The Charleston Battery are set to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Sat., Nov. 2, in the USL Championship Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Kickoff for the playoff match is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the match will air on ESPN+.
Charleston and Pittsburgh meet for the third time this season and the second time in less than a month. Riverhounds SC held the edge in the season series, winning the October 12 meeting after the sides drew on June 8.
No. 2 Charleston enter the postseason after posting an 18W-6L-10D (64pts) mark in the regular season, setting a new club record for most single-season wins in their USL Championship era. The Battery won their final match before the playoffs, a 2-1 home victory over Loudoun United FC. Juan David Torres and Arturo Rodriguez found the back of the net for Charleston.
No. 7 Pittsburgh rallied in the second half of the season to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a 12W-10L-12D (48pts) record and overcame a dismal start to the year. Pittsburgh ended the regular season on a four-game win streak and defeated El Paso Locomotive FC, 2-0, in the final matchday.
Dating back to 1999, the Battery hold a slight advantage in the all-time series with a 14W-11L-17D record over Riverhounds SC.
The Eastern Conference Quarterfinals is the opening round of the USL Championship Playoffs and is a single-elimination match. The Conference Semifinals will be the weekend of November 9-10.
Storylines of the Match
Eastern Conference Title Defense – Charleston will officially begin the defense of their Eastern Conference Title this weekend. The Battery shocked the league last year in their turnaround campaign that resulted in being crowned champions of the Eastern Conference. Charleston will look to repeat their run to silverware in 2024.
First Time Since 2001 – While Charleston and Pittsburgh have clashed regularly since Pittsburgh’s inaugural 1999 season, the overwhelming majority of the meetings have been in the regular season. Saturday’s match will be the first Charleston-Pittsburgh playoff match since the 2001 USL A-League Playoffs. Riverhounds SC won that round 2-5 on aggregate.
Golden Boot vs. Golden Glove – More than just black and yellow will clash in the quarterfinals, so will gold. Saturday’s game will feature the Championship's Golden Boot winner, forward Nick Markanich, squaring off against the Golden Glove winner, goalkeeper Eric Dick.
Tale of Two Halves – This year, Charleston and Pittsburgh have found their best moments at different phases of the game. The Battery have scored 62% of their goals in the second half of matches, while Riverhounds SC have scored 59% of their goals in the first half. A potential deciding factor could be how which side can limit the opposition’s stronger phase of the match the best.
Opposing Strengths – Two very different teams meet this Saturday compared to the last time Pittsburgh visited the Lowcountry. Charleston are unbeaten in their last 12 home matches and Pittsburgh are unbeaten in their last five games. A tight game is expected given the top form both clubs are in going into the weekend, despite what a No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup might suggest to an outsider.
Playoffs at the Point – Saturday will mark the fifth consecutive playoff match hosted by the Battery, dating back to 2023’s run to the USL Championship Final.
Regular Season Honors – While not an official award, Aaron Molloy ended the 2024 regular season as the highest-rated player in the league by FotMob and Sofascore. In fact, Sofascore’s top-three rated players were Molloy, Nick Markanich and Juan David Torres, in that order.
Torres Leads Team in Assists – After the Loudoun match, Juan David Torres ended the regular season as the team’s leader in assists with assists with seven. Torres’ seventh assist came on Rodriguez’s match-winner that night.
Road Ahead – The winner on Saturday will advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal (November 9-10), where they will face the winner of the No. 3 Detroit vs. No. 6 Tampa Bay match.
MATCH INFO
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Charleston Battery vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, November 2 – 6:30 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
A limited amount of tickets for Saturday are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
