Charleston, SC - The Charleston Battery resume A-League regular season action on Friday night at Blackbaud Stadium with the visit of Atlantic Division powerhouse Richmond Kickers. The Battery is 2-0 with two big season opening victories over arch-rival Atlanta. The Kickers are 1-1, dropping the season opener 2-0 in Hampton Roads and defeating the Connecticut Wolves 2-1 last week in their home opener. Coming off a week long break from A-League competition and the exhibition spectacular against the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer, the Battery are looking to reload with the expected availability of three key players that where missing for Monday nights game. 1999 Offensive MVP Paul Conway, 1998 MVP Todd Miller and newcomer Ivan Polic are all expected to be in the squad for Friday.
The third all-time leading goal scorer in Battery history with 21 goals in two seasons, Conway is nursing a hip injury suffered in training last Sunday. He led the Battery to the brink of the US Open Cup Final in 1999 with a two-goal performance against the Staten Island Vipers in the quarter finals on August 18 and scored a clutch late winner in Richmond three days later in a hard fought 2-1 road win at U of R Stadium. Conway finished 1999 as one of the hottest sharp shooters in the A-League, scoring 13 goals in the second half of the season, and the Battery are eager for him to get back on track. His presence on the field can be the difference for Charleston on Friday, but his fitness is likely to be a game day decision. Versatile and consistent midfielder Todd Miller missed the home opener after playing in Atlanta the week before with a calf strain. He came through training this morning and is looking probable for the game Friday. Miller logged 33 games for the Battery in 1999 scoring six goals, and can be effectively utilized in a number of positions-a trait that could be useful with the departure of defenders Brent Sancho and Gilbert Jean-Baptiste to World Cup duty. He currently ranks ninth in team history for both points (26) and games played (71). Newcomer Ivan Polic is expected to strengthen the Battery midfield and is likely to see his first action for the Battery on Friday night if his international clearance is obtained in time from Yugoslavia. He has played the last two and a half seasons as a regular for Yugoslavian first division club Radnicki.
Starting Battery goalkeeper Dusty Hudoclk currently leads the A-League with a 0.00 goals against average behind the strength of two shut outs in 184 minutes of play. He exited the exhibition game versus the Mutiny on Monday night in the 65th minute to make way for playing time for rookie back up Josh Campbell with a 1-0 lead. His scoreless start to the season now stands at 249 minutes, a trend that he will look to preserve at Blackbaud Stadium on Friday. Defender Kevin Scott will play against his former Kickers team mates for the first time this season in Battery colors. Scott had played four seasons for Richmond before signing with the Battery in the pre-season, including 51 games in the A-League over the last three seasons and the Richmond US Open Cup Championship team in 1995. First round 2000 A-League College Draft pick Brian Alvero will play against his twin brother Kevin (the Kickers first round selection) for the first time ever. The Alvero twins played youth soccer together since the age of nine growing up in the Tampa Bay area and for their entire college career. Alvero has steadily pushed his way into contention for a starting spot with the Battery since his arrival in Charleston at the start of the pre-season training camp and did an effective job containing the Mutiny midfield that featured soccer legend Carlos Valdarama on Monday night.
Richmond Kickers Team Preview: Richmond enter Charleston on the first leg in a tough two game southern road trip before traveling to Atlanta to face the Silverbacks on Saturday night. The Kickers are coming off a 2-1 home opening win over the Connecticut Wolves behind a goal and an assist from Canadian Olympic Team striker Dwayne DeRosario. He had missed the first game of the season for the Kickers (a 2-0 road loss at Hampton Roads) playing in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Hershey, PA along with Kickers team mate Steve Kindel. Canada failed to qualify for Sydney while the USA cruised to a birth in the Olympics later this summer behind a 4-0 thrashing of Quatemala in the semi final. Richmond are a perennial Atlantic Division powerhouse, winning the Atlantic Division Championship in 1998 and finishing second last season. With the firing of coach Colin Clarke (San Diego Flash) and loss of top forwards Onandi Lowe (Rochester Rhinos) and Gary Glasgow (Kansas City Wizards) who accounted for over half (29) of Richmond's 51 goals in 1999, the Kickers have been passed up A-League coaches in pre-season prediction polls as a playoff contender. A prediction which Battery GM Buckley Andrews says is totally misleading.
"They (Richmond) are basically the same team as they where the past two or three seasons. They are still one of the teams to beat in the A-League and have proved it every year."
Long time Kickers assistant coach Jesse Myers made reference to the A-League prediction poll saying that he would like his team to be able to play in camoflage all season.
"We like being in this position," said Myers. " We are looking to prove them (A-League coaches) all wrong."
The Kickers got out of the gates with a 14-2 start in 1999, including an eight game win streak from June 18 to July 17, but then lost their way losing 9 of the last 12 regular season games. The Kickers season ended with an early exit in the first round of the playoffs, prompting the departure of two-year head coach Colin Clarke, a former Irish National Team World Cup hero. His replacement is first year head man and long time Kickers favorite Leigh Cowlishaw, a member of the Richmond club since 1994. Cowlishaw states that his objective is to restore the confidence at Richmond that he claims was lacking at the end of the 1999 campaign. He is looking to build upon the confidence that his team gained in their first win of the 2000 season last weekend as he works to return the Kickers to the top spot in the division that is widely regarded as the most competitive in the League.
Kickers players to watch: Cowlishaw returns a solid defensive unit led by Veteran goalkeeper Mike McGinty and two-time A-League All Star defender Chris Fox. McGinty spent one season with Battery head coach Alan Dicks in 1996 with the Carolina Dynamo serving as back up to Scott Garlick (Tampa Bay Mutiny) before signing with the Kickers. Fox has a brother who plays at the College of Charleston. The return of former Richmond defender Scott Cannon from the Columbus Crew of MLS this Season should upgrade an already sound defense.
Richmond's midfield is led by former Battery midfielder Marco Ferruzzi and features
ex-Clemson Tiger Tony Williams and new arrivals Kevin Knight (NY/NJ Metrostars, MLS) and Steve Kindel (Canadian U-23 Olympic Team). All time leading Kickers goal scorer Rob Ukrop will be counted on to lead the revamped Richmond strike force with the help of Canadian Olympian Dwayne DeRosario. The Kickers expect to be without the services of the Etienne brothers (Derrick and Darrell) this weekend due to national team commitments with Haiti in the World Cup qualifying leg against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.
What: Charleston Battery Versus Richmond Kickers.
A-League Atlantic Division regular season soccer action.
Where: Blackbaud Stadium.
When: Friday May 5. 7:30pm.
Tickets are available in advance by calling the Battery hotline: 971-4625 or at Lloyds Sports, Mt.Pleasant. Gates open on Friday at 6:30pm.
Training Schedule: Battery - Thursday May 4. 6:00pm at Blackbaud Stadium. Kickers - Thursday May 4. 6:00pm at the Battery Training Ground, Daniel Island.
