A Look Back on the Charleston Battery’s 2017 Season
A top-two regular season finish in the USL Eastern Conference ended with an early exit from the USL playoffs.
Now that the 2017 USL season is over and Louisville City has lifted the USL Cup, the time has finally come to look back on the season that held so much potential for the Charleston Battery… but ended sooner then many thought it would.
It would be easy to say this year was a disappointment after earning the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference and then falling at home to the #7 seed New York Red Bulls II. In today’s world, success seems to be measured in wins and most of all championships.
The Battery didn’t win the 2017 USL Cup, so some will see this as another year lost, another year to forget and another year wasted.
I, on the other hand, see this season as a success. Finishing with the #2 seed in the East and winning not one but two supporter trophies, the Southern Derby Cup and the Old Guard Shield, is impressive for a club trying to keep up with the new kids on the block that seem to have more money and a desire to win now at any cost.
The Battery are built on a stable foundation that has brought them success for over two decades, but again in today’s world, it’s more “what have you done for me lately” than “remember everything we have accomplished.” I get that, but like I said, I saw this season as a success. Here’s why…
Back to the Beginning
The Battery started the year off great! Before the 2017 season kicked off, Charleston hosted the Charleston Challenge Cup (CCC). Three MLS clubs, Columbus Crew SC, last year’s MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders, and the newest MLS club Atlanta United FC, came to MUSC Health Stadium. The Battery played in two 1–1 draws against Columbus and Seattle before falling to their MLS affiliate Atlanta United FC 2–1.
The biggest surprise that came from the CCC was the play of trialist Higashi Kotaro. He paid his own way to fly to Charleston, came out to open tryouts and made the preseason squad for the CCC. Then he ended up scoring a late goal against the defending MLS Cup champs to secure a draw for the Battery. Higashi would go onto to make 30 appearances for Charleston in 2017 and finish second for the club in assists with 7. That’s a remarkable story.
After the CCC, the Battery opened their 2017 campaign with a win over Cincinnati FC at home and a road win over local rival Charlotte Independence. After losing on a late goal to Pittsburgh, the Battery went on an eight-match unbeaten streak that saw them jump to the top of the USL Eastern Conference table.
Over the next nine matches, Charleston would go 4–2–3 including two U.S. Open Cup matches. The Battery got some revenge by defeating the Jacksonville Armada this year, but they lost to Atlanta United FC to exit the Cup.
At the midway point of the season, the Battery held a 10–2–5 record in USL play and sat at the top of the table. Everything was looking great for the Battery. Romario Williams was leading the league in goals scored and Charleston looked like they were on their way to a fifth club championship.
Middle Slump
Once the middle of July came around, everyone knew what to expect from the Battery. They would sit back on defense and hit you on the counter with speed down the flanks and a strong duo of Romario Williams and Ataulla Guerra up top. The only problem there was that Guerra began to battle injuries and Williams was called up to play for the Jamaican National team for the Gold Cup. This was a huge honor for him… but terrible timing for the Battery.
Starting with their 1–0 July 15th loss to Saint Louis FC, Charleston went on a six-match winless streak (0–3–3) which felt like an eternity for Battery supporters. During that stretch, the Battery did not score in four of those six matches. This was unbelievable after leading the league in goals scored during the first half of the season.
Charleston finally picked up a win over Rochester (1–0) in mid-August, but that victory was followed by two more losses and the Battery’s slide down the table continued.
Finish Strong
As the season was coming to a close, Charleston was looking for a spark. The Battery needed someone to step up and get the club back on track and playing like they had at the start of the season.
That spark came in the form of Cuban striker Heviel Cordoves. Over the final six matches of the season, the Battery won four, lost one and had one draw, and Cordoves scored seven goals and helped Charleston secure the #2 seed in the East, capturing two trophies for the club.
The first trophy the club captured was the Old Guard Shield. By defeating Harrisburg 4–0 at home, the Battery finished top of the table and took home the coolest trophy ever in its inaugural season.
The very next week, Charleston defeated Charlotte Independence on the road in the season finale and captured their third straight Southern Derby Cup. This year’s competition was between only Charleston and Charlotte, but it still means a lot to the Battery supporters who were happy to capture the clubs 8th Southern Derby Cup since 2000.
The season finished with the Battery playing well. If the playoff seeding played out, Charleston was looking at two home playoff matches and a trip back to Louisville for the conference final… and a chance to get some redemption after losing in the playoffs to Louisville the last two seasons.
Playoff Nightmare
The Battery opened their 2017 USL Eastern Conference playoff run with a match at home against the defending USL Cup champs, New York Red Bulls II. This was a team that most supporters had overlooked; honestly, most were looking two games ahead to the possibility of getting some revenge on Louisville City and playing in the USL Cup.
That was of course not meant to be.
The Battery were upset in their playoff opener by a score of 4–0. This was the worst home loss in a very long time, and it came at the worst possible time.
Many long-time supporters could not even remember a time where Charleston lost by a scoreline of 4–0, especially not in a playoff match. However, it happened, and the Battery season ended with a gut punch that many around Charleston will not forget anytime soon.
Last Word and Outlook for the Future
This was our year! How did this happen?
For the first half of the year, and even at the end, it felt like everything was setting up for us to hoist the Cup. With the USL expanding and new clubs joining the league and eager to push for a title right away, it is only going to get harder for the Battery to win a league title.
Charleston is a small market team that has found success in finding talent that others have overlooked. They have had to think outside the box by taking chances on Cuban defectors and bringing up players from their local tryouts. They have helped players make their pro debuts while on loan from other clubs and kept a core of USL veterans to help keep the team stable over a long, long season.
The problem is that other clubs are finally starting to follow their model and the Battery are no longer the exception: They are now the rule.
The bigger problem is that other clubs are following their model but doing it with a lot more money.
One of those clubs is their, now former, MLS affiliate Atlanta United FC. AUFC is going to field their own USL club starting next season. What this means for the Battery is that they will not have a wave of young talent coming in from Atlanta like they have over the last two seasons. Players like Carleton, Goslin, Williams, Kunga, etc. will be staying in Georgia. The Battery will not have future MLS talent to fill up their roster. They will have to go back to scouring colleges, hoping more players like Higashi find their way to their open tryouts and searching the Caribbean for the next Quintin Griffith.
The future is going to be tough for Charleston in the USL, but they will always have one thing going for them that most USL clubs don’t have yet and that is long-term stability. They have found a way to adapt to the professional game of soccer here in the U.S. for 25 years and I know/think/hope they will continue to do so.
Will they hoist a league title again? Will they prove to once again be the best club in the U.S.? Will they be able to compete with the best clubs in the U.S.? These are questions that will only be answered over time. For now, I am happy that the Battery are still a force to be reckoned with in U.S. soccer and with every new club they play I am hopeful that the supporters of those clubs take the time to learn about the Battery.
The Charleston Battery are proof that professional soccer can be successful here in the U.S., and I cannot wait to see where the pro game goes in our country and how the Battery will continue to play a major role in that journey.
Thank you to everyone who followed the Battery this season on SNST. It has been a pleasure to share my thoughts as a Battery supporter, and I am looking forward to cheering along with you in 2018!
Editor’s Note: A huge, huge thank you to Erin for running our Charleston Battery coverage this year. SNST would have been a very different beast without him, as we saw the team through his eyes all season long. He’s going to pivot to covering the Baltimore soccer scene in 2018, and we wish him nothing but the best in that effort. We’ll miss ya, QAR Capo. Good luck. :)
