MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC (8-8-8, 32 points) will face FC Tulsa (12-10-3, 39 points) in a high-stakes match at ONEOK Field on Saturday night in a divisional battle that will go a long way in determining which side can inch closer to a playoff spot. Last Saturday, Memphis 901 FC earned a crucial point against division leader, Louisville City FC.
A quick start from both Memphis and Louisville last weekend saw each of their leading scorers knock in goals within the first ten minutes of the match before the defenses took over. Just over a minute into the match, Louisville turned the ball over, and Kyle Murphy slotted a ball past Hubbard and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to put Memphis ahead after two minutes and ten seconds.
The scoring continued soon thereafter—this time for Louisville—as Cameron Lancaster headed in a looping ball from beyond the edge of the box to level the contest at one goal apiece. Following Louisville’s score in the 7’, neither side would find the back of the net again, as Cody Cropper and the Memphis defense stood tall.
Looking ahead to Saturday, FC Tulsa are in position to have its best finish to a regular season since its inception as the Tulsa Roughnecks FC in 2013. Following his appointment to head coach in 2018, FC Tulsa have finished higher in the table under Tulsa native Michael Nsien in each of the last three seasons. Currently, FC Tulsa are slotted at third place in the increasingly competitive Central Division and have found success as it’s rattled off a win or a draw in eight of its 10 previous matches which included wins over Louisville City FC, Memphis 901 FC and Birmingham Legion FC.
Individually, Tulsa’s goalscoring threat is spread amongst a quartet of talented attackers in forward Dario Suárez, midfielder Rodrigo da Costa, forward Marlon and forward Joaquin Rivas with all four accumulating five or more goals so far this season. As of Oct. 1, Tulsa is one of three teams in the USL Championship that have four players with five or more goals; the other two teams, the Miami FC and San Antonio FC, have either previously faced or will face Memphis this season.
For 901 FC, a three-match unbeaten run has positioned it within striking distance of the postseason after briefly sitting above the playoff line following last Saturday’s draw with Louisville. During September, Memphis accumulated the second most points in the division after Birmingham Legion with ten. Kyle Murphy continues his record-breaking season with his 15 goals positioning the forward at third place in the league, and Cody Cropper is finding his rhythm in Memphis as the ‘keeper has allowed just one goal in the past three matches.
Memphis and Tulsa met for the first time earlier in the season on July 24 at AutoZone Park in a match that was decided by a Kyle Murphy goal in first-half stoppage time. The second meeting took place in Tulsa and favored the home side as goals from Marlon in the 80’ and 90+2’ erased a Kyle Murphy equalizer in the 87’. Saturday’s match will mark the final trip to Oklahoma this season before Memphis hosts FC Tulsa in its penultimate match of the season. This weekend’s match will be broadcast on CW 30 Memphis and ESPN+ with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, visit https://www.memphis901fc.com and follow the club on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC (8-8-8, 32 points) will face FC Tulsa (12-10-3, 39 points) in a high-stakes match at ONEOK Field on Saturday night in a divisional battle that will go a long way in determining which side can inch closer to a playoff spot. Last Saturday, Memphis 901 FC earned a crucial point against division leader, Louisville City FC.
A quick start from both Memphis and Louisville last weekend saw each of their leading scorers knock in goals within the first ten minutes of the match before the defenses took over. Just over a minute into the match, Louisville turned the ball over, and Kyle Murphy slotted a ball past Hubbard and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to put Memphis ahead after two minutes and ten seconds.
The scoring continued soon thereafter—this time for Louisville—as Cameron Lancaster headed in a looping ball from beyond the edge of the box to level the contest at one goal apiece. Following Louisville’s score in the 7’, neither side would find the back of the net again, as Cody Cropper and the Memphis defense stood tall.
Looking ahead to Saturday, FC Tulsa are in position to have its best finish to a regular season since its inception as the Tulsa Roughnecks FC in 2013. Following his appointment to head coach in 2018, FC Tulsa have finished higher in the table under Tulsa native Michael Nsien in each of the last three seasons. Currently, FC Tulsa are slotted at third place in the increasingly competitive Central Division and have found success as it’s rattled off a win or a draw in eight of its 10 previous matches which included wins over Louisville City FC, Memphis 901 FC and Birmingham Legion FC.
Individually, Tulsa’s goalscoring threat is spread amongst a quartet of talented attackers in forward Dario Suárez, midfielder Rodrigo da Costa, forward Marlon and forward Joaquin Rivas with all four accumulating five or more goals so far this season. As of Oct. 1, Tulsa is one of three teams in the USL Championship that have four players with five or more goals; the other two teams, the Miami FC and San Antonio FC, have either previously faced or will face Memphis this season.
For 901 FC, a three-match unbeaten run has positioned it within striking distance of the postseason after briefly sitting above the playoff line following last Saturday’s draw with Louisville. During September, Memphis accumulated the second most points in the division after Birmingham Legion with ten. Kyle Murphy continues his record-breaking season with his 15 goals positioning the forward at third place in the league, and Cody Cropper is finding his rhythm in Memphis as the ‘keeper has allowed just one goal in the past three matches.
Memphis and Tulsa met for the first time earlier in the season on July 24 at AutoZone Park in a match that was decided by a Kyle Murphy goal in first-half stoppage time. The second meeting took place in Tulsa and favored the home side as goals from Marlon in the 80’ and 90+2’ erased a Kyle Murphy equalizer in the 87’. Saturday’s match will mark the final trip to Oklahoma this season before Memphis hosts FC Tulsa in its penultimate match of the season. This weekend’s match will be broadcast on CW 30 Memphis and ESPN+ with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, visit https://www.memphis901fc.com and follow the club on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
