The Charleston Battery return home to face North Carolina FC in the Southern Derby on Sun., July 6. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET and the match is airing on national television, exclusively on CBS Sports Network.
It is the second clash between Charleston and North Carolina this year after NCFC won the first meeting back in March, 2-1. Cal Jennings tallied the Battery’s lone goal that evening.
Charleston (10W-3L-2D, 32pts) have a quick turnaround after playing just last Wednesday on the road against Birmingham Legion FC in a scoreless stalemate. The Battery had the lion’s share of chances and shots on target but were unable to find a breakthrough to secure all three points. Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio notched his third clean sheet of the season.
North Carolina (7W-4L-2D, 23pts) were most recently dealt a 1-0 road defeat against Louisville City FC last Sunday in the USL Jägermeister Cup. NCFC conceded in the 10th minute to Jansen Wilson and that proved to be the difference. However, North Carolina’s most recent league contest was a 2-1 home win over Louisville, with goals by Finn Sundstrom and Adam Luckhurst.
Looking at the Eastern Conference table, Charleston are in second and North Carolina are in fourth.
Storylines of the Match
Southern Derby Decided – A winner in the Southern Derby will be determined on Sunday, and North Carolina currently holds the advantage after their 2-1 win in the first leg. The victors of the supporter-led rivalry, which dates back to 2000, are decided across the regular season matches. The Battery are the most successful team in the history of the Southern Derby with 10 wins.
Top-Four Clash – Sunday may also prove to carry playoff implications in the long run as Charleston and North Carolina both sit top-four in the Eastern Conference. While there is a gap in points between the sides, North Carolina also have two games in hand and could make a charge up the table to close that difference.
Battle of Top Scorers, Top Shot-Stopper – After facing one premier goalkeeper on Wednesday, the Battery will have another task ahead of them in going up against NCFC goalkeeper Jake McGuire. In league play, the shot-stopper is currently tied for fourth in saves and tied for sixth in shutouts. Conversely, McGuire will have his work cut out for him facing the league’s highest-scoring team – with Cal Jennings, MD Myers and Juan David Torres ranking top-five in overall goal involvements in the Championship.
On the National Stage – The Battery once again feature on national television and for the second time this week. Charleston’s 0-0 draw with Birmingham aired nationally on CBS Sports Network and Sunday’s derby day will also be carried by CBSSN.
All-Time Series – The all-time series between Charleston and North Carolina is relatively even, with the Battery holding a 7W-8L-4D record in the fixture. While NCFC hold a slight advantage historically, Charleston’s record against North Carolina in the past nine meetings is 4W-1L-4D.
Kelly Home Debut – Newcomer Jeremy Kelly could be set for a home debut on Sunday. The versatile midfielder has featured in two games for the Battery since joining in late June, but both appearances were on the road. Kelly also previously played for NCFC during their NASL Carolina RailHawks era and for the U-23 side. After providing an assist in his debut, fans at Patriots Point will be anticipating their first chance to see him in action on home soil.
Segbers Nearing Milestone – Defender Mark Segbers is approaching 15,000 career minutes played in the USL Championship regular season. Segbers is close to the milestone and currently has 14,896 minutes played going into this weekend.
MD for Player of the Month – For the second time this year, forward MD Myers was nominated for the Championship’s Player of the Month award. In June, Myers recorded three goals and one assist in four appearances in the Championship, averaging a goal every 119.1 minutes while posting a 60% shot conversion rate as well as five chances created and two big chances created for a Goals Added mark of +1.12.
Independence Day Weekend Threads – Charleston will be recognizing Fourth of July weekend with some special American flag-inspired shirts during pregame. The red-white-and-blue Old Glory Warmup Kit features the same blue and red donned on the flag, with homages to the American Revolution via 13 stars on the sleeves for the 13 original colonies and the Moultrie Flag, which became a symbol of the era for Charleston’s successful defense of Sullivan’s Island in 1776. Fans can buy the jersey directly in the team store, or bid on the player-worn and autographed Old Glory Warmup Kits in the online auction at shop.charlestonbattery.com.
Rubín, Guatemala’s Gold Cup Run Concludes – Charleston’s Rubio Rubín and Guatemala saw their historic Cinderella run in the Concacaf Gold Cup come to an end in the Semifinal against the United States. Rubín was a star performer for Los Chapines in the tournament, recording two goals and one assist. His first goal was the match-winner against Guadeloupe to advance to the knockout stage, and his second goal was a famous strike that leveled the game against Canada to send it to penalties, the latter game being hailed as one of the greatest upsets in Gold Cup history after Guatemala won in PKs. Rubín will now return to Charleston with momentum on his side.
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. North Carolina FC
Sunday, July 6 – 5 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Sunday’s match will air exclusively on national television on CBS Sports Network, which may be accessed through a typical cable or satellite TV subscription that includes CBSSN. Check your TV’s guide for the exact channel number.
The match is exclusive to CBSSN and will not be accessible via a Paramount+ subscription nor will it be available on local linear channels. Fans may use the CBS Sports App or website to stream the games by logging in with their TV subscription credentials.
A limited amount of tickets for Sunday are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.