October 26, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Memphis 901 FC News Release
Memphis, Tenn. – A match between two top four teams will take place at AutoZone Park when Memphis 901 FC hosts the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
No. 2 seed Memphis claimed its first postseason victory in club history last Saturday thanks to late goals from Graham Smith and Phillip Goodrum in a 3-1 win over Detroit City FC at AutoZone Park. Smith scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute, his fifth of the season, with a header off of a free kick from Jeremy Kelly, who tied his midfield mate Aaron Molloy with his 10th assist of the season.
Smith and the Memphis back line will look to contain a dangerous Tampa Bay attack that has lifted the club to a five match winning streak including a 3-1 victory over The Miami FC in the Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday. The Rowdies boast a +14 goal differential over their last five matches.
There’s plenty of history between the two clubs, as Memphis hosted Tampa Bay in the club’s inaugural match at AutoZone Park, a 1-0 Tampa Bay victory. The two teams split the regular season series this year with a 3-1 Memphis victory on April 23 and a 2-0 Tampa Bay win on July 2. The host came away with the victory in both matches.
The winner of this Conference Semifinal match will travel to Louisville City FC or host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the USL Championship Conference Finals. Fans can watch the match on ESPN+ and Action News 5+ locally.
Quotables
“They’re the two time defending Eastern Conference champions so there’s pressure on us for sure… They want to go back to a third conference final and a third championship. We want to be the team that takes them out, especially on our home field.” – Ben Pirmann
History in the Making..
2022 marks Memphis 901 FC’s most successful regular season in club history, surpassing the regular season club records for points in a season (68), wins (21) and goals scored (65). Memphis notched the club’s first postseason win with a 3-1 victory of Detroit City at AutoZone Park last Saturday and look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a win this weekend.
#DefendMemphis…
Memphis 901 FC has earned the reputation as one of the most dangerous offensive clubs in the league this season, especially at home. 901 FC had more that 6’000 fans behind them in their first round victory and…