Overview: MIA @ CHS
Date: Saturday, August 22
Kickoff: 7:30 P.M. ET
Venue: Patriots Point Soccer Stadium (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
How to Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network
KNOW YOUR CLUB – Miami FC
Miami FC returns to USL Championship action Saturday night for the second of back-to-back road matches, taking on Charleston Battery at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium.
Miami enters the matchup looking to bounce back following a difficult 2-1 defeat against Hartford Athletic last weekend. After falling behind in the 16th minute, Miami responded with a strong finish to the opening half. Jürgen Locadia tested Hartford goalkeeper Antony Siaha twice before eventually finding the equalizer in stoppage time, finishing Mason Tunbridge’s assist to send the teams into halftime level at 1-1.
Miami continued to create opportunities after the break. Arney Rocha and Mason Tunbridge both threatened early in the second half, while Rodrigo da Costa came within inches of giving Miami the lead in stoppage time when his header from Alessandro Milesi’s cross sailed just over the bar. The match was ultimately decided in the 94th minute, when an own goal gave Hartford the 2-1 victory.
Saturday presents another challenging road test for Miami against one of the Eastern Conference’s top sides. The club will look to build on the positive stretches of its performance in Hartford and turn those opportunities into a result at Patriots Point.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – CHARLESTON BATTERY
Charleston Battery enters Saturday night’s matchup with a 10-7-3 record in USL Championship play this season. The Battery returns home looking to respond after a 3-1 road defeat against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on August 15, with Douglas Martínez scoring Charleston’s lone goal of the night.
Led by Head Coach Ben Pirmann, Charleston has been particularly difficult to beat at Patriots Point this season. The Battery enters Saturday unbeaten at home in league play with a 7-0-2 record, making the trip to South Carolina another challenging road test for Miami.
Prior to last weekend’s defeat, Charleston had put together consecutive league victories, defeating Brooklyn FC 5-0 at home before earning a 1-0 road victory against Loudoun United FC. Miami will look to become the first visiting side to take all three points from Patriots Point in USL Championship play this season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Saturday night marks the first meeting between Miami FC and Charleston Battery this season.
Miami will look to earn an important road result before returning home to Pitbull Stadium on September 5 to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Tickets for Miami FC’s next home match are available now at MiamiFC.com.
