Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Battery to play Puerto Rico Islanders April 5

The Battery announced that they will play a final preseason match against NASL's Puerto Rico Islanders. 

The match will pit the the Divison 3 champions, the Battery, against the Division 2 champion Islanders.

The Islanders moved to the NASL last season but prior to that, the rivalry goes back to 2004, their inaugural season in USL1. On top of their US Soccer Federation Division 1 Champions in 2010, the Islanders have made deep runs in the CONCACAF Champions League. 

The Puerto Rician side should be a strong test for the Battery days before the season opener against the Charlotte Eagles April 9th.

The match against the Islanders will be Tuesday April 5 at 5:30pm.  There is no charge for admission and limited concession stands will be open. The Three Lion's Pub will also be open with full menu begining at 5pm

Battery defeat Coastal Carolina 5-0

In a closed scrimmage at Blackbaud Stadium, the Charleston Battery seemed to find their offensive firepower with five goals from five different players.

Stephen Armstrong, Seedy Bah, Dane Kelly, Levi Coleman and Colin Falvey all scored for the Battery.  We don't have much more than the score but it is always a good thing when strikers score, even in a preseason match.

It helps build their confidence for the upcoming season and hopefully they will continue to put the ball in the net.

We are hearing rumors from a couple places that there may be another preseason match next week.  We'll let the Battery announce the opponent and details but it should be a lot of fun against an opponent the Battery has played before.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Battery add Mack and Caskey

The Charleston Battery announced the addition of JC Mack and Alex Caskey to the 2011 roster.

Both Mack and Caskey have been regular features in the Battery line-up during preseason matches.  Mack recently scored a goal against the College of Charleston.  He is a fast forward with a feisty never-say-die attitude.

Caskey came to the Battery after being released by the Seattle Sounders.  He was a third round Draft pick by the Sounders out of Davidson College in North Carolina. 

Here is an article on Caskey on his trial with Seattle

Mack will provide options up top and hopefully can continue find the net throughout the season.  Caskey will join a very experienced midfield that includes Stephen Armstrong, Kevin Jackson, Nicki Paterson, New Zealand international Cole Peverley and Jamaican iinternational Evan Taylor amongst others.

Read the Battery press Release

For those keeping track that brings the official roster up to 21.  At this point I think we have to assume that Gueye isnt returning, which would put the roster at 20.  I still feel that we will see another announcement or two before the season opener on April 9.  My top choices being Sean Flatley, Mark Wiltse and Nico Rittmeyer.

Monday, March 28, 2011

2011 Preview podcast

Listen to Feuerstein's Fire online tonight as Mikey Buytas, president of the Regiment, joins a panel to discuss the Charleston Battery and the 2011 USL-Pro season.

Also joining in will be Tom Grady of the Wilmington Star News, Brian Keyser, Wilmington Hammerhead's play-by-play announcer and Adam Soucie, head communications officer for Orlando City FC.

Podcast begins at 8:00 pm Monday, March 28 with the preview session to start about 8:45pm.

Here's the Link ---> Feuerstein's Fire

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Remaining Roster Spots

With just more than two weeks until the kick off of the 2011 USL Pro season, the Charleston Battery currently have 19 players listed on their roster.   There is doubt about one player, midfielder Alioune Gueye returning to the Battery this season as he is trying to latch onto a club closer to his home in Africa which would put the roster at 18 if he doesn't return.

Earlier in the season, Coach Anhaueser spoke to the Regiment, the Battery supporter group, at their monthly meeting and said they were looking to have a roster of around 21 or 22 players.  So there is theoretically three or four more players to sign. 

So who will they be?

Gone from camp are Luke Mullholland, Jerry Saintil, Jose Cuevas and a few others that have moved on better offers or definate starting positions.

Still left and unsigned are Mark Wiltse, JC Mack, Alex Caskey, and the trio from the College of Charleston; Sean Bateau, Kareem Yearwood and Sean Flatley.  Also in camp is Diego Walsh, who we now understand is just training with the team until May, when he will fly to Asia to take part in multiple trials there.  Finally there is the young kid Nico Rittmeyer from Savannah.  We are unsure if he is solely training with the team or if he is competing for a spot. 

Both Yearwood and Bateau are nursing some injuries and neither has gotten much playing time in the recent preseason matches. 

