USL CHAMPIONSHIP:Suber, Cabrera Lead Charleston Battery to 2–1 Opening Night Win Over Pittsburgh

Jonathan Turner
10 hours ago
3 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 7, 2026) — The Charleston Battery opened the 2026 USL Championship season with a 2–1 victory over defending champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in front of a sold-out crowd at Patriots Point on Saturday night.

Goals from Sean Suber and Wilmer Cabrera Jr. powered Charleston to the win in a match that featured eight club debuts for the Battery.

Charleston came out aggressively and tested Pittsburgh goalkeeper Nico Campuzano early, putting two shots on target in the first 12 minutes. Campuzano denied both attempts. Pittsburgh did not register a shot until the 33rd minute, when Charles Ahl forced a near-post save from Charleston keeper Luis Zamudio.

The breakthrough came just before halftime. In the first minute of stoppage time, Sean Suber headed home a corner from Jeremy Kelly to give the Battery a 1–0 lead. The goal was Suber’s first for Charleston and the club’s first of the 2026 season.

Charleston controlled the opening half, finishing with 60% possession and a 5–2 advantage in shots.

The Battery doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Wilmer Cabrera Jr. delivered a highlight finish. After receiving a pass from Nathan Messer at the top of the box, Cabrera popped the ball up and struck a volley past Campuzano to make it 2–0. Both Cabrera and Messer recorded their first goal contribution for Charleston in their club debuts.

Pittsburgh pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute when a deflection off Messer resulted in an own goal, cutting the lead to 2–1.

Charleston introduced more fresh faces in the 67th minute as Colton Swan and Kirill Pakhomov made their professional debuts while Maalique Foster entered for his Battery debut.

Foster nearly restored the two-goal cushion in the 71st minute, but Campuzano rushed off his line to deny the chance. Another debut followed in the 86th minute when Medgy Alexandre came on for his first appearance with the club.

Pittsburgh pushed late, but Luis Zamudio preserved the lead with a crucial stoppage-time save against Travor Amann. Moments later, Foster nearly sealed the result after Campuzano slipped along the endline, but Sam Bassett cleared the shot off the goal line.

Charleston held on for the 2–1 victory, earning three points in Week 1 and defeating the reigning champions to start the season.

The result marked Charleston’s first opening-week victory since 2022 and improved the club’s all-time record against Pittsburgh to 19 wins, 11 losses, and 17 draws.

Eight players made their Battery debuts during the match: Nathan Messer, Sean Suber, Wilmer Cabrera Jr., Miguel Berry, Maalique Foster, Colton Swan, Kirill Pakhomov, and Medgy Alexandre. Midfielder Laurent Kissiedou also made his first appearance for Charleston since his original stint with the club in 2017.

Charleston’s next match will be March 18 at Patriots Point against Florida Badgers FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round. The Battery will return to USL Championship play the following Saturday against Birmingham Legion FC.

Scoring Summary

CHS — Sean Suber 45’+1 (Jeremy Kelly)

CHS — Wilmer Cabrera Jr. 52’ (Nathan Messer)

PIT — Nathan Messer 62’ (Own Goal)