-art media capabilities, making it one of the premier professional soccer venues in the United States. The stadium is a hub for the community and is donated for a wide variety of charitable and philanthropic events throughout the year. The facility also functions as a major concert venue in the Southeast and has been the site for various musical events, including the annual Southern Ground Music & Food Festival featuring Zac Brown Band. In July 2015, the Charleston Battery and MUSC Health announced a five-year stadium-naming rights agreement.
