February 23, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Memphis 901 FC News Release
Putting on a show in front of hometown fans was a hallmark of Head Coach Stephen Glass’ Memphis 901 FC team throughout the 2023 season, and the club will get their first chance to do so in 2024 when they face the University of Memphis in a friendly at Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex on Saturday at 7 p.m.
After a disappointing penalty shootout playoff exit last season, the Beale Street Boys stride into 2024 with new faces and new expectations in the club’s sixth USL Championship campaign.
“I like the group and how it’s come together,” Glass said. “Anytime you bring a number of new faces you don’t know what it’s going to be like, but we vetted them pretty thoroughly before they came in. I think the performances we had in Nashville and Atlanta have shown that we’ve made some good decisions. People like what they see when they see us.”
The two strong performances on the road so far this preseason resulted in draws against MLS clubs Atlanta United and Nashville SC, highlighted by goals from returnees Luiz Fernando and Nighte Pickering.
Pickering, entering his third year as a pro, scored on his first touch of the preseason in the opening minutes against Atlanta and looks to be a key piece as the club competes for a championship.
“We’ve seen throughout training and the two preseason games we’ve had already, it’s been good,” Pickering said. “We’re still getting in touch with each other, which will come naturally. We still have two more preseason games to get ready.”
The 19-year-old forward will face off against a few of his peers when he steps on the field but says he’ll keep his focus on his own club’s quality.
“It’s going to feel like any other game,” he said. “I know they’ll be coming at us hard wanting to prove something to the pros. I think it’ll be a decent game, but in the end we want to show our quality and show why we’re the professionals.”
The Tigers, coming off of a second round NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament appearance, look to build their momentum under head coach Richard Mulrooney in 2024.
“With the game on Saturday, since I’ve been here we’ve always tried to play the college teams. We think that helps those schools bring people in and equally lets us see what’s in our backyard,” Assistant Sporting Director Caleb Patterson Sewell said. “It’s not easy to be a pro player, but if there’s someone good we want to know about him. We’ve created training opportunities…