Match Preview | North Carolina vs. Charleston

Presented by MUSC Health

Matchday Preview

The Battery are back in action for Week 4 of the USL Championship season, traveling to face North Carolina FC on March 29. Kickoff at WakeMed Soccer Park is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will air on ESPN+.

It is the first leg of the Southern Derby as Charleston and North Carolina have not met each other yet in the 2025 season. The two sides last saw each other in a preseason exhibition in February, a 2-0 win for the Battery.

Charleston (1W-1L-0D, 3pts) had a bye in Week 3. Their last match was a 2-0 victory over Rhode Island FC, the reigning conference champions, in Week 2. Cal Jennings netted a brace in the first half to open his Battery account and lift Charleston past Rhode Island. Luis Zamudio recorded his first shutout with the Battery.

North Carolina (1W-1L-1D, 4pts) defeated FC Tulsa in Week 3 in a 0-1 road victory. The match was tied 0-0 going into the last 10 minutes of regulation until North Carolina’s Pedro Dolabella broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute. The win was North Carolina’s first of 2025.

Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in seventh (with a game in hand) and North Carolina are in fourth.

Storylines of the Match

Southern Derby, First Leg – The first leg of the supporter-led Southern Derby will be contested on Saturday. Charleston won the derby last year after an away draw and a home win over North Carolina. The Battery are the most successful team in the history of the Southern Derby, which dates back to 2000, with 10 wins. The winner is determined by the results of the two regular season fixtures between the sides.

First Road Test – Saturday’s match at North Carolina will mark the Battery’s first away contest of 2025 after playing their first two matches at home. Charleston’s away record in 2024 was 5W-5L-7D, with one of the draws occurring at WakeMed Soccer Park. Conversely, the Battery were the best away side in the league in 2023, with an 8W-4L-5D road record.

Ones to Watch – Players to keep an eye on for both teams are Charleston’s Juan David Torres and North Carolina’s Jake McGuire. Torres has been active in the Battery’s attack, both in setting up chances and looking to finish them, and McGuire is currently tied for the league lead in saves (10).

Secondary Kit Debuts – The Battery will be rocking new threads on Saturday as the 2025 Secondary Kit will be worn for the first time in a match. The clean and classy white polo kit will face off against North Carolina’s all-blue kit.

Jennings Climbs All-Time List – Jennings’ brace against Rhode Island made him the 11th all-time leading scorer in league history with 67 regular season goals. It was also his 15th multi-goal game in the USL Championship’s regular season, moving him to second place for the most multi-goal games in league history, behind only Dane Kelly (19). It’s worth noting that Jennings reached 15 multi-goal performances in just under half the games (125) that Kelly had in the USL Championship (251).

TOTW Trio – The first set of Team of the Week honors came after the Battery’s standout showing in Week 2. Luis Zamudio and Cal Jennings headlined the best XI and Ben Pirmann was named Coach of the Week. Zamudio’s save in the 80th minute against Rhode Island was subsequently voted Save of the Week, too.

Early Stat Leaders – With two games in the books, some early leaders in the stat sheet are beginning to emerge. Cal Jennings leads in goals (two), Juan David Torres in assists (one) and chances created (six), Leland Archer in clearances (11), Graham Smith in blocks (five), and Aaron Molloy in tackles won (four), interceptions (three) and duels won (13).

Approaching Milestones – Two Charleston players are approaching milestones in their USL careers. Mark Segbers is nearing 15,000 minutes played in the Championship regular season and Cal Jennings is closing in on 70 regular season goals.

Akpunonu Debuts – Joey Akpunonu made his first appearance in Battery colors in Week 2, entering the match off the bench to see out the shutout victory over Rhode Island.

Rodríguez Returns – Charleston’s Arturo Rodríguez will be available for selection again this week after serving his one-match red card suspension in Week 2.