Know Your Enemy, USL Cup Edition: Charleston Battery

A familiar rival returns to City Stadium this weekend as Charleston Battery visit Richmond for a USL Cup group stage matchup.

The Richmond Kickers and Charleston Battery are two of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in the United States, both founded in 1993 as members of the USISL. The rivalry carried through the A-League era in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and for years both competed in the second division of American soccer. That split in 2018, when Richmond stepped down to become a founding member of USL League One while Charleston remained in the USL Championship.

Despite that long shared history, this will be the first competitive meeting between the sides since July 28, 2018.

Charleston arrives in strong early-season form after opening Cup play with a 2-1 win over Loudoun United. They currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3-1 record, even after a significant offseason turnover that saw the departure of their top five scorers, who combined for 46 goals last year.

So far, the rebuild has not slowed them down much. The Battery have scored 12 goals in eight matches under head coach Ben Pirmann, though they’ve also conceded 12 at the other end.

In the Cup opener against Loudoun, Charleston struck first through Miguel Berry before conceding an equalizer, then grabbed a stoppage-time winner via Graham Smith. Neither scorer has been a regular on the scoresheet this season, which says plenty about how this team can find goals from unexpected places.

With that in mind, here are four Charleston players Richmond fans will want to keep a close eye on this Saturday.

Colton Swan

The 19-year-old U.S. U20 international joined Charleston this offseason after developing at Indiana University’s top program, and he’s already made an impact. Swan currently leads the team in regular-season goals with three.

Whether he starts or comes off the bench in a Cup match against lower-league opposition is always a bit of a coin flip, but either way he’s likely to feature. Expect him to travel and provide a dangerous attacking option whenever he gets on the pitch.

Nathan Messer

USL League One fans already know the name after a breakout 2025 season with Portland Hearts of Pine, where he earned All-League First Team honors. That form didn’t go unnoticed, and Portland ultimately cashed in on his success, triggering a release clause that sent him to Charleston for an undisclosed fee.

He’s wasted no time settling in. With Charleston, he’s picked up right where he left off, leading the team in chances created and co-leading in assists in league play.

Expect him to be a constant outlet down the left side, stretching defenses and creating danger every time he gets forward.

Jeremy Kelly

Messer's partner in crime on the left, the midfielder is right up there on the stat sheet with his wingback counterpart. In eight regular season matches, Kelly has created 11 chances, and co-leads in assists with Messer. We're not sure who will get the nod for Richmond considering they're already down a match in the group stage. But whoever covers the left side will certainly have their hands full.

Wilmer Cabrera

Not to take anything away from the right side threats, but Cabrera brings serious experience with more than 100 USL Championship appearances across league and Cup play, along with 23 goals and eight assists.

His output has been a bit quieter to start the 2026 season, but he’s expected to get the start here as Maalique Foster is likely due for a rest. If Cabrera is on the pitch, Richmond will have its hands full dealing with quality on both flanks.

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Image credit Charleston Battery