San Diego Loyal SC match preview vs. Charleston Battery
Credit: Nicole Noel/ EVT Sports
San Diego Loyal SC vs. Charleston Battery
Saturday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
Torero Stadium – University of San Diego
TV: ESPN+
San Diego will host the Charleston Battery in first ever meeting
The 2022 season is going successfully for the Loyal so far. Manager Landon Donovan’s squad is (4-1) on the season with 12 points and a +4 goal difference. Their success currently seeds them behind Colorado Springs for the top spot in the Western Conference. Colorado Springs has a +5 goal difference, in one less game, to earn first place.
Charleston is in the Eastern Conference where they are positioned 10th with a (1-3) record and -4 goal difference. This is a favorable matchup for the Loyal as they try and continue their hot run at Torero.
This will be the first trip to the West Coast for the Battery, so the Loyal should have a slight advantage playing at home.
The Loyal will be facing a familiar foe as Augustine Williams signed with the Battery during the offseason. Williams was a great addition to the Loyal late last season as he helped them make a run for the playoffs. So far this season, Williams has two goals in four matches. Look for the Loyal defenders to keep a major eye on him tomorrow night (if he plays).
Last Time Out
San Diego didn’t need to travel far for the U.S. Open Cup second-round matchup against Albion San Diego. They won the match 2-1, after scoring a late goal to advance them to the third round.
Could get used to this @opencup business. #USOC2022 pic.twitter.com/2bqoLU0ckV
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) April 7, 2022
The Loyal will now face MLS’s LA Galaxy for the first MLS matchup that counts for San Diego.
I’m sure Donovan is looking forward to that matchup. He will have a chance to knock off his old squad which would really be something.
“After we saw that we wouldn’t be going to Tucson, everyone was excited to have a chance to go play an MLS club,” Donovan said of facing the team where he won the 2005 MLS Cup and spent most of his playing career. “For me personally, with my history, I was excited for the opportunity for our guys to go play one of the best teams in MLS, my former team. So, it should be a great night. It’s a great opportunity. We’ve never had a chance to play an MLS team in a real game and now we have that opportunity. Our guys will be really excited and ready for it.”
Despite the win over Albion, the team didn’t play as well as they could have. A majority of the starters didn’t play but nonetheless, the Loyal and more experience and it should have played out smoother. A win is a win, however, as they are now focused on taking down Charleston.
San Diego Loyal vs. Charleston Battery
This is the first time these two will be meeting. Because of the way the USL Championship was set up the last few seasons, these teams never had the chance to face off. San Diego will make some trips out to the East Coast, but it will not be against the Battery. This will be the only meeting between these clubs this season.
San Diego will travel to Tampa Bay and to New York this season.
Someone to keep an eye on Saturday night is Alejandro Guido. The former Team of the Week midfielder has been a part of two game-winning goals in the last three matches. He won the game against the Phoenix Rising with a drilling shot a few weeks back, and then set up Taylor Crull Wednesday night with a cross that resulted in a header for a goal.
The San Diego native is starting to take over here in his home town and that is exactly what the supporters and The Locals want. He even led the “We Are” chant after the win against Albion.
One of the most fired up we had ever seen @aeguido as he led @SanDiegoLoyal for an emphatic “We Are” chant pic.twitter.com/qbHyCzpn2X
— 2 Balls and a Mic (@2BallsandaMic) April 7, 2022
The Loyal are playing well and are playing much better than the start of last season, where they lost their first four matches. If they can keep up this momentum, we could see them make a run and create a large lead in the conference.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.