Playoff Preview | Charleston Battery vs. Rhode Island FC

Presented by MUSC Health

Matchday Preview

The Charleston Battery are set to host Rhode Island FC on Sat., Nov. 16, in the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Championship Playoffs. Kickoff for the conference title bout is set for 7 p.m. and the match will stream on ESPN+.

Charleston and Rhode Island meet again after the first two fixtures both ended in draws. The teams played to a scoreless stalemate in April and to a 1-1 draw on October 19 at Patriots Point.

No. 2 Charleston advanced to the Conference Final for the second consecutive year after defeating the No. 6 Tampa Bay Rowdies in the semifinals. Charleston completed a sensational comeback in after going into halftime down 0-1. Nick Markanich scored the equalizer shortly after the interval and Aaron Molloy hit the match-winner off a free kick to send the Battery through.

No. 5 Rhode Island upset No. 1 Louisville City FC in a lopsided 0-3 victory over the title favorites at Lynn Family Stadium. Rhode Island controlled the game from the start and recorded a penalty save at the tail end to deny Louisville a consolation goal. Rhode Island also upset Indy Eleven, 2-3, on the road in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference Final is the third round of the USL Championship Playoffs and is a single-elimination match. The USL Championship Final will be on Saturday, November 23, kicking off at 12 p.m. ET.

Storylines of the Match

Silverware at Stake – A trophy will be on the line at Patriots Point on Saturday as Charleston and Rhode Island duke it out to be crowned champions of the Eastern Conference. The Battery will aim to defend their title as repeat winners at home while Rhode Island will look to continue their Cinderella story and punch their ticket to the USL Championship Final.

League’s Oldest vs. League Newest – Charleston, established in 1993, are the league’s oldest club and will play host to Rhode Island, established in 2024, the league’s newest. Rhode Island are also hoping to become the first expansion side to win the USL Championship in their inaugural season since Sacramento Republic FC achieved that feat in 2014.

Opposing Strengths Clash – Both teams are trending strong heading into Saturday. Rhode Island enter the game unbeaten in their last eight contests, while the Battery are undefeated in their past 14 home matches. Given the form of the teams, the Conference Final is poised to be an intense heavy-weight bout.

Molloy’s Sensational Winner – Charleston were sent to the Conference Final after heroics from Molloy’s free kick in the 83rd minute. His goal sent the sold-out stadium into a frenzy after it hit the frame of goal and went into the net. The goal was Molloy’s first since April and heretofore his most impactful.

Markanich Hits 30 – No, not his age. The 24-year-old Golden Boot winner scored for the second consecutive game this postseason, bringing his 2024 total to 30 goals across all competitions. Markanich now has four goals and two assists in his six career matches in the USL Playoffs. The mark also extends his current club record for most overall goals scored in a single season.

Another Soldout Stadium Expected – Patriots Point is expected to have another capacity crowd on hand this Saturday. Over 5,000 fans packed the Point in the Conference Semifinal win over Tampa Bay and a similar crowd is expected for the Conference Final.

Hosting Priority, Explained – Per the League Competition Manual, the highest-seeded team shall host playoff matches and the USL Championship Final. If two teams are tied on seeding, from their respective conferences, the next tiebreaker will be points earned in regular season play to determine the host for the USL Championship Final. That gives us the hosting priority going into the Conference Final weekend: 1. Charleston Battery – No. 2 seed, 64pts; 2. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – No. 2 seed, 52pts; 3. Las Vegas Lights FC – No. 4 seed; 4. Rhode Island FC – No. 5 seed.

All-League Honors and Awards – The Battery racked up more hardware with the announcement of the All-League Teams for 2024. Three players garnered All-League First Team honors: Graham Smith, Nick Markanich and Aaron Molloy. Additionally, Smith and Markanich were named finalists for Defender of the Year and Player of the Year, respectively.