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Heading to Detroit, the Charleston Battery are the hottest team in American soccer

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/23/25, 8:30AM EDT

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Battery's six-game winning streak in league play powered by a Cal Jennings-led attack is set for test on TUDN against Le Rouge


The Charleston Battery have scored 18 goals in their six-game winning streak in the USL Championship to move top of the Players' Shield standings. | Photo courtesy Michael Wiser / Charleston Battery

There’s no hotter team in any professional soccer league in America than the Charleston Battery.

After last Saturday’s 4-0 victory against San Antonio FC at Patriots Point, the Battery have reeled off six consecutive victories in league play and have been racking up the style points in doing so.

Now they’re headed for this weekend’s marquee matchup in the USL Championship against Detroit City FC at Keyworth Stadium, with the clash set for the national spotlight on TUDN this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

  • SEEING DOUBLE: If this feels familiar, it should. The Battery also reeled off a six-game winning streak at close to this point of the regular season last year as Nick Markanich was continuing his assault on the Championship’s Record Book. It was the longest winning run the Battery had put together dating to 2011 and the start of the USL Championship era.

  • NEW CENTERPIECE: With Markanich now at CD Castellon in Spain – where he’s still finding the net – the Battery brought aboard Cal Jennings as a late-preseason signing to bolster their attack. The 28-year-old is on a tear of his own in opposing penalty areas, having put together an eight-game goal contributions streak since Week 2, recording nine goals and two assists to fuel the league’s leading attack.

  • RECORD OPPORTUNITY: As they face Le Rouge, Charleston could see Jennings equal the USL Championship’s mark for consecutive games with a goal contribution – former Player of the Year winners Solomon Asanté (Phoenix Rising, 2019) and Leo Fernandes (Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2022) put together nine-game streaks previously. The Battery could also set a club high in the Championship era with its seventh consecutive win and maintain its hold on the top of the standings.

As high as the Battery have been flying since two losses in their opening three games – their six wins have seen the side score 18 times for a +12-goal differential – going to Keyworth is going to be a test. While DCFC has slipped a little since a strong start to its campaign with three consecutive draws in the league, they’ve got a nine-game undefeated streak in USL Championship play going back to last August.

What’s more, the side has been among the stingiest defenses on home turf since the start of 2024, allowing only 14 goals in 20 regular season games. They’ve also got their own star forward, with Darren Smith having bagged seven goals at a strike rate of a goal every 102.3 minutes.

Put it all together and you get an intriguing matchup at one of the Championship’s most raucous venues that should bring out the best from both sets of players.

Here’s hoping for a classic.

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