The USL Championship announced Wednesday that the Charleston Battery’s Ben Pirmann was named the league’s April Coach of the Month.
Coach Pirmann has the Battery atop both the USL Championship Players’ Shield and Eastern Conference standings, largely due to the club’s sterling record in April. The Battery’s undefeated start to the season reached nine games at the end of the month, the best start in their USLC era.
In April, the Battery posted a strong 4W-0L-1D record, outscoring teams by a staggering margin of 17-5, highlighted by the four-game winning streak to end the month. This included a marquee win over Louisville City FC, road triumphs at Indy Eleven and FC Tulsa and the goalscoring explosion against Las Vegas Lights FC.
Charleston excelled on both sides of the ball as Nick Markanich ended April as the league’s top goalscorer and Adam Grinwis was tied for the league lead in shutouts. MD Myers sat tied for third in goals and Graham Smith was first in clearances. Charleston also led the league with an Expected Goals mark of 12.33xG in the five April games, one-third more than its closest rival in that statistic.
“It is always great as a club to receive recognition for your achievements and it’s well deserved for the hard work that Ben and the entire coaching staff put in each day,” said club president Lee Cohen. “Ben is one of the best coaches in the United States across all levels right now and you can see his growth and development each day. I’m extremely proud of what he continues to accomplish and how he represents both the Charleston Battery and the Charleston community.”
Coach Pirmann led the team to etch their name into league record books with marks that compare favorably with teams who went on to win silverware at the end of the year.
Charleston’s 24 goals through nine games were the third-most in league history, tied with the 2017 Real Monarchs (Players’ Shield Winners), and behind 2013 Orlando City SC (league champions) and 2020 Phoenix Rising FC (conference champions). The Battery’s +17 goal differential through nine games was also the second highest in league history, behind Phoenix’s +18 in 2020.
Additionally, Coach Pirmann’s guidance saw the team earn nine Team of the Week selections in April, including one Coach of the Week award (Week 6) and two Player of the Week honors (Week 6 and Week 8). Markanich was also an April Player of the Month nominee.
Coach Pirmann earned the award after winning 48% of the ballot. The USL Championship’s Coach of the Month award is voted upon by the USL Championship National Media Panel and the USL Championship Technical Committee, with each group responsible for 50 percent of the overall vote.
The Battery’s focus shifts to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday when the Black and Yellow take on South Georgia Tormenta FC at Patriots Point, kicking off at 7 pm ET. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
