Middle man: Battery's Karalexis fills big void

Charleston Battery defender Tim Karalexis: I think I’m most effective when I’m playing center back.

Charleston Battery defender Tim Karalexis knows he has some awfully big cleats to fill this summer.

When former team captain and USL First Division All- Star Mark Watson finally decided to hang up his cleats this spring, the Battery was left with a huge void in the middle of its defense.

It was left to Karalexis, who began the season at right back, to do the near-impossible this summer and try and replace one of the most recognizable players in club history.

" I don't think you can replace a guy like Mark Watson," said Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "I don't think a player should have that kind of pressure put on them.

"Mark has experience at the international level. He has experience at the international club level, and there just aren't many guys in this league with that kind of experience. That's a lot of experience and knowledge. Mark was not only a great player, but one of the leaders on the team. He really knows how to organize a defense."

A sentiment shared by Karalexis.

"Mark left some pretty big shoes to fill, and I'm not sure there is any one guy that can do that," Karalexis said. "I think you have to go out and play the game to the best of your ability and not worry about replacing a guy like Mark. I've played with Mark for two seasons, and I learned a ton from him. I know I'm a better player because of Mark."

Despite playing most of last season at right back, the center back position is one that's very familiar to Karalexis. It's the position he played when he first signed with the Battery in 2005.

"I've played center back most of my career, and it's probably the position that I feel most comfortable playing," Karalexis said. " It was fun playing a different position last season, but I think I'm most effective when I'm playing center back."

After a strong start, Karalexis missed the last half of the 2005 season with a torn ACL and was used sparingly at the beginning of last season.

" They say it takes a full year to recover from an ACL and at the beginning of last season, my knee just wasn't strong enough," Karalexis said. "It took me until June or July to get my pace back and to feel comfortable out there."

But with Watson in the lineup and Brandon Curran solidifying a spot in the middle, there was little playing time left for Karalexis.

"We had some depth in the middle and Tim's a very athletic guy, so we thought we could move him to right back," Anhaeuser said. "He played there for most of the season, and he really did a good job for us."

Karalexis used his aggressive style to push the ball up the field at every opportunity.

" Playing right back gives you a certain freedom you don't have when you're playing in the middle," Karalexis said. "Having Mark back there, you knew you could take some chances and make some strong runs if you wanted. I got to do some things offensively at right back that I hadn't done in my career."

Karalexis started this season at right back, but with Chris Gores still recovering from a broken leg he suffered last preseason and Kevin Nylen out with broken leg, the Battery needed help in the middle.

" We needed Tim back in the middle," Anhaeuser said. " He's strong and he's good in the air, which you have to be when you're playing in the middle. He's done very well since moving back. He's really helped solidify things in the back."

With the departure of Watson, Karalexis knows his role on the team has changed.

" I know one of the things that (Anhaeuser) wants me to do is be more of a vocal leader," Karalexis said. " To organize the defense, you've got to be very vocal on the field. I'm starting to talk a little more, but I know that's something I've got to work on."

Karalexis and the Battery will take on the Central Florida Kraze, a Professional Developmental League squad, today beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U. S. Open Cup.

Karalexis knows that the Battery can't take the Kraze lightly. Two years ago, he witnessed firsthand what can happen in the U. S. Open Cup when you take a PDL team for granted.

In 2005, the Des Moines Menace beat the Battery, 3-2, in the opening round of the Open Cup.

"It was our fourth game in like eight days, and we had to travel to Iowa, but that's not an excuse," Karalexis said. " They were fast. They were hungry, and before we knew it, we were down two goals. We finally got things going, but by then it was too late. If you're a competitor, you've got to be ready to play every time you step on the field."

Karalexis, who played three seasons for the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division, knows exactly how the Kraze players will feel tonight.

" They're like the little brothers and we're the big brothers," Karalexis said. "Like any little brother, they want to prove they can play with the big brother. We've just got to show them they can't play with us."

Reach Andrew Miller at 937-5599 or apmiller@postandcourier.com.