Sean Flatley has been seeing alot of time on the pitch and he looks like a good solid central defender.  Wiltse has also been seeing alot of time as a right back.  There are currently six defenders on the roster; Falvey, Marples, Wilson, Zaher and with recent signing of Dugoni.  Flatley could be good cover in the center and Wiltse good cover on the outside.

Midfielder Alex Caskey played a good match against the College of Charleston earlier in the week and has to be being looked at.  Midfield will be a tough position to break the starting line up in.  Armstong, Jackson, Gruenwald, Prince (who is listed as a mid and forward) along with new boys, Evan Taylor Nicki Paterson and Cole Peverley will make it difficult. 

JC Mack has done well through the preseason, in fact, one website is already anouncing that he has signed.  His speed and tenacity will be welcome to the team while the Battery looks for a tandem to take over for Tommy Heinemann and Lamar Neagle, both who have moved on to MLS.

We think that the four players with the best shot are Wiltse, Flatley, Caskey and Mack.  Bateau and Yearwood could still be included as they are more or less local players and likely wouldn't have big salaries.

The big unknown is Nico Rittmeyer.  The kid is fast, reads the game well, crosses well and knows how to put the ball on target.  If research is correct, he is only a junior in high school and 17 years old. Is he looking to go professional and possibly bypass the college route?  Hopefully we find out some more info on him but regardless, he is one to watch.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Battery announce Armstrong as Player/Assistant

Its official now, Stephen Armstrong will be a player/assistant coach for the Battery in 2011.

There seemed little doubt that Stephen was returning this year, he has been helping with Battery camps throughout the winter, was involved in the player trials and was a major contributor to the team during the Carolina Challenge Cup and other preseason matches.  Today's announcement makes it official on his role as an assistant coach.

He has become a fan favorite since joining the Battery in 2006.  According to the Battery Press Release he has played 113 games (sixth all-time), scored 24 goals (fifth all-time) and added 11 assists (fifth all-time).  What he brings with his experience both on and off the field can only help a young squad. 

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Three new signings



The Charleston Battery announced that they have signed goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra, defender Graham Dugoni and forward Seedy Bah.

Andrew Dykstra


Dykstra played the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Chicago Fire and appeared 17 time for the MLS club.  He also was a member of the Richmond Kickers Future squad, with 45 appearances between 2004 and 2008.


Dugoni was a member of the Portland Timbers U-23 2010 PDL championship side.  He also played in Norway with Mjondalen.  The 6'2" defender was a four years starter at Duke University as well.


Graham Dugoni

Seedy Bah was on trial with Seattle until the middle of Febuary.   A quick and fiesty looking forward should give most backlines some troubles.  Only 18 years-old he has represented his home Gambia at the U-17 level


Battery Coach Anhaeuser commented, "Seedy is a young and talented forward from Gambia; he will bring a lot of energy and scoring prowess to a youthful front line that we have assembled this season."
Seedy Bah

With today's announcement, there are currently 19 players on the Battery roster, although there still remain some doubt if midfielder Alioune Gueye will return for the 2011 campaign.  It is rumored that he is wanting to play closer to his home in Africa and is in talks with a team in Angola.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Beautiful Day at the Baud

Around 300 people were on hand to see the Charleston Battery defeat the College of Charleston Cougars 2 - 0 at Blackbaud stadium on a fine Tuesday afternoon.  Goals from Stephen Armstrong and JC Mack in the second half gave the Battery the win.  Charleston controlled most the game and squandered three or four good scoring opportunities.  On the defensive side, the Cougars didn't register a decent shot on goal.
You can find the Charleston Battery recap at this link

There were liberal substitutions for both squads but more interesting to me were the absences of some of the trialist and the addition of a couple new faces.

Seemingly gone from the Battery camp are goalkeeper Pat Hannigan, midfielder Luke Mulholland (who is rumored to be going up to Wilmington), Jose Cuevas, Jerry Saintel, and Brazillian defender Guilherme Reis. 

At this stage, its about building the "team,"  If you look at those players positions, they were defender and midfielders, something the Battery seems to have plenty of currently with the veterans from last season filling the back line and midfield.

There were two new faces as well.  The first, 17 year-old Nico Rittmeyer, who saw some time against Chicago in the Carolina Challenge Cup.  Out on the right wing, Rittmeyer didn't look out of place on the field at all.  In fact he made several great crosses, and was a terror to the CofC back line from the time he came on in the second half.  He is very young and from what we can find, he goes to Savannah County Day High School and is set to graduate in 2012.  He played for Bridge FA and is a member of the US Developmental Academy.

