Charleston Battery
is an American professional soccer team based in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
The team plays its home games at the soccer-specific Blackbaud Stadium, where they have played since 1999. The team's colors are yellow, black and red. Their current head coach is Michael Anhaeuser.
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CHARLESTON BATTERY TICKETS
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History
The Battery were formed in 1993 as a member of the PDSL, and joined the
A-League (now
USL First Division) in 1997. The team's home,
Blackbaud Stadium, built in 1999, was the first professional
soccer specific stadium in the USL First Division. The Battery won the PDSL championship in 1996, defeating the
Charlotte Eagles 3-2 and the A-League championship in 2003, defeating the
Minnesota Thunder 3-0 to win the title. The Battery qualified for the
U.S. Open Final match for the first time in club history in 2008, playing against
Major League Soccer team
DC United.
[1] In the final the Battery conceded an early goal but bounced back with a quick-fire equaliser through an
Ian Fuller goal, assisted by
Chris Williams. Later in the half
Lazo Alavanja hit the post but at half time the scores were tied at 1-1. At the start of the second half Charleston conceded early again and that's how it stayed, DC winning 2-1. However, in the final seconds of 2nd half extra time
Marco Reda put the ball in the back of the net for Charleston, only to have the goal controversially disallowed for an alleged offside.
As of June 1st, the Battery has made an impressive start to the 2009 USL-1 season, recording 7 wins, 6 ties and not a single loss.
The Battery's official supporters' group is called the Regiment. The Battery's most passionate fans stand in section E10.
The Battery competes for the
Coffee Pot Cup every time it faces their rival team
DC United of
Major League Soccer. The trophy was established by the two sides' supporters.
Players
Current roster
as of May 23, 2009
Notable former players
- Osvaldo Alonso
- Raúl Díaz Arce
- Khalil Azmi
- Jamar Beasley
- Dan Calichman
- Omar Daley
- Linval Dixon
- Seamus Donnelly
- Paul Dougherty
- Jake Edwards
- Gavin Glinton
- Lee Hurst
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- John Limniatis
- Barry Moore
- Bo Oshoniyi
- Terry Phelan
- Robert Rosario
- Brent Sancho
- Nicky Spooner
- Dino Maamria
- John Wilson
- Eric Wynalda
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- See also: All-time Charleston Battery roster
Year-by-year
Year
| Division
| League
| Reg. Season
| Playoffs
| Open Cup
| Avg. Attendance
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1993
| 2
| USISL
| 5th, Atlantic
| Play-in Game
| Did not enter
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1994
| 2
| USISL
| 2nd, Atlantic
| Semifinals
| Did not enter
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1995
| 2
| USISL Pro League
| 1st, Atlantic
| Divisional Semifinals
| Did not qualify
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1996
| 4
| USISL Pro League
| 2nd, South Atlantic
| Champions
| Did not qualify
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1997
| 2
| USISL A-League
| 4th, Atlantic
| Division Finals
| Did not qualify
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1998
| 2
| USISL A-League
| 4th, Atlantic
| Conference Quarterfinals
| Did not qualify
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1999
| 2
| USL A-League
| 3rd, Atlantic
| Conference Quarterfinals
| Semifinals
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2000
| 2
| USL A-League
| 1st, Atlantic
| Conference Semifinals
| 2nd Round
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2001
| 2
| USL A-League
| 2nd, Central
| 1st Round
| 3rd Round
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2002
| 2
| USL A-League
| 1st, Southeast
| Conference Semifinals
| 3rd Round
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2003
| 2
| USL A-League
| 1st, Southeast
| Champions
| Did not qualify
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2004
| 2
| USL A-League
| 8th Eastern
| Did not qualify
| Semifinals
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2005
| 2
| USL First Division
| 9th
| Did not qualify
| 2nd Round
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2006
| 2
| USL First Division
| 3rd
| Semifinals
| 4th Round
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2007
| 2
| USL First Division
| 10th
| Did not qualify
| Quarterfinals
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2008
| 2
| USL First Division
| 5th
| 1st Round
| Runner Up
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2009
| 2
| USL First Division
| in progress
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| Quarterfinals
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Honors
- USL A-League
- * Winners (2): 1996*, 2003
- * Atlantic Division Champions (2): 1995*, 2000
- * Southeast Division Champions (2): 2002, 2003
- US Open Cup
- * Runner Up (1): 2008
- * Semifinals (2): 1999, 2004
- * Quarterfinals (2): 2007, 2009
- Southern Derby
- * Winner (3): 2003, 2005^, 2009
as co-champions^
Head coaches
- Michael Anhaeuser (2004-present)
Stadia
- Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, South Carolina (1999-present)
See also
- Battery Park
- Carolina Challenge Cup
- Battery stuffs Sounders, Charleston Post and Courier Article
References
- http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/13/battery_stuffs_sounders50669/