Charleston was blessed to have a USL superstar in Super Romario Williams in 2016 and 2017. The Jamaican forward made 49 appearances in a Battery uniform, scoring 25 goals during his time in the Holy City and giving them one of the most threatening attacks in the league.

Williams is now playing for Atlanta United FC. He’s not the only one no longer wearing the Black and Yellow.

Heviel Cordoves, who went on a scoring spree towards the end of last season in Williams’ absence, now plays for the Richmond Kickers. Maikel Chang and Justin Portillo, cornerstones of the midfield, switched conferences and are now playing in the Western Conference for the Real Monarchs. Fan-favorite Forrest Lasso moved to MLS wannabe FC Cincinnati (but remains a fan favorite).

So who on earth plays for Charleston in 2018?

At least the Battery were able to re-sign goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper, who made 24 starts and recorded 10 shutouts in 2017.

Coming back for 2018 are Ataulla Guerra and Kitaro Higashi, two midfielders who will no doubt play a massive role this season and will need to step up in a big way to fill some big holes.

And while it may seem impossible to replace the talent that was Romario Williams, the Battery made steps toward improving their attack by signing Ian Svantesson back in December.

Svantesson scored 11 goals in 2017 for the Tulsa Roughnecks and will look to provide for the Battery what he was able to provide for the Roughnecks last season.

Already proving his worth this preseason, Svantesson accounted for the only two goals that the Battery scored in this year’s Carolina Challenge Cup.

Will he be enough?

The Battery open their 2018 campaign at home on March 17 with a matchup against FC Cincinnati, the USL side that made a magical run to the Open Cup Semifinals… and the one that stole Forrest Lasso. The Battery will follow up their home opener with another home matchup against Penn FC (formerly known as the Harrisburg City Islanders).

After that, the Battery go on a four-game road trip taking on Red Bulls II, Bethlehem Steel, Penn FC and Atlanta United FC 2.

The Battery will have to be consistent this season, especially towards the end of the year. Last season, they started off strong, leading the East for the early months, but then struggled through the summer. Their quick exit in the first round of the playoffs was very disappointing after having an early season so full of hope.

Here’s hoping the new guys can pull it together and we see more of the early-2017 Battery than the mid-season 2017 Battery in 2018. March 17th can’t get here soon enough!

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