June 28, 2018 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Charleston Battery game preview (from charlestonbattery.com.com)
Match Preview: Charleston Battery vs. Toronto FC II By Sarah Cardamone, 06/28/18, 4:00PM EDT The Charleston Battery (5-3-7) travels to Canada for the first time this season to take on Toronto FC II (0-12-3) Sunday night at BMO Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM. The Battery will be looking for their first win in six league games against last place Toronto Sunday night. Charleston have lost just once during the winless streak that extends back to their 2-1 win over Bethlehem Steel FC on May 12. The Battery earned their fifth draw in six matches last Saturday at home against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Bob Lilley’s Hounds sat back the majority of the game and let Charleston have possession. The Battery struggled to break down Pittsburgh’s defensive shape in the attacking third all night and only managed one shot on target. Gordon Wild came closest to scoring from a free kick in the 52nd minute. Wild drew a foul in a dangerous location and struck the ensuing free kick on frame. Goalkeeper Dan Lynd got a hand on the strike, tipping it onto the crossbar and denying Wild his fourth USL goal of the season. Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky earned his fifth and the team’s sixth shutout in the 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh. Skylar Thomas was named to the USL Team of the Week for his efforts to help earn the clean sheet. The Battery will be hoping to get back to their winning ways against a Toronto side that haven’t won a game all season. TFC II lost 11 of their first 13 matches this season, but earned a positive result in their last time out. Toronto came back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-3 draw with league-leading FC Cincinnati in a midweek match at Lamport Stadium in Canada Wednesday night. Robert Boscovic, Ayo Akinola, and Jordan Hamilton scored in the draw. Akinola’s goal was his team-leading fourth in nine appearances. The Battery and Toronto have met six times over the course of three seasons, with Charleston holding a 4-2-0 advantage in the series. The Battery dropped 1-0 results in Toronto in both the 2017 and 2015 seasons. Saturday’s match is the Battery’s eighth on the road this season and presents them with the opportunity to earn their second win away from home. The Battery will remain on the road following the match in Toronto. They’ll head to Raleigh to take on North Carolina FC on Saturday, July 7 before returning home to play Indy Eleven on Wednesday, July 11.
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