Away to Charleston Battery Preview
Date: Saturday April 5, 2025
Kickoff Time: 5:30 pm EST at Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mt. Pleasant, SC
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (3 pts 1W-0D-2L); Charleston Battery (3 pts 1W-0D-2L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 8th in the East and the Battery are 7th.
The Rowdies had a bye week less than a month into the regular season. Despite the quirks of the USL Championship schedule, it’s right back to the grind as they now travel to South Carolina to take on heated rivals, Charleston Battery. The home side has had our number for a few years now – something Tampa Bay will want to fix. Tune in on ESPN+ or on local cable station Tampa Bay 44 this Saturday to watch the Green and Gold!
Et tu, Cal Jennings?
Play in the same conference of the same league for any amount of time and you’ll develop feelings – good or bad – toward your regular opponents. Even so, there are few teams out there in the US with a longer shared past than the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Charleston Battery. They have swapped players, points, and playoff positions too many times to count at this stage.
Following former team manager Lee Cohen up north to the Carolinas recently was Cal Jennings. The striker is a force to be reckoned with in the USL, and this year is no different. Despite a rather inauspicious start for the Battery, Cal has three goals in three games already. While this is to be expected, his ability to hit the ground running here never fails to impress.
The Battery’s high-flying attack from 2024 took a major hit this offseason. Now the goals record-holder in the USL, Nick Markanich was always destined for better things. He headed off for Spain’s second division, where he’s made nine appearances so far. Still yet to score, he has helped pave a path to Europe that more Championship players are trying to emulate.
Replacing someone who scored almost 30 goals is never easy. But, Jennings is just a part of the Battery’s scheme to do just that. They will also rely on last season’s winger opposite Markanich, Juan Torres. The Colombian has moved over to the right side in 2025 allowing new signing Johnny Klein to fill in his old spot as the left winger, both surrounding a #10 playmaker.
The 4-2-3-1 formation has been Charleston’s default for a few years now. Whether due to roster or club philosophy, it has served them well. It’s likely only a matter of time before the Battery turn it on in 2025 and make the same run they have previously. Honduran Douglas Martinez is another attacking addition made to help smooth the transition to a post-Markanich team.
As with every year, the Rowdies already know the task that lays ahead of them. One player will make or break the Battery in this weekend’s fixture – and it’s not one named so far in this column. Instead, the deep-lying playmaker, almost a quarterback of a figure, Aaron Molloy is likely the most important role in this squad. Shutting him down will shut the rest down.
If the Green and Gold want to take anything away from this match away from home, flooding the midfield with pressure will be important. Last weekend, Cammy MacPherson and Lewis Hilton both started. Fans could expect to see this again. Hilton is able to sit deeper and shield the defense, who will naturally have their hands full with some combination of Martinez, Klein, Torres, and, of course, Cal Jennings.
MacPherson on the other hand was allowed to roam, applying pressure to the defense of The Miami whenever they had the ball. He found himself higher up than Woobens Pacius at times. This is less likely, as his defensive instincts will be best utilized in putting Molloy on his back foot at all times. A man-marking system may not be exactly the answer; but, probably something close.
Meanwhile, Charleston have given up four goals in their three games so far, only keeping a clean sheet against Rhode Island. While it’s still early, the Rowdies should look at this game as an opportunity to continue to refine their press when out of possession and to fine tune their buildup when they have the ball. If good chances are set up, there’s every reason to believe Tampa Bay can put them in.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 1-1 D
James: 2-1 L
Yurika: 2-1 L
