The Charleston Battery hit the road again to face South Georgia Tormenta FC on Sat., June 28, in Round 3 of the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Tormenta Stadium and the match will stream on ESPN+.
Charleston and Tormenta meet for the second time this year, after the Battery beat the USL League One side in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup back in April. The 4-0 win was powered by MD Myers’ hat trick and Chris Allan’s first Battery goal.
The Battery enter this weekend looking for their first win in the Jägermeister Cup after falling in the first two contests with 0-1 results. Charleston are in sixth place in Group 6 and their most recent Jägermeister Cup defeat was against Greenville Triumph SC. The Lowcountry club will be aiming for their first positive development in the tournament this weekend.
Tormenta enter the match sitting third in Group 6 but were dealt a 2-1 road loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their last Jägermeister Cup match. Tormenta are still well within striking distance of claiming the top spot in the table to advance to the knockout stage, adding an extra layer of motivation to the budding regional rivalry match.
In their respective leagues, Charleston are second in the overall USL Championship table and Tormenta are 12th in the USL League One standings.
Storylines of the Match
Welcome, Jeremy Kelly – The Battery added midfielder Jeremy Kelly to the squad ahead of this weekend’s match. The 27-year-old most recently played for English side Crawley Town FC and previously competed for Head Coach Ben Pirmann at Memphis 901 FC. Kelly could be poised for a club debut on Saturday.
East Coast Tour’s Finale – Charleston’s away-heavy month of June is set to come to a close on Saturday. The Battery have been frequent travelers up and down the East Coast in June, including other trips to Hartford, Loudoun, and Miami, and played only one home match during the month.
Budding Regional Rivalry – Charleston and Tormenta have become familiar foes in recent years, thanks to cup competitions that cross league boundaries. This Saturday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the sides since 2018, with the Battery holding a 3W-1L-0D record against Tormenta.
First Tormenta Visit – This weekend will also be Charleston’s first official visit to Tormenta Stadium. The previous four meetings were all played in the Lowcountry.
Riding Momentum – Both Charleston and Tormenta will be aiming to carry the momentum from their last league matches into this weekend. The Battery triumphed 4-1 over Phoenix Rising FC, and Tormenta were victorious 2-1 over FC Naples.
Outside Looking In – Entering Round 3 of the group stage, the Battery find themselves on the outside looking in, in terms of qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament. Two games remain in the group stage, making six points the maximum left to win to force a wildcard berth, however, it would require a mix of favorable results and tiebreaker scenarios to make it through.
Searching for Jägermeister Cup Success – Charleston will be aiming for a bit of success in their inaugural Jägermeister Cup campaign. Through two matches, the Battery were dealt a pair of shutout defeats, but will be aiming for redemption to close out the group stage strong.
Torres Takes Lead – After his two-assist performance against Phoenix, Juan David Torres took sole possession of the lead in the Championship’s Golden Playmaker race. Torres’ seven assists in league play top the charts, and he became the first Battery player with a multi-assist game this year.
Loan Watch: Soto Scores – Looking across the USL ecosystem, congratulations are in order for Zeke Soto, currently on loan with Greenville Triumph SC. Soto recorded his first career professional goal last Saturday with a strong header that put Greenville ahead 3-1 to shore up the win. Soto has made five appearances so far for Greenville since joining on loan.
Rubio Sends Guatemala Through – Another Battery man elsewhere who found the back of the net recently was Rubio Rubín for Guatemala in the Concacaf Gold Cup. Rubín scored late in their decisive game against Guadalupe, tallying one goal and one assist, to send Los Chapines to the knockout stage.
MATCH INFO
South Georgia Tormenta FC vs. Charleston Battery
USL Jägermeister Cup | Group Stage | Round 3
Saturday, June 28 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff
Tormenta Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.