PRESEASON RECAP: D.C. United 2 vs. 1 Charleston Battery (USL Championship)

PRESEASON RECAP: D.C. United 2 vs.1 Charleston Battery (USL Championship)

D.C. United returned to Florida to resume preseason training on Friday, January 31 ahead of the start of the 2025 MLS season that kicks off on Feb. 22 against Toronto FC at Audi Field.

After an evening training session following the flight from Washington, D.C., the Black-and-Red beat the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer League Championship 2-1 on Saturday, February 1.

The soccer world is a small one and the friendly against Charleston saw a lot of familiar faces on each side. Head Coach Troy Lesesne and Assistant Coach Zach Prince both played professionally for Charleston; Lesesne played for the Battery in 2005 and 2006 while Prince had an impressive seven-year career with Charleston from 2010 to 2016. Lesesne also began his professional coaching career with Charleston in 2014 as an assistant coach. Offseason acquisition Derek Dodson lined up against his former club after playing for them in 2023. Players also had a warm reunion with former Black-and-Red goalkeeper Luis Zamudio who signed with Charleston in January.

The exhibition match was Lesesne’s second opportunity to test his team and continue building the match fitness that’s critical to success in his high-pressing system of play.

Director of Human Performance, Dave Rhodes, and his staff have been pivotal to players gradually building up those fitness levels with each session crafted to maximize performance for the home opener on Feb. 22 while minimizing the chance of injury.

Much like the first friendly against the New York Red Bulls on Jan. 25, the team was split into two starting lineups with each group playing 45 minutes.

First-Half Recap

Lineup: Kim Joon Hong, David Schnegg, Kye Rowles, Lucas Bartlett, Derek Dodson, Boris Enow, Matti Peltola, Gabi Pirani, Jared Stroud, João Peglow, Christian Benteke

The first half saw the first taste of action for midfielder Matti Peltola who returned from an injury he sustained on international duty with Finland. It was also the debut for Australian center back Kye Rowles who signed with the club from Hearts of Midlothian FC in Scotland on January 15.

The Black-and-Red started the match on the front foot with midfielder João Peglow showcasing why Troy Lesesne and Ally Mackay signed him in the offseason. He opened the scoring in the 7^th minute with a definitive one-time finish after finding a yard of space in the penalty area. Peglow and Brazilian compatriot Gabriel Pirani displayed great chemistry throughout the first half and were rewarded in the 21^st minute when Peglow drove forward and found the feet of Pirani who buried the shot into the bottom left corner from 20-yards out to make it 2-0.

The match was also the first taste of what a Lucas Bartlett and Kye Rowles center back partnership could look like in 2025. The pair dealt with the Charleston pressure well in the first half with goalkeeper Kim Joon Hong only having to make one big save in the 18^th minute where he came out bravely to block a close-range shot.

D.C. United went into halftime up 2-0 against Charleston.

Second-Half Recap

Lineup: Jordan Farr, Academy Player 1, Lukas MacNaughton, Garrison Tubbs, Academy Player 2, Trialist 1, Trialist 2, Academy Player 3, Jacob Murrell, Randall Leal, Dom Badji

It was another complete lineup change to start the second half with a handful of Academy players and trialists sprinkled into the eleven.

Charleston opened the scoring in the 51^st minute of the second half. The Black-and-Red conceded a foul on the endline, and Battery midfielder Juan David Torres scored the resulting freekick to make it 2-1.

Midfielder Randall Leal had some impressive moments in possession in the second half. His skill and poise on the ball combined with his range of passing, created some of the best opportunities of the half for the Black-and-Red. His set piece ability will be another weapon for Lesesne this season.

The game ended 2-1 with the Black-and-Red getting its first win of preseason. The team will resume training ahead of the next exhibition match against the Colorado Rapids on Friday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. ET.