The Charleston Battery commence their 33rd season at Patriots Point on March 8 against Louisville City FC. Kickoff for the season opener is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Saturday’s match will stream for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network, and air on local television on the Palmetto Sports and Entertainment Network.
Charleston and Louisville clash in a high-stakes opening week matchup, as the Battery are back-to-back Eastern Conference Finalists and Louisville are the reigning Players’ Shield winners.
The Battery ended the 2024 season second in the regular season standings and as Eastern Conference Finalists. Their campaign was marked by Nick Markanich’s historic run to winning Player of the Year and the Golden Boot, but much of the club’s core group returns to fight for silverware in 2025. This includes reigning Defender of the Year Graham Smith, All-League First Team selection Aaron Molloy and returning top returning scorers MD Myers and Juan David Torres.
Louisville were winners of the Players’ Shield (regular season title) in 2024, but were knocked out in the playoffs in the Conference Semifinals, snapping their streak of consecutive Conference Final appearances. The Kentucky club’s success was largely underwritten by their dominance at home, where they lost only once. After an early exit in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed last year, Louisville will be aiming for a fast start to 2025.
It’s a clean slate to begin the year and nobody is ahead of anybody in the table. The Battery-Louisville contest is the fourth match to kick off in Week 1, as there are three matches beginning at 7 p.m. ET that night.
Storylines of the Match
Battery Kick Off 33rd Season – Charleston will set sail on their 33rd season with the 2025 campaign. The Battery were founded in 1993 and are the oldest continuously operating club in the United States. It will also be their sixth season at Patriots Point as the club’s home ground.
Heavyweight Bout Opener – There’s arguably not a bigger matchup this weekend than the one kicking off at Patriots Point on Saturday. Charleston and Louisville were No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in the league standings last year and distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. The Battery reached the Eastern Conference Final for a second consecutive season while Louisville exited in the Conference Semifinals. Expectations for both clubs will be high in 2025 to repeat the success they found last year.
Head-To-Head History – Over the past few seasons, meetings between Charleston and Louisville have been high stakes and high intensity. Charleston hold a narrow edge in the recent set of meetings, with a 2W-1L-2D record in the previous five matchups. The most consequential of these matches was the 2023 Eastern Conference Final at Patriots Point, which the Battery won, 2-1.
New Faces, New Places – Eight new players could suit up for the Battery on Saturday in addition to the corps of 16 returners. Newcomers include Joey Akpunonu, Langston Blacksock, Cal Jennings, Dougla Martinez, Diego Rodriguez (A), Johnny Klein, Houssou Landry and Luis Zamudio.
Next Man Up – Both Charleston and Louisville find themselves in similar situations in the goal scoring department as the teams saw their leading scorers, Nick Markanich and Wilson Harris, respectively, leave for Europe after the end of the 2024 season. A question on fans’ minds is who will carry that torch for their teams in 2025, and a potential answer could begin to show on Saturday.
Ortiz Signs Pro Deal – Viggo Ortiz, 16, signed his first professional contract on Thursday prior to the home opener, a multi-year contract to extend his stay in the Lowcountry. The move elevates Ortiz from a USL Academy deal to a full professional status. Ortiz has been a rising star with Mexico’s youth national teams and clinched a spot in the FIFA U-17 World Cup with El Tri in February.
Crawford's Coaching Debut - A new chapter begins for Robbie Crawford as he steps into his first match as an assistant coach. After concluding his 13-year playing career after the 2024 season, the former midfielder now transitions to the sidelines, bringing his leadership and experience to the Ben Pirmann’s staff.
Back in Black – Charleston will also debut their new look for 2025, the black-and-grey clad Primary Kit with yellow pinstripes and accents. The Battery last wore black as their primary color in 2020.
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. Louisville City FC
Saturday, March 8 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will stream for free on the CBS Sports Golazo Network! The Golazo Network can be accessed for free via the CBS Sports App (under the ‘Live TV’ section), Pluto TV, Roku TV, Paramount+ app (no subscription needed), the PlutoTV app or on the channel’s website: https://www.cbssports.com/
The match will also air on local television on Palmetto Sports and Entertainment Network, channel WCSC 5.3 (SD) and WZCH-TV 35.3 (HD) in Charleston. Check with your TV provider for the exact channel number.
On radio, the game will broadcast on SiriusXM FC (channel 157).
A limited amount of tickets for Saturday are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
