Charleston Battery News Release -- www.charlestonbattery.com
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Charleston Battery midfielder Mike Azira has been called into the Ugandan national team for this Saturday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier versus Senegal. Uganda needs to win the match in order to move onto the final round of play-offs in the African qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The September 7 match is being played in neutral Morocco because Senegal is serving a one-year ban on hosting home matches.
“Mike has worked very hard and him getting called into the Uganda National Team is a very well deserved accomplishment,” Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser said.
Azira is in his second season with the Battery and scored six goals with two assists in 31 games played this year, earning selection to the USL PRO All-League Second Team. Azira was a member of the Battery’s 2012 USL PRO Championship-winning team and scored the lone goal in the 1-0 championship game win versus the Wilmington Hammerheads.
Alderson and Fisk called into Canadian U-21 men’s national team
The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) has called midfielders Bryce Alderson and Ben Fisk into the Canadian U-21 men’s national team for the upcoming Francophone Games.
The tournament will take place from September 3 to September 15 in Nice, France. The Canadian U-21’s will take part in four group-stage matches against Cameroon (September 3), France (September 6), Rwanda (September 8) and Congo (September 10). The top two teams from Canada’s group will qualify for the tournament semifinals.
Alderson joined the Battery on-loan from Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. for the 2013 USL PRO season; Fisk was also loaned to the Battery from the ‘Caps PDL squad.