The second new face is Diego Walsh.  Walsh has an impressive resume of teams: MLS's Crew and KC, Miami FC, Adelaide United of the Australian A-league and most recently with Wellington Phoenix

Check out his wiki page as well.  The photos in the wiki article don't look much like him now but this sure looks like the guy that was out their today.

Zaher and Kelly both were wearing ice packs today (Zaher on his ankle and Kelly his thigh) but both were kicking the ball around an moving fine at the half.

Heading into the last two weeks of preseason, the Battery will now be working on conditioning on finishing.   The defense will only strengthen as Falvey gets back into the mix.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Catching Up...Amaury Nunes

Former Battery forward Amaury Nunes litterally has traveled the world the last year or so.  The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native started 2010 on trial with Real Salt Lake but eventually signed to play for the Battery for the 2010 season.  He then moved on to play in Germany with Hessel Kassel in the fall.  Then he got a email from India.

"I got an email from the coach of Churchill Brothers (in India's premier division, the I-League), asking me if I would be interested to play in India."  said Nunes.  "At first, I told myself "nooooo waaaay". "

"After a few emails and phone calls, he told me about the city, the team, and the league."  Nunes continues, "I started to think about it. When we spoke about the salary, I had no more doubts that it would be a great opportunity for me."

So Nunes found himself moving to a third continent in less than a year and signed a short term contract with Churchill Brothers, located in the seaside city of Goa, a major tourist destination.

"Churchill Brothers is one of the best teams in the I-league."  Nunes explains. "The infrastructure of stadiums and trainings grounds facilities are still developing, as it is the entire country. Two cities in particular, are very passionate about soccer, which is number 2 sport in India right after Cricket."

"Goa and Kolkata are the cities where the best teams are located, the fans are more passionate about the game. I had the chance to play in Kolkata last week, and we had about 70 thousand people in the stadium, it was amazing to play for so many loud fans."

So how is it adapting to the play in India?

"The level here is comparible to USL-Pro or maybe even some top PDL teams, in general,"  Nunes says.  "The league is only allowed 3 international players per team, so the international players have a lot of pressure to do well at every game and make the difference."

But Nunes says its the living in general that takes some getting used to.

"Goa is quite calm, and comfortable, due to the high numbers of tourists, it is easy to find a restaurants where you can get any kind of food.   But for me, one of the biggest problems is when we go play in different cities. It can be really hard to find non-spicy food! I am not a big fan of spicy food. And the Indian food, even when they say that it is not spicy, it is!!!"  Nunes jokes.   The cultural differences from India, to Brazil or the US, is huge. Manners, hygiene, the traffic, music, religious, and etc. But it has been a very unique opportunity for me to be able to see many things and learn from it."

And despite the differences, Nunes is adapting well.  His new favorite food;  galric cheese naan and samousas. 

"I live on a beach resort, in south Goa, at Benaulim beach. I basically have a meal at the beach everyday, and the weather here right now is great!"  Nunes continues.  "We train a lot, almost twice a day everyday, but when we do have a time off, there is nothing better than walk to the beach relax and play some cricket with the locals."

Nunes contracts expires in May, so what is next for the world traveler?

He isnt sure but we are sure he will find a place.  "I've become a better player, stronger and more mature," says Nunes.  "What I can get from all the traveling that took place in my life and career over the past few years is that, we have to be willing to adjust to any situation, and embrace life as it comes."


Churchill Brothers currently sit in the second spot in the I-League.  To follow Churchill Brothers and Nunes, check this link, Soccer in India.

Monday, March 14, 2011

And now for the rest of the Preseason

The Carolina Challenge Cup wrapped up on Saturday night with DC United being crowned winners for a second year in a row.  Now maybe they can go forth and live up to the leagacy that they failed at last season and so many Carolina Challenge Cup winners before them have succeeded at, winning either the MLS Supporters Shield, MLS Cup or US Open Cup.  Until last year, the team that had won the CCC went on to win one of the three.

The Charleston Battery finished second in the tournament, the highest ever for the Battery.  Kudos to the team and the organization for putting together a highly entertaining tournament.  This year, more than 11,895 people attended the three days of matches and we learn the Battery will be a force defensively.

