The Charleston Battery are pleased to announce the addition of players Jack Wayne, Cohen Rigsby, Kruz Held and Medgy Alexandre to the 2026 roster on Friday, pending league and federation approval.
Wayne, Rigsby and Held join the Black and Yellow on USL Academy contracts, and Alexandre joins on a 25-day contract following a successful preseason trial.
“We are really excited about these three academy players joining us,” said Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “They all have very different backgrounds and experiences, but have the same desire to get better and help our team win. Their pedigrees, abilities and work ethic have put them in positions to help this team out on a daily basis.
“Although we do not have a traditional academy setup, we place a high priority on the integration processes of youth players into our first team. Robbie Crawford did a tremendous job recruiting these players. We have been able to improve the quality of players in our youth setup year after year, as the Battery have really become a place for players of all ages to come for their football.”
Wayne, 17, is a top prospect in the southeast region and developed in the Atlanta United Academy (2019-23, 2025), Barça Residency Academy USA (2024), and Philadelphia Union Academy (2024-25). The Atlanta area native midfielder earned his spot on the roster after impressing during the preseason, including scoring a goal in the friendly against Crown Legacy FC.
Rigsby, 17, is a James Island native joining his hometown club. The 6-6 goalkeeper played for SC Surf Soccer Club from 2020-24 and James Island Charter High School from 2023-25. With James Island, Rigsby helped lead the Trojans to two runs to the state championship game.
Held, 17, is another rising star who developed in the Chicago Fire Academy and registered four appearances for Chicago Fire II MLS NEXT Pro in 2024. Held has been called up by the U.S. youth national teams multiple times, including a U-15 camp in 2023 and U-18 camp last January, the same USYNT camp that Battery teammate Colton Swan participated in with the U-19 squad.
USL Academy contracts enable youth players to gain experience at the professional level while still preserving their college soccer eligibility.
Alexandre, 22, most recently played for Sporting KC II from 2024-25. The 5-6 winger scored 11 goals across 41 career matches in MLS NEXT Pro. Born in Miami, Florida, Alexandre grew up in Montreal, Canada, and developed in the CF Montreal youth system prior to joining Kansas City. Alexandre impressed the coaches during the Battery’s preseason and earned a spot on a 25-day contract.
“Medgy had a great training stint with us and performed very well in a variety of positions,” said Coach Pirmann. “He is also a positive person and is willing to work his socks off for his teammates. Medgy has shown that he can score at the professional level, has tremendous power and ability to drive forward with the ball, and we are hoping he can continue to push our attack and wide areas.”
The quartet of additions brings the number of players on the Battery’s roster to 24. All four are set to be available for selection for the Battery’s home opener on Sat., March 7, against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.