Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Champions in 2003, the Battery have not seen the best of times over the past four campaigns with their lone playoff appearance coming two years ago when they reached the semifinals. The 2008 season will be coach Mike Anhaeuser’s fourth as head coach after serving the previous six as an assistant under Alan Dicks and Chris Ramsey.

Following their playoff campaign the year before, the 2007 run was a rather disappointing one as the team posted an 8-14-6 season with only one two-game win streak. A slow start of 4-3-3 gave way to a run of 0-4-2 that left the side chasing the playoffs the rest of the year. A 0-5-1 mark at the close of the season sealed their postseason fate.

It was not total disappointment last year, however, as the Battery did show well yet again in the US Open Cup, reaching the Quarterfinals for the third time in team history (1999, 2004). After knocking off Premier Development League sides Central Florida and El Paso, the Battery surprised defending and eventual 2007 MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the Third Round. In the Quarterfinals, FC Dallas needed overtime to dispatch Charleston 2-1 and prevent their third appearance in the tournament Semifinals. Stephen Armstrong, who tallied the winner against Houston, opened the scoring in the 17th minute against Dallas only to see Clarence Goodson level the score five minutes later. Five minutes into extra time Arturo Alvarez broke the stalemate for the Hoops.

The 2008 Season

In an offseason in which most teams made some significant moves to bolster their squad, the Battery may be one of the most changed squads compared to last season. With the side having finished tied for fifth in scoring last year, the focus turned to defense with the Battery bringing former player John Wilson back into the mix from DC United as well as Canadian international Marco Reda (Toronto FC).

Among other changes was the addition of Minnesota’s Darren Spicer to the midfield along with former Cuban National Team midfielder Osvaldo Alonso. Up top, Alonso is joined by his fellow 2007 Gold Cup defecting teammate Lester More, the all-time leading scorer for Cuba, and former Carolina Dynamo Randi Patterson (New York Red Bulls), who finished third in PDL scoring in 2006 for All-Conference honors.

Veterans joining Armstrong, the second leading scorer on the team last year, in returning to the squad include Lazo ALavanja, Ian Fuller and the venerable Dusty Hudock, who enters his 13th season in the USL First Division and ninth with the Battery.

The First Five

The Battery open the 2008 campaign on the road April 12 against Miami, who will be undergoing a bit of transition after a ninth place finish last year with former Brazilian World Cup champion Zinho as its new head coach. They then return to Charleston to play host to the defending regular season Commissioner’s Cup and USL First Division champion Seattle Sounders a week later. They will visit local rival Carolina (8th last year) on the 26th before facing another new-look squad at home as the Rhinos (5th) come to Blackbaud Stadium with a new head coach Darren Tilley. They wrap up their first five games at home against Miami May 9.