There were a few players that stood out to No Quarter during the cup. 

The two Jamaicans, Dane Kelly and Evan Taylor made an immediate impact.  Even more impressive is that one of them was lost at the Charleston International Airport on Saturday night and neither had much time to train with the team. 

Andrew Dykstra played well in goal and it is rumored he was offered a contract last week.  I feel he will give Keith Wiggins a run for the starting position.

Seedy Bah and JC Mack also look like good forwards with tons of speed but with the Battery playing pretty defensive and being reduced to 9 men for most the match against Chicago it was hard for them to reach their full potential.

I was impressed with the defensive effort of Sean Flatley from the College of Charleston and Brazilian Guiherme Reis.  I think the Luke Mullholland, Jerry Santil and Jose Cuevas did a fine job as well.

So now that the CCC is over for 2011, we move to the rest of preseason.  First up is Clemson University.  The Battery will host them at Blackbaud stadium on Wednesday, March 16 at  5pm.

Next up the Battery will travel to Cary, North Carolina on Saturday March, 19 to take on NASL's Carolina Railhawks at 4pm . 

College of Charleston will host the Battery at Patriots Point on Wednesday, March 23.  Kick off time is still to be announced.

Finally the Battery are scheduled to play old rival the Atlanta Silverback at Blackbaud  Stadium on March 26, kick time to be announced.    It will be interseting to see how the Silverback are this year as they have been dorment for two season and news out of their camp has been slim.

As the preseason matches go on, I imagine the Battery roster will reduce from the size of the one that was at the Carolina Challenge Cup.  It should see Colin Falvey, Nikki Patterson and Cole Peverley join the team and would not be surprised to see a couple players that were on the MLS fringe.

Until April, there will still be some good (and free!) matches to check out.  Up the Battery!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Charleston Defeat Toronto

The Charleston Battery came from behind to win their second match of the Carolina Challenge Cup 2 -1 over MLS side, Toronto FC.

Again, you can check out the recap of the match in the local paper Here and the official Battery press release Here.

The rain nearly emptied the stands for the second half of the Battery match but the paper reported attendance at 3,100.  Not bad considering its mid week and that it is the same four teams playing each night of the Cup, but the atmosphere just wasn't the same as Saturday night.  Rain, midweek, just got off work, pick an excuse.

Dane Kelly scores for the Battery
 On the pitch, the highlight of the Battery night had to be Dane Kelly, a recent acquisition by the Battery and who proved to be very fast and dangerous.  He scored the Battery's first goal and was awarded the penalty after he was taken down when he got in behind Toronto defender Yourassowski (honestly that is his name).

Mike Zaher took the penalty which Toronto keeper Stephen Frei blocked.  Unfortunately for the keeper, it came right back to Zaher who chipped it over the prone keeper.

Overall, the Battery seemed to play a much better match Wednesday night than the previous Saturday.  Battery maintain good periods of possession and created a few dangerous chances while the defense was solid all night.

Also it looks like George Davis IV has left the Battery camp for a sure thing in Dayton.   Not surprisingly since he spent the 2010 with the Dayton Dutch Lion while they were PDL and calls Ohio his home.   Davis is a fast winger type that I wouldn't have mind seeing play for the Battery this season.  I imagine fans will see his name from time to time in press release from around the league.

No Quarter wants to give kudos the guys from the Nest, Charlotte Eagles new supporter group for coming down and enjoying the wet evening, even though they were taunting us with there "Spongebob Squarepants" song.  Good job guys and look forward to meeting you for the Southern Derby Cup this season!

Also props go out to the Toronto FC guys.  Shirts off at 2-1 in the cold rain!  Those crazy Canadians! 

The Charleston Battery can still win the tournament with a win over Chicago and a DC loss by more than 2 goals on Saturday night.  Come on out and support your local team.  Up the Battery!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Video of the DC v. Charleston match

Found an archive of the Battery's opening match of the Carolina Challenge Cup against DC United.  Good to hear Andrew Bell announcing the match.


D.C. United vs Charleston Battery from D.C. United on Vimeo.


The goals are at the 5:25 (DC), 15:05 (Battery) and the questionable goal at the 1:28:45 (DC) mark.   Do you think it was offside?

