The Charleston Battery (8–3–8) ride a six-game unbeaten streak to Pittsburgh where they’ll face the Riverhounds (9–1–7) Saturday in the last match between the two teams this season.

Both teams have surpassed the critics’ predictions this season as the Battery sit in third place, just two points behind the second-place Riverhounds.

Nominated for USL mid-season coach of the year, Bob Lilley has turned around the Riverhounds, and the fans in Pittsburgh seem to love Lilleyball. Like the Battery, Pittsburgh has proven to be a formidable foe at home, losing just one match at Highmark Stadium this season.

Saturday night’s match is also an Old Guard Shield match. The Regiment are the current custodians of the OGS but Richmond, which beat both the Battery and Penn FC earlier this year, currently sit atop the standings.

The Old Guard Shield is an independently run shield by The Regiment (Charleston Battery), the River City Red Army (Richmond Kickers), the Flower City Stampede (Rochester Rhinos), the Steel Army (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) and the Capital City Crew (Penn FC). The OGS is for teams that have been in the USL at least 10 years. You can read more about the OGS by following it on Twitter.

The Old Guard Shield at home in Charleston. (Photo Credit: Mike Buytas)

Coach Mike Anhaeuser said he learned a lot from the scoreless draw earlier this season:

“They’re tough to break down. They defend with 11, but they’re dangerous on the counter attack. They would leave two up and catch us two-v-two, so we need to be ready for the counter. They’re playing on their turf that they train on every week, so they’re going to be more comfortable on the ball than they were at our place. “We need to be ready for the counter, we need to be ready to defend, but I think we need to turn them and put pressure on them as well.”

Battery players to watch

Ataulla “The Slayer” Guerra: The King of Charleston and USL Golden Boot leader is on fire. The sauce boss is going to be critical in getting past the Riverhounds defense so he can do what he does better than anyone in the USL this season: SCORE.

Neveal Hackshaw: The dynamic duo of Hackshaw and Curtis scored their first USL goal this past Saturday night, and with their defensive performance also made their first USL Team of the Week starting XI. Hackshaw will be key to force the Riverhounds to open up and exploit the gaps he can create and get the ball forward to trio of Guerra, Gordon Wild and Kotaro Higashi to get the Battery points on the board.

Predicted Battery starting XI

Kuzminsky (GK), Hacksaw, Mueller [C], Archer, Woodbine, Anunga, Candela, Bolt, Wild, Guerra, Higashi.

Available subs: Cooper (GK), Kelly, Rittmeyer, Arambula, Mansaray, Okonkwo, Svantesson*

Battery players not available

Injuries : Jarad van Schaik — (out), Skylar Thomas — (out), Ian Svantesson — (questionable)

: — (out), — (out), — (questionable) Suspensions : None

: None International duty: None

Riverhounds key players

Neco Brett: The Jamaican midfielder has eight goals on the season and is the main threat up front. He and Jamaican forward Romeo Parkes will drive hard into the attacking third.

The Jamaican midfielder has eight goals on the season and is the main threat up front. He and Jamaican forward Romeo Parkes will drive hard into the attacking third. Daniel Lynd: The Riverhounds’ keeper has 10 clean sheets and has been solid in the net for the Riverhouds.

Recent form

Charleston: D | W | D | W | W

Pittsburgh: W | D | W | W | W

Past meetings (results are for Charleston)

The Battery are 12–5–12 all-time against the Riverhounds, 7–3–6 at home and 5–2–6 away since their first meeting June 9, 2000.

2018 (USL)

0–0 (Draw at home)

2017 (USL)

1–2 (Loss at home)

2–2 (Draw at PGH)

The DrewOnTarget Prediction

The Battery have been playing consistently over the past three weeks including the back-to-back wins against Indy Eleven and Louisville City. Saturday, the Black and Yellow will make it three in a row. The old adage that nothing worth having comes easy will be true in Pittsburgh as the Battery will need to watch for counters, exploit and create gaps and capitalize.

Final score: 1–0 Battery

Game details

What: Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Charleston Battery

Where: Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

When: Saturday, July 21, 7 p.m.

Broadcast: MyTV Charleston

Stream: with ESPN+.

USL Match Center

Referee: Eric Tattersall

ARs: Gregory Irwin, Ryan Trombetta

Fourth: Kerven Moon

Game Hashtag: #PGHvCHS #OGS

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!