It has been over nine years since the Charleston Battery (6–3–7) headed north to Cary to take on the team formerly known as the Carolina Railhawks, now known as North Carolina FC (5–8–3). And that May 9, 2009 match ended in a 2–1 win for the Battery.

A lot has changed since NCFC left the USL in 2010 for the not-so-greener pastures of the now-defunct NASL in 2010. They sold their Carolina Railhawks history on Craigslist and eBay (literally) in 2011 and re-branded as North Carolina FC for last season’s campaign.

After making the USL quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009, the Railhawks won the NASL regular season in 2010, while the Battery won the USL championship in 2010 and again in 2012. The Railhawks then failed to qualify for the playoffs for five straight seasons from 2012–2016. While the rebranded NCFC did make the semifinals in the NASL’s final season in 2017, they lost in the semifinal round.

This past offseason, NCFC transitioned backed to the USL, losing five of their players to other USL clubs in the process. Two of their key strikers headed to WKRP FC in Cincinnati. North Carolina FC acquired 12 new players from the NASL and MLS, including former Battery goalkeeper Alex Tambakis, who has conceded 23 goals in 16 starts.

Now at the start of the second half of the season, NCFC sits in the bottom quarter of the table. After beating Richmond 3–1 on the road last Saturday, NCFC was shutout by Bob Lilley and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2–0 Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

With nearly a full week to recover from their 4–0 Canada Day shutout against Toronto FC II, the Battery will be anxious to pick up where they left off with the Railhawks franchise: a 2–1 win to knock NCFC out of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Charleston.

Battery players to watch

O’Brian Woodbine: After playing a part in three of the four goals the Battery scored in Toronto, OB earned his fourth USL Team of the Week spot in his career with the Battery. Having scored two goals and with two assists in just four games, OB provides coach Mike Anhaeuser with another option to infuse goal scoring in the Battery attack.

Kotaro Higashi: Higashi has scored two goals in the last three matches. He’s a huge threat up front, connecting with both Ataulla “The Slayer” Guerra against Charlotte and OB last week in Toronto. Higashi has added goal scorer to his already impressive playmaker resume.

Predicted Battery starting XI

Kuzminsky (GK), Hacksaw, Mueller (Captain), Thomas, Woodbine, Anunga, Kelly, van Schaik, Wild, Guerra, Higashi.

Available subs: Cooper (GK), Bolt, Rittmeyer, Arambula, Mansaray, Archer, Okonkwo, Candela*, Svantesson*

Battery players not available*

Injuries : Vincenzo Candela — (OUT), Ian Svantesson — (OUT)

: — (OUT), — (OUT) Suspensions : None

: None International duty: None

NCFC key players

Daniel Rios: The forward has scored eight goals this season and is a definite threat up front, but he did not score against Richmond and was not part of the starting XI this past Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

Austin da Luz: The 30-year-old midfielder scored a brace in Richmond last weekend and his performance earned him a spot on the USL Team of Week along with Woodbine. The Battery back line will need to be on the lookout for da Luz and Rios in order to secure three points.

Recent form

Charleston: D | L | D | D | W

NCFC: W | L | D | W | L

Past meetings (results are for Charleston)

NCFC lead the all-time series 7–3–0 (home: 5–1–0; away: 2–2–0), however that was nine years ago and the only thing remaining from that era is the Southern Derby Cup, Coach Mike Anhaeuser and two more USL Championships… all of which belong to the Battery.

The DrewOnTarget Prediction

When they were the Railhawks, they had success in the USL, winning the Southern Derby Cup two years in a row while sharing the title with the Battery in 2009 before leaving for the NASL. Upon returning to the USL, NCFC is in the bottom quarter of the table. Their back line is questionable, and Tambakis has recorded only four clean sheets in 16 starts. In contrast, GI Joe Kuzminsky has six clean sheets in 11 starts.

As mentioned in the Battery midseason review earlier this week, Charleston needs to continue to reduce fouls conceded in the defending third. But if they can do that, NCFC should not be able to counter against the Battery, and this could be an easy win.

Final score: 2–0 Battery

Game details

What: North Carolina FC vs. Charleston Battery

Where: Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.

When: Saturday July 7, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

Broadcast: MyTV Charleston

Stream: ESPN+

USL Match Center

Referee: Javier Santos Escobar

ARs: Jordan Davis, Brian Marshall

Fourth: Joshua Escobar

Game Hashtag: #NCvCHS #cb93

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check back after the games for our recaps, read all our Battery coverage here, and, as always, follow Soccer ’n’ Sweet Tea on Twitter for all the latest Carolina soccer news.

Up the Battery!