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Trialist

We were introduced to the players the Charleston Battery have on trial at the "Meet and Greet" on March 2nd.  But they ran through the names pretty quick and off course my pen stopped working. 

But the program for Saturday night's match had them all listed nice and pretty. 

The roster in the program against DC United had 30 players on the Battery roster.  Only 13 of those are signed so far leaving 17 trialist in camp. 

At a meeting with the Regiment, Coach Anhaueser said they would probably have a similar size roster to last season.  Since there were 24 players on the Battery roster last year, including players on loan, I would say less half of those players here on trial will be offered contracts. 

Here is the run down by position.

Two goalkeepers are in camp.  Andrew Dykstra made 17 appearances for the Chicago Fire last year, including the US Open Cup defeat to the Battery. (EDIT:  Dykstra was on the bench for Chicago for that match, read the Battery recap here) Also is Pat Hannigan, who appears to have not played the 2010 season but prior to that was Maimi FC number one keeper,  He also spent some time with Rochester and playing in Ireland with Bray Wanderers.

In defense there are six players fighting for a roster spot.

Mark Wiltse out of the University of South Carolina, Graham Dugoni, a 2010 PDL championship winner with the U-23 Portland Timbers and recently played with Mjondalen IF in Norway.  Jerry Saintil played at Seaton Hall and looks to have spent some time in camp with the New York Red Bulls. There are listing for him as a midfielder as well so he might be able to play both positions.  Sean Bateau and Sean Flatley are two College of Charleston products.   Rounding up the defenders is Guiherme Reis, a native of the famous Belo Horizonte, Brazil played with East Tennessee State.  Here is an article about him.

Midfield has some strong contenders with five very good players. 

Evan Taylor recently with Jamaican side Reno FC has been capped by the senior squad in Jamaica as well.   Jose Cuevas played PDL with the Fresno Fuego.  Alex Caskey was drafted by the Seattle Sounders in the third round but was released January 31. George Davis IV played with the PDL Dayton Dutch Lions in 2010. Luke Mullholland was my pick of the batch at the USL Player's Combine read more here

Up top, JC Mack, Seedy Bah, Dane Kelly and Kareem Yearwood round out the forward spots.

Seedy Bah from Gambia was another recent Sounder trialist.  Ony 18 years old he received some high praise while on trial in Seattle you can read here.  Dane Kelly is another Jamaican recently with Tivoli Garden of the Jamaican Premier League.  Kareem Yearwood is the third College of Charleston player in the Battery camp on trial.  Rounding up the trialist JC Mack, played in France a bit, found this tape of him on Youtube .

Watching a few of the player trials and speaking with some of the Battery veteran players, this looks to be one of the best groups of trialist brought in to camp.

There are at least three players including Cole Peverley, who were on trial with MLS's Seattle Sounders and made it deep into their roster cuts.  There seems to be a developing relationship with the Sounders, especially now that both Alonso Olsovo and Lamar Neagle are on the Seattle squad.  It also is a testament to the coaching staff, identifying some great potential players.

No Quarter's ones to watch: Seedy Bah, Jose Cuevas, George Davis, Guiherme Reis, Jerry Saintil and Sean Flatley.

Watch the players on Wednesday night as the Battery take on Toronto FC in the Carolina Challenge Cup and let us know your opinions.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Calling all Capos, please report to section E10!!!

After a long day of tailgating, two matches, filling (and emptying!) the Coffee Pot Cup at the Three Lions and then waking up this morning and heading to Madra Rua for a bit of breakfast (Murphy's stout is sort of like oatmeal right?) while watching the ManUre/Liverpool match, I should be taking a nap.

But thought I owed it to my readers to at least give a recap of the matches last night.  You can read the recap of the one the field action at www.charlestonbattery.com or in the Post and Courier.

Mike Zaher defends against DC United
For a first match after three training session, the boys did well.  The Battery are still waiting on the arrival of a couple players and speaking to a couple of the trialist and players in the pub after the match, they were disappoint with the loss but felt they did pretty good as a team.  You could see the first touch and communication wasn't there yet the building blocks of what looks to be a very good squad for the Battery for 2011.

For us fans, The day started off early.  More than 100 fans from all four teams in the tournament in attendance attended the Regiment Tailgate.   Lowcountry boil, boiled peanuts, venison sausage, wings, burgers, "Regiment" Cornbread and off course plenty of adult beverages.  Check out the tailgate photos by Mrs. Bribetaker here.  Meeting old friend that you haven't meet since the end of last season and visiting with the supporters from the other teams is great.  The weather was near perfect as well.  A little overcast with a nice breeze and about 72F.

