The rising popularity of soccer at the national level was a main topic during the Jan. 16 East Cooper-Mount Pleasant Kiwanis Club meeting featuring Charleston Battery's Director of Revenue Tanner Clay. The former College of Charleston player related the Battery's recent success that saw it finish as the runner-up last November in the USL Championship Final to Phoenix Rising FC via penalty kicks.
Clay, himself a Phoenix, Arizona native, described the jovial atmosphere during game day at the Patriots Point Soccer Complex, which includes music performances during the pre-game and an impassioned display of fandom by the ultras during match play.
"We're trying to get as close to the European [model] as we possibly can. And we're making strides in the right way. It's a really, really unique venue and stadium, It's an open-air venue," continued Clay, who mentioned the traditional setting off of smoke bombs and drum banging during home dates.
In detailing the emergence of the USLC, the guest speaker acknowledged the association of soccer clubs as the fastest growing league in the world, boasting 23 teams representing the top 50 national media markets. To boot, all USLC matches regularly air on ESPN+, YouTube and, starting this year, CBS Sports.
Last year's Battery club authored a remarkable turnaround under first-year head coach Ben Pirmann by winning 23 matches versus six in 2022, all while rostering the youngest squad in the league.
And though the USLC is climbing the ladder of soccer relevancy, Clay conceded that it still plays second fiddle to the MLS (Major League Soccer) and a host of European federations that can pay its athletes far more than the $35,000-$50,000 salaries that teams like the Battery typically allot each player.
To that end, the Battery have sold four of its players — including budding star Fidel Barajas — to the MLS in the offseason, but have also acquired young, promising talent in hopes of embarking on another successful campaign, led by 22-year-old striker Jake LaCava.
As for the development of local youth talent, Clay stated that the club no longer owns a youth academy, as that operation has been rebranded as the Charleston Soccer Club. Down the road, he added, the Battery may look to revisit investing its resources in Lowcountry talent.
"But we have to just make sure that we do it the right way. For me, it would be a free system for us to be able to actually attract the top youth soccer players across Charleston. If not, why would they leave their current situation?" observed the married father of one, with another on the way.
"For me, professional teams should be offering free academies so that the kids who can't afford to play — myself included when I was young — still have the opportunity."
The new USLC season begins in January. For more information on attending a future Charleston Battery home date, visit www.charlestonbattery.com.
