The Charleston Battery just keep rolling along.

In this week’s edition of the USL Championship’s News & Notes we’ll take a look at where the club’s current 10-game undefeated start to a season ranks in the league’s history, and assess the five-game scoring streak of current Golden Boot leader and recently crowned April Player of the Month Nick Markanich ranks in the USL Championship era.

We’ve also look at the company El Paso Locomotive FC will try to avoid as it seeks its first win of the season this weekend, and have our regular look at upcoming milestones for players around the league and the Week 10 Discipline Report.

Let’s begin.

NEWS & NOTES

BATTERY REACH DOUBLE-DIGITS UNDEFEATED TO START SEASON

The Charleston Battery became just the 10th club to record an undefeated streak of at least 10 games to start a USL Championship season on Saturday evening with the side’s 1-0 victory against Hartford Athletic at Patriots Point. The streak is the longest in the USL Championship era for the Battery, and its longest undefeated start to a season since the start of the 2009 USL First Division campaign.

The Battery could be joined in the list this weekend by Sacramento Republic FC, which for a second consecutive season has gone undefeated in its first nine games of the campaign after its 1-1 draw with Phoenix Rising FC last Saturday night. Republic FC visits Rhode Island FC on Saturday night.

Both Charleston and Sacramento have a distance to go to surpass the longest undefeated streak to start a campaign in the Championship era of 22 games, which was set by the Richmond Kickers in the 2013 season on the way to winning the Players’ Shield.

Longest undefeated streaks to start a USL Championship Season all-time
22 – Richmond Kickers, 2013
19 – Rochester Rhinos, 2015
17 – Orlando City SC, 2014
14 – San Antonio FC, 2017
13 – Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2019
11 – San Antonio FC, 2021
10 – Charleston Battery, 2024*; Louisville City FC, 2022; Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 2018; Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 2016

* - Active Streak

BATTERY’S NICK MARKANICH CONTINUES SCORING STREAK

The Charleston Battery’s Nick Markanich continued his goalscoring streak in the Championship this past Saturday as his bicycle-kick finish – which landed at No. 1 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 – marked his fifth consecutive game with a goal. Markanich’s streak matches the longest streak in the USL Championship era by a Battery player, with Augustine Williams having recorded goals in five consecutive appearances between July 16 and August 12, 2022.

Markanich is now three games away from matching the longest individual scoring streak in the Championship’s history of eight games, which was set by former Player of the Year Hadji Barry when he recorded goals in eight consecutive games between August 19 and September 23, 2018 when playing for Sporting Kansas City II.

Most Consecutive League Appearances with a goal in the USL Championship’s regular season
1. Hadji Barry, Sporting Kansas City II – 8 games, Aug. 19 - Sept. 23, 2018
T-2. Hadji Barry, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – 7 games, May 14 - June 25, 2021
T-2. Santi Moar, Phoenix Rising FC – 7 games, Oct. 3, 2020 - June 5, 2021
T-2. Foster Langsdorf, Reno 1868 FC – 7 games, Aug. 15 - Sept. 20, 2020
T-2. Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC – 7 games, May 18 - June 29, 2019
T-6. Santi Moar, Phoenix Rising FC – 6 games, Aug. 28 - Sept. 25, 2021
T-6. Kyle Murphy, Memphis 901 FC – 6 games, July 24 - Aug. 25, 2021
T-6. Ronaldo Damus, Orange County SC- 6 games, June 5 - July 24, 2021
T-6. Luis Solignac, San Antonio FC – 6 games, Aug. 19 - Sept. 16, 2020
T-6. Dane Kelly, Reno 1868 FC – 6 games, May 7 - June 11, 2017

EL PASO AIMS TO SNAP WINLESS START

El Paso Locomotive FC will try to avoid becoming just the fifth team to start a season since the start of the 2019 campaign without a win in its first 10 games on Friday night when it visits Loudoun United FC. Locomotive is the last winless side in the Championship this season with a record of 0-7-2 and would join four teams who reached double-digit winless streaks if it fails to take victory at Segra Field.

Longest winless streaks to start a USL Championship Regular Season (2019-present)
12 – Rio Grande Valley FC, 2020
10 – Hartford Athletic, 2019
10 – Portland Timbers 2, 2020
10 – Las Vegas Lights FC, 2023
9 – El Paso Locomotive FC, 2024*
8 – OKC Energy FC, 2021

* - active streak

Quick Hits
- Birmingham Legion FC’s 30 shots against FC Tulsa this past weekend was the most by a side in a regular season contest so far this season. It also tied the club’s highest shot total in a USL Championship game all-time.

- Las Vegas Lights FC’s Raiko Arozarena set an individual career-high with eight saves against New Mexico United on Saturday night. The mark tied for the second-most saves in a game so far this season in the Championship.

- Louisville City FC (23 goals in seven games) and Indy Eleven (17 goals in nine games), and Sacramento Republic FC (14 goals in nine games) are the only three teams to have scored in every game of the regular season so far.

- The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Manuel Arteaga has scored in four consecutive games in the Championship entering Saturday’s contest with Birmingham Legion FC. He is one shy of matching the longest scoring streak in the Championship for the Rowdies, held by Sebastian Guenzatti between September 11 and October 7, 2021 and Cal Jennings between August 18 and September 9, 2023.

Upcoming Player Milestones

Appearances
Approaching 200 regular-season appearances
Conor Donovan (SAC) – 197

Approaching 150 regular-season appearances
Justin Dhillon (ELP) – 148
Lindo Mfeka (OAK) – 147
Matt VanOekel (BHM) – 147
Frank Lopez (MIA) – 147

Approaching 100 regular-season appearances
Danny Crisostomo (TBR) – 99
Jordan Farr (TBR) – 98
Cal Jennings (TBR) – 98
Robbie Crawford (CHS) – 98  

Minutes
Approaching 20,000 regular season minutes
Sean Totsch (LOU) – 19,571

Approaching 15,000 regular season minutes
Neveal Hackshaw (OAK) – 14,642

Approaching 10,000 regular season minutes
Collin Martin (NC) – 9,931
Akeem Ward (MEM) – 9,640
Luis Felipe Fernandes (SAC) – 9,607

Goals
Approaching 70 regular season goals
Augustine Williams (IND) – 68

Approaching 60 regular season goals
Romario Williams (HFD) – 58
Russell Cicerone (SAC) – 58

Approaching 50 regular season goals
Rodrigo Da Costa (NC) – 48

Assists
Approaching 50 regular season assists
Rodrigo Lopez (SAC) – 46
Brian Ownby (LOU) – 46
Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 46

Approaching 40 regular season assists
Christiano Francois (LDN) – 38

Approaching 30 regular season assists
Niall McCabe (LOU) – 29
Rodrigo Da Costa (NC) – 29
Cam Lindley (IND) – 27

Saves
Approaching 250 regular season saves
Danny Vitiello (SAC) – 235

Approaching 200 regular season saves
Nathan Steinwascher (DET) – 196

Discipline Report – Week 10

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Championship’s discipline report for Week 10 of the 2024 USL Championship season:

Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso has been suspended for one game following his red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity against Memphis 901 FC on May 4. Lasso will be unavailable for selection in Tampa Bay’s contest against Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday night.

El Paso Locomotive FC Head Coach Brian Clarhaut has been suspended for one game following his red card for a second technical staff caution against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on May 4. Clarhaut will serve his suspension during El Paso’s contest against Loudoun United FC on Friday night.