The Charleston Battery kick off their journey in the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup against Loudoun United FC on Sat., April 25. Kickoff for Round 1 of the Group Stage at Segra Field is set for 6 p.m. ET and the match will stream on ESPN+.
This is the third edition of the USL’s interleague cup tournament. Charleston and Loudoun are both part of Group 6, along with Greenville Triumph SC, Charlotte Independence, Richmond Kickers and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Charleston will aim for a stronger showing in this year’s tournament after finishing second-from-bottom in their group in 2025. The Battery had one win, one draw (and subsequent penalty shootout win) and two losses. However, the lone victory proved to be a major spoiler in the final round of group play, holding the then-group leaders, Tampa Bay Rowdies, from advancing to the knockout stage.
Loudoun enjoyed decent success in last year’s USL Cup, winning their group to advance to the knockout stage before exiting in the Quarterfinals via penalty shootout against Sacramento Republic FC. Saturday’s hosts notched two wins and two draws (one penalty shootout win and one loss) in group play in 2025.
Looking at form in the Championship’s Eastern Conference so far this year, the Battery are in fifth and Loudoun are in 12th.
Competition Structure
At A Glance – This year’s Prinx Tires USL Cup will kick off on April 25, with teams split into seven regional groups. Six groups will include six teams and one will include seven teams, with each club set to play four Group Stage games in the opening phase of the tournament, which will conclude on Saturday, July 11.
The Lowdown – The 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup is the third edition of the USL's interleague cup competition, a World Cup-style tournament which features all 42 teams across the USL Championship and League One. Adding more meaningful matches to the annual calendar, this year’s Prinx Tires USL Cup will see Hartford Athletic aim to defend its crown in the biggest edition of the competition to date.
How To Advance – Making it to the knockout stage is simple: Win your group. Scoring in the group table is similar to the regular season, wins earn three points, draws earn one, and losses earn none, and draws will have a penalty shootout immediately after the final whistle, with an additional bonus point up for grabs for the shootout winners. One wild-card team will also advance, and that slot is awarded to the second-placed team with the most points in group play, followed by the first tiebreaker of most goals scored. Last year’s champions, Hartford, advanced to the knockout stage on a wild-card berth.
After the Group Stage – The seven group winners and one wild card will advance to create a field of eight teams in the knockout stage. The Quarterfinals will be held on August 13, followed by the Semifinals on September 9 and the Final on the weekend of October 2-4.
Storylines of the Match
First of Three – Charleston and Loudoun are set to face each other on three occasions in 2026, twice in the regular season as usual and once more in the Prinx Tires USL Cup, the latter being the first of the trio. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC are the only other Championship side the Battery will face three times this year due to the interleague tournament.
All-Time Series – This Saturday will be the 15th all-time meeting between Charleston and Loudoun, a series which has favored Charleston historically. The Battery have a 9W-1L-4D record against Loudoun, with the most recent result being a 4-1 triumph for Charleston.
Search for Road Form Redemption – While the Battery have been strong at home, matches away from Patriots Point have not been as kind. Charleston currently have a 1W-4L-0D record on the road across all competitions this year, with the lone winning coming at Louisville City FC. A trip to Segra Field, a ground in which Charleston are undefeated, may be just what the squad needs to find their form away from home again. The Battery have a 4W-0L-3D record at Virginia venue since 2019.
Luis, Houssou Return – A pair of familiar faces will be returning to Loudoun in the Battery’s Luis Zamudio and Houssou Landry. Zamudio had a breakout season as a professional in 2022 with Loudoun and Houssou established himself as one of the top rising midfielders in the USL there from 2021-23. The pair overlapped from 2022-23 as part of the D.C. United system.
Virginia Homecoming – In addition to players facing their former sides, it is a bit of a homecoming for Daniel Kuzemka this weekend. Kuzemka is native of Clifton, Virginia, roughly 40 minutes away from Segra Field, and is the only player on the roster to hail from Old Dominion.
Ones to Watch – Charleston’s Colton Swan and Loudoun’s Thorleifur Úlfarsson will be ones to watch this weekend. The 18-year-old Swan leads the Battery in goals across all competitions with three, and after finding the net multiple times with the United States U-20 national team in March, he could be due to strike again for Charleston. Loudoun’s Úlfarsson, meanwhile, has four goals across six league contests, notably notching a brace against Louisville in Week 6, which places him two off the pace in the Championship Golden Boot race.
Penalty Shootout Potential – Should Saturday’s game end in a draw, like the last time the Battery were in Loudoun (1-1 on June 7), the match will skip extra time and go straight into a penalty shootout after the final whistle, as per the competition structure. Both teams will earn a point in the group standings, but the shootout victors will claim an additional bonus point.
MATCH INFO
- Loudoun United FC vs. Charleston Battery
- Prinx Tires USL Cup | Group Stage | Round 1
- Saturday, April 25 – 6 p.m. ET Kickoff
- Segra Field
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.