This weekend, I had a fantastic chance to travel to Charleston, SC to see only my second ever professional soccer match in person. The Charleston Battery have been a team that has interested me for a couple of years now, mainly since I was exposed to them during their 2008 US Open Cup run where they made it to the championship match before losing to DC United. The Battery have been one of the more successful minor league soccer teams in the United States over the past few decades, winning three major league championships and five regular season titles. So clearly, getting a chance to watch them in person was definitely a treat for me.
Some friends and I made the 8 hour drive down to Charleston on Friday night. One of my friends, Steve, is from Charleston, so we were able to bunk with his family for the weekend. We arrived at the stadium a little more than an hour before the match. There was barely anyone in the stands, so we were able to walk around almost freely. A few players were warming up, and we got to meet the starting keeper for the Battery, Keith Wiggins, before the match and shake his hand. Steve was able to get free tickets to the match and was able to hook us up with free access into the Three Lions Pub. Inside the pub, people were watching the San Jose/Los Angeles match, and we found one of the largest collections of soccer memorabilia in the world including signed jerseys, soccer balls dating back to the 1950s, historic scarves, posters from every World Cup, old NASL gear, and an original turnstile from Old Trafford. It was an absolutely incredible place to be, not to mention they had an All You Can Eat Food spread before the match, and the beer was all imported from Europe. As I walked through the pub taking many pictures and looking around, I couldn’t help but feel thrilled that I was in a place full of people that loved and cared about soccer (something that I’ve never really experienced before).
Three Lions Pub
After visiting the pub, I went straight to the team shop to grab some Battery gear. I was looking to get a hat and jersey but could not find the type of hat I wanted, so I settled for a jersey. The shop was pretty small itself but was filled with yellow and black souvenirs and items that were actually priced pretty well. The jersey I bought was only $55.00 which is quite nice compared to soccer jerseys from other leagues. By the time I bought my jersey and made it to my seat, the match was almost underway. Charleston was playing against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
It’s always funny how time seems to fly by when you are at a match. I felt like the first half flew by. Both teams came out flat and didn’t seem very calm, but as the match progressed, they settled down and played alright. Pittsburg got their first goal early when a shot from outside the box by Jason Yesiley hit the sidebar which caused Battery keeper Keith Wiggins to dive to his left leaving the goal open. Unfortunately for Charleston, Pittsburgh midfielder Matt Tuttle collected the rebound and put in calmly into the goal. Just six minutes into the match, Charleston was already playing from behind. The rest of the half saw some close chances for both sides, but at halftime, the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Riverhounds. In the second half, Pittsburgh broke through for another one in the 67th minute when Shintaro Harada’s shot from outside the box curved into the left side of Wiggins’ goal to give the Riverhounds a 2-0 lead. Charleston was unable to answer back, and the 2-0 score stood. Even though the Battery lost, I still had the time of my life at Blackbaud. Almost 4,000 fans came to the match which made the atmosphere great. It was a family friendly environment without the bother of any unruly fans or ugly comments. We were sitting with a few Pittsburgh fans (who turned out to be the Riverhounds keeper Hunter Gilstrap’s family), and they made the experience even better by telling us about the team and exchanging in some friendly trash talking.
The Charleston Battery fans – about 4,000 of them
After the match, I attempted to get some free pizza but was unable to. So instead, I joined a small crowd of loyal fans and shook the players hands as they came from the field and went to the locker room, and I saw a few kids getting autographs from their favorite players. It was really cool that the players were willing to sign shirts and shake hands even after they lost. I was able to shake hands and take a picture with Stephen Armstrong, one of Charleston’s best players, and talk with him for a few minutes. It’s pretty neat to be able to do that, considering that in many places around the world, you cannot get that same opportunity.
After most of the fans had left, we stood around talking with new friends we had made. My other friend, Jared, is from Pittsburgh and wanted to get some information on some home matches. He was able to talk to Hunter Gilstrap about the possibility, and hopefully he’ll get to see another match soon. As for me, I had a great time and I encourage everyone to make it out to Charleston for a weekend. Not only is it a very great and historic city, but the soccer team and the fans there are legit. In the future, I’m going to try to make it a small tradition to travel down there, do some sightseeing, and watch a soccer match.
Images courtesy of Aaron McCollum
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