February 26, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Memphis 901 FC News Release
A sea of Memphis blue filled the stands on a chilly Saturday night at Billy J. Murphy Soccer Complex as Memphis 901 FC faced the Memphis Tigers in a preseason Bluff City bout, with both clubs preparing for their upcoming season kickoffs this spring.
The Beale Street Boys came away with the 2-1 victory after an exciting match with both clubs producing scoring opportunities throughout. The Memphis attackers continued to impress, taking control early with goals from Marlon Santos and Bruno Lapa from the penalty spot.
“It’s a good night all around. Great night on the field,” 901 FC Head Coach Stephen Glass said after the game as fans surprised players and staff with gifts. “I think both sides enjoyed it and it was a good workout for everyone.”
Saturday’s match was 901 FC’s third preseason friendly after strong showings at Atlanta United in Athens and Nashville SC at GEODIS Park earlier this month.
“I think in the final third we can be a bit tighter. There’s a few times in the first half we came back out when we were in their half, making it a bit easier for their defensive side,” Glass said. “We talked about it at halftime. We’re going to come under a greater stress than that during the season. Other than that, I thought the boys were brilliant. The work rate was great and anytime we lost the ball, we reacted really well.”
Memphis has been an attacking threat early and often this preseason, finding the back of the net in the first 10 minutes of all three friendlies so far. Nighte Pickering showed why he’s a top young talent with a scoring strike on his first touch of the preseason in Atlanta, then Luiz Fernando flashed his proven finishing ability with an early goal on the road at Nashville.
“As a forward, you play off of confidence.” Pickering said. “So getting a goal early, you play with a lot of confidence and it builds up.”
Santos’ early goal showed 901 FC’s dangerous pace in the final third. Coming in from the left wing, Santos found space in the box to beat the keeper and grab the early lead.
Marlon Santos
“It’s always great if you can (score early),” Glass said. “It gives you a little bit more stability going into the game. It’s not always going to happen. I won’t take any credit for it other than the boys are set up and hungry to get going.”
After ranking in the top-five in almost every USL Championship attacking metric in 2023, Coach Glass hopes to improve upon…