Soccer fans don’t have to wait much longer for the season to begin. Major League Soccer makes a pre-season return to the Lowcountry March 7-14 as the Charleston Battery hosts the sixth annual Carolina Challenge Cup at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island. The 2009 pre-season tournament features Major League Soccer’s DC United, Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake, plus the USL First Division Charleston Battery.

This is the premier pre-season soccer tournament in the United States, offering Charleston residents and visitors a chance to see the very best players up close and personal.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, March 7 Real Salt Lake vs DC United 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 7 Charleston Battery vs Toronto FC 7:15 PM

Wednesday, March 11 DC United vs Toronto FC 5:00 PM
Wednesday, March 11 Charleston Battery vs Real Salt Lake 7:15 PM

Saturday, March 14 Real Salt Lake vs Toronto FC 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 14 Charleston Battery vs DC United 7:15 PM

Ticket are on sale now and available through the Charleston Battery. Visit www.charlestonbattery.com for details.

The Charleston Battery’s 2009 regular season schedule opens on the road on April 11 when they team up against the 2008 USL First Division Champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Battery returns home to Daniel Island’s Blackbaud Stadium the following weekend for a match against the Montreal Impact. If you haven’t attended a Battery soccer match on Daniel Island, you’re missing out – it’s great fun for the entire family! Here’s the home schedule for the regular season:

Saturday, April 18 vs. Montreal Impact 7:30 PM
Friday, April 24 vs. Minnesota Thunder 7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 20 vs. Miami FC Blues 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 vs. Rochester Rhinos 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 30 vs. Cleveland City Stars 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 13 vs. Portland Timbers 7:30 PM
Thursday, June 25 vs. Puerto Rico Islanders 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 11 vs. Carolina RailHawks 7:30 PM
Friday, July 24 vs. Carolina RailHawks 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 30 vs. Austin Aztex 7:30 PM
Tuesday, August 11 vs. Cleveland City Stars 7:30 PM
Thursday, August 20 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 7:30 PM
Friday, August 28 vs. Portland Timbers 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 6 vs. Minnesota Thunder 6:00 PM
Friday, September 11 vs. Miami FC Blues 8:00 PM

Season ticket packages are on sale now; packages include reserved seating for all 15 regular season games, starting at only $150. To purchase season or home game tickets call (843) 971-GOAL (4625) or visit www.charlestonbattery.com.