Memphis 901 FC makes progress despite Louisville City FC loss with first place on the line
For Memphis 901 FC, its latest home game became a landmark occasion for what's taking place inside AutoZone Park.
The city's professional soccer team played host to arguably its biggest regular-season match, an event that reinforced there's progress being made in its fourth season of existence.
Memphis lost to Louisville City FC, 2-1, Saturday night with first place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings hanging in the balance. But after making a run to the playoffs last season, 901 FC is continuing to build momentum – on the pitch and in the community.
“As someone who has been in Memphis for over 20 years, this is Memphis," said Molly Weldele, the co-president of the Bluff City Mafia fan group. "We are all behind our boys because we are all behind Memphis. Even despite COVID-19, we have good talent. We have good coaches and we have a good front office.”
The home crowd erupted upon hearing Memphis 901 FC forward Phillip Goodrum’s name, and the Nashville native acquired before this season responded yet again. His team-leading 11th goal, off a corner kick in the 65th minute, gave Memphis a 1-0 lead.
But Louisville City FC (13-3-3, 42 points) tied the score with a goal from Brian Ownby assisted by Niall McCabe five minutes later. Ownby then netted the eventual game winner on a header in the 80th minute of what had become a chippy affair that belied the stakes. Both teams had players booted from the game due to red cards, including Memphis goalie Trey Muse in the closing moments.
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Given where the club was not all that long ago, the disappointing end to Saturday night shouldn't define this season. There's tradition being established.
For this game, Memphis 901 FC (12-5-2, 38 points) once again had young soccer players from Bartlett SC accompany them on the field during their initial introduction to the crowd. The "Whoop That Trick Anthem" also took on a new meaning when Memphis rapper Al Kapone took part in the pregame guitar smash.
“To us, soccer is the international language of love,” Weldele said. “Even if you don’t know the language, it does not matter because you know soccer. People have been playing soccer forever and now we are finally embracing it. It’s a language of acceptance.”
“We hold ourselves to very high standards,” Memphis 901 FC defender Niall Logue added. “We are not here to just kind of go through the motions. We are here to win games and challenge for trophies, that’s the bare minimum for us.”
The Bluff City Mafia never wavered, and neither it seems will their team.
With more than half the season done already, Memphis has proven this is not simply luck, or a hot streak at this point. This is intentional, with a second-straight playoff appearance within reach, and coach Ben Pirmann explained it is about far more than just soccer.
“We tell our guys when they put that jersey on, they represent something special. There's pride there," Pirmann said. "You look at the history world futbol clubs have and it has a lot to do with their communities and we’re no different."
Alexis Davis is a sports reporting intern for the Memphis Commerical Appeal. Contact her at alexis.davis@commericalappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis 901 FC falls to Louisville City FC with first place on line
