The Charleston Battery travel for their final away match of the regular season to face Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Sat., Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will stream via ESPN+.
Charleston and Pittsburgh clash for the second time this year and the sides played to a 0-0 stalemate at Patriots Point back in June.
The Battery (17W-5L-9D, 60pts) enter this weekend’s contest after a 2-2 draw against Detroit City FC last Saturday. Charleston rallied in the second half after being down 0-1 to take a 2-1 lead, but a late goal by the visitors saw the points shared that afternoon. Nick Markanich and Juan David Torres found the back of the net for the Battery.
Riverhounds SC (9W-10L-12D, 39pts) return home after 0-4 road win over Miami FC last weekend. Pittsburgh were powered by Bertin Jacquesson’s hat trick, a feat that also garnered Player of the Week honors for the Real Salt Lake loanee. Riverhounds SC are playing for playoff survival and are three points under the line, competing with North Carolina, Birmingham, Loudoun and Hartford for the final two spots for postseason play.
Looking at the Eastern Conference standings, the Battery are in second and Pittsburgh are in 10th.
Storylines of the Match
The Old Guard Shield – No two teams have clashed more in the USL Championship than the Battery (est. 1993) and the Riverhounds (est. 1999), who are set for their 42nd all-time meeting dating back to 1999. Supporters of both clubs will contest for the Old Guard Shield, played for across the two regular season matches. With the first meeting ending in a draw, the winner of the Shield will be determined this Saturday.
More Than 20 Years of History – The all-time series is narrowly led the Battery with a 14W-10L-17D record over Pittsburgh. The first match was played on July 30, 1999, a 2-0 Riverhounds win in Pennsylvania, when both clubs were members of the USL A-League. Charleston hold the largest margin of victory in the series, a 4-0 result achieved on July 14, 2000, and again on August 30, 2014.
Tough Confines – Charleston will enter rocky waters at Highmark Stadium this weekend. Pittsburgh are currently unbeaten in their last seven home matches and the Battery haven’t claimed a win at the venue since July 2018.
Club Record on Horizon – With 17 wins in the regular season, the Battery have tied their club record for most wins in the regular season in their USL Championship era, a mark set just last season. The all-time club record across all eras is 19 wins, set in the 2002 USL A-League campaign.
Markanich Surpasses Conway – Nick Markanich set the club record for most overall goals scored in a single season with goal No. 28 last weekend, surpassing the previous record of 27 goals scored by Paul Conway across all competitions in 2001.
Golden Boot in Sights – With 28 goals to his name, Markanich is a shoo-in to win the league’s Golden Boot. He is on pace to become the club’s fifth all-time Golden Boot winner and the first in 14 years. In doing so, he will join Patrick Olalere (1996), Conway (2000 and 2001) and Lamar Neagle (2010) as the next Battery player to be crowned the league’s top goalscorer.
Familiar Face Returns – Current Battery defender Nathan Dossantos is set to return to his former home of two years for the first time since joining the Battery. Dossantos played for Pittsburgh from 2022 to 2023, helping Riverhounds SC win the Players' Shield last year.
Rodriguez Approaches Milestone – Arturo Rodriguez is nearing 100 career matches in the USL Championship regular season. The Mexican midfielder currently has 99 appearances to his name.
MATCH INFO
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, October 12 – 7 p.m. ET Kickoff
Highmark Stadium
HOW TO WATCH:
Saturday’s match will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