After a 10 man Chicago defeated Toronto 1-0 in the first match, we set the stage for the Coffee Pot Cup between DC Untied and the Charleston Battery.  The cup was founded a few years ago by supporters of the two teams after DC Untied loss to the Charleston Battery in the 1999 USOC.  After that match there was some damage to the then brand-new locker rooms in Blackbaud stadium by Untied players.  One of the items that was broke was a coffee pot.  Now each time the two team meet they play for an office style coffee urn and the losing supporters fill it with beer for the winning supporters. 

United has won it enough lately that we feel we would have been better off putting the money toward helping them buy a new stadium.  But a deal's a deal and we filled the "cup" full of Guinness after the Battery loss 2-1 in the second match of the Carolina Challenge Cup.  I'm sure the interwebs will be filled with photos of the victors drinking their spoils, once I find one Ill post it up.

Last point of the post before I drift off into a Sunday afternoon coma is a plea for support.  During the match the DC supporters certainly brought it and were in fine voice.  As Battery fans, we need to step up our game.  We do pretty well on the "Battery" clap, clap, clap (or bang, bang bang if you have something to beat the bleachers with!) but we need to grow our repetoire.  If you have a good chant or song for the supporters (keep it simple, we do like the occasional beverage!) post it here.  Or better yet come by section E10 and join the fun. 

See you out there on Wednesday night against Toronto FC!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

New faces, New Jersey and Old Friends

The Charleston Battery held their "Meet and Greet" with the Battery players and trialist tonight at the Three Lions pub at Blackbaud Stadium.  We arrived about thrirty minutes early and was surprised to see the team out on the pitch playing a match against Georgia Southern University (Battery won 2-0) but they were finishing up and headed to the showers so there wasnt time to really analysis anything. 

Up in the pub, season ticket holders were given a free drink and a nice selection of hor d'erves to start the night out.  After the team had showered, they were introduced by Battery president, Andrew Bell and Head Coach Mike Anhaueser.

Auggie first introduced the returning players.  Stephen Armstrong has taken up the roal of player/assistant coach and will be formally announced once his visa has cleared.  Jon Gruenwald was present and recovering from his hernia operation and  looks to return in about four weeks for him.  Also there was Mike Zaher who had been on trial in Finland.  Things didn't work out for Zaher there but he is happy about coming back to Charleston. Also present were Brandon Maisse, Zach Prince, Keith Wiggins, and Kevin Jackson

Still not present were Cole peverly and Nikki Patterson who were both waiting on visas but may feature as soon as middle of the Carolina Challenge Cup.  Colin Falvey who was still in New Zealand and Levi Coleman who is playing indoor.  No mention of Alioune Gueye tonight.

The trialist were then introduced and we didn't get all the names but some of the highlights were USL combine standout Luke Mullholand, College of Chalreston alumni Sean Bateau, Sean Flatley, and Kareem Yearwood .  A lively looking attacking midfielder Jose Cuevas as well as  Alex Casskey, Mark Wiltse from the University of South Carolina, and Geroge Davis, who did well during the combine. 

On the Goalkeeper side, former Chicago Fire keeper, Andrew Dykstra is in camp.  There were a few more names I missed but overall it looks like a good group of players and they all seemed excited about playing.


The new-look Battery jersey features three
stars over the logo and revamped sponsor logo
 The last announcement came as Auggie unveiled the new-look Battery jersey.  He set it up slowly announcing they had finalized the paperwork today on the player that will be the first one to wear the new Battery Jersey, and that he could think of no player better than to wear it. Then out steps number 25, Johnny Wilson who unzips his jacket to reveil the new top to a roaring applause.

Johnny then said a few words about feeling he still can contribute to the Battery and was excited to be coming back.  After a few obvious Brett Favre jokes he thanked everyone for their support.  A player like Wilson brings so much more than just his talent to a young team.  As a respected veteran, he can mentor a young player immensly and will can only help a team.

As the Battery faithful left the pub, Toronto FC were out on the main pitch for a light training session.  Saturday just can't come soon enough!

No Quarter will bring you regular updates throughout the Carolina Challenge Cup.