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Matchday Preview: Charlotte Independence vs. Charleston Battery

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 10/15/21, 9:12AM EDT

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Southern Derby rivals square off with Battery looking to retain title and stay alive in postseason race


The Charlotte Independence's Dane Kelly will try to find the net against his former club the Charleston Battery as the hosts look to clinch a playoff berth and the Southern Derby with a win on Saturday night. | Photo courtesy Charlotte Independence

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Independence and Charleston Battery will square off on Saturday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium in the second leg of this year’s Southern Derby with the visitors Battery looking to not only retain their crown but also take victory to keep the club’s chances of a postseason berth alive. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

The @Independence (15-9-4, 49pts) earned a 2-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls II in their most recent outing last Saturday night as goals by Enzo Martinez and Irvin Parra a minute apart allowed the side to overcome a missed penalty kick and strong defensive display by the visitors. The Independence are now in third place in the Atlantic Division, but should the side win out it in its last four games it would claim second place and a home game in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the USL Championship Playoffs. Saturday’s game is set to mark veteran Independence defender Hugh Roberts’ 200th regular season appearance in the league. A draw would be enough for the Independence to at minimum clinch its playoff place for a second consecutive year, but after suffering a 2-0 defeat to the Battery in the first leg of the designated series agreed on by the supporters of both clubs, victory is essential to claim the rivalry for the first time in its history.  

The @Chas_Battery (9-11-7, 34pts) can claim the rivalry trophy once again with a draw on Saturday night as it makes its first trip to American Legion Memorial Stadium in its history, but the visitors need a victory to keep their hopes of a playoff place alive with a 14-point deficit to make up to fourth-placed Miami FC and a 15-point gap to the Independence with five games remaining. Charleston kept its hope alive last Sunday with a 4-3 victory against Hartford Hartford Athletic as Nicque Daley scored twice and Romario Piggott provided a pair of assists in the win. Daley now sits on seven goals this season, two back of leading scorer Claudio Repetto on nine, while Bermuda international Zeiko Lewis has recorded nine assists, good for third in the league. The Battery will be looking at that trio and others to come through in another do-or-die contest for the side.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Charlotte Independence 58%, Charleston Battery 19%, Draw 23%

Most Recent Lineups

Charlotte Independence (3-4-3): Austin Pack; Kevin Riascos, Hugh Roberts, Christian Fuchs; Joel Johnson, Brandt Bronico, Enzo Martinez, Jake Areman; Sylvain Marveaux, Irvin Parra, Gabriel Obertan

Charleston Battery (4-4-2): Joe Kuzminsky; Logan Gdula, Leland Archer, Jarad van Schaik, AJ Paterson; Zeiko Lewis, Burke Fahling, Robbie Crawford, Romario Piggott; Claudio Repetto, Nicque Daley

Discipline

Charlotte Independence – None

Charleston Battery – Caution Accumulation Warning: Stavros Zarokostas

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