By: Battery Media
The Charleston Battery announced Thursday the signing of goalkeeper Trey Muse to the 2023 roster, pending league and federation approval. Muse, 23, brings with him a wealth of experience at the club and international levels.
Muse joins the Battery after spending the 2022 season with Memphis 901 FC while on loan from Loudoun United FC. The 6-4 shot-stopper quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper and was a valuable asset for 901 FC's second-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
The goalkeeper started 32 matches and notched a club-record eight clean sheets, along with 74 saves. His eight shutouts were tied for eighth-most in the USL Championship.
“I am excited to represent this club and be a part of the city, and I'll do my very best to help take this team back to where it should be,” said Muse. “Coming to play for Coach Pirmann was an easy decision to make. His style last season, paired with the setup of this club and where it is wanting to go, made it easy. I'm looking to get accustomed to the squad quickly and to develop both on and off the field in 2023.”
Muse began his professional career with Seattle Sounders FC, joining their academy in 2015 and later signing a Homegrown Player contract in 2019. He was subsequently loaned to Tacoma Defiance and San Diego Loyal SC, making 39 starts in USLC play from 2019 to 2021.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Muse has previously represented the United States at the youth international level. He made his U-18 debut on April 25, 2017, a 2-1 victory over the Belarus U-18's. Muse was called up to the U-20's and featured against the Japan U-20's on March 24, 2019, also a 2-1 victory.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann is excited about working the talented goalkeeper again.
“Trey is one of the better goalkeepers in all of the USL Championship and is coming off an incredible season,” said Coach Pirmann. “Even though he is still pretty young, he has shown plenty of wisdom and had great performances. Trey is as good of a person as I have ever coached, he truly exemplifies the servant mentality that we want to see.
“Trey has very good range in his shot-blocking, commands his area well and can lead the team from the back. He has shown the ability to improve daily at a rate that I have never seen before, so we anticipate him to push our group to new limits.”
Muse played college at Indiana University from 2017 to 2018. He was named to the All-Big Ten All-Freshman Team while helping lead the Hoosiers to the College Cup final. In his sophomore year, he was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
By joining Charleston, Muse links back up with former Indiana teammate Joe Schmidt and ex-Memphis teammates Chris Allan and Derek Dodson in the Lowcountry.
Muse is looking forward to getting to know his new squad along with reconnecting with his teammates from those previous years.
“It will be great to continue to build relationships, both on and off the field, with my new teammates and some familiar faces,” said Muse. “Understanding each other's tendencies and abilities before coming in is a great thing, it will bring in additional chemistry and that's vital to being successful.”
2023 Roster
Goalkeepers: Daniel Kuzemka, Trey Muse
Defenders: Leland Archer, Derek Dodson, Benji Ettienne, Juan Sebastián Palma, AJ Paterson
Midfielders: Chris Allan, Fidel Barajas, Andrew Booth, Robbie Crawford, Avionne Flanagan, Joe Schmidt, Emilio Ycaza
Forwards: Aidan Apodaca, Augustine Williams
