Memphis, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC looks to extend their win streak to three on Saturday night as they take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in a top-five matchup on the road after a six-point week.
Memphis moved to 14-5-3 on the season, their best start in club history, and stayed in the No. 3 spot in the eastern conference standings after earning three points in their wins over New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday and Hartford Athletic on Saturday night.
The Riverhounds currently sit at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference standings with a seven match undefeated streak and three match winning streak. The Riverhounds sit two points behind Memphis in the standings and look to overtake 901 FC in the match Saturday night.
901 FC will play three matches in the next eight days against top five teams from both conferences looking to hold onto their No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Memphis dropped their season opener to Pittsburgh 3-0 on March 12 and have been held scoreless only two other times this season. 901 FC and the Riverhounds matched up evenly throughout the match, however Pittsburgh was able to capitalize on three of their four shots on target.
Memphis looks to keep pushing their attack in the second half of the season to keep their route to the playoffs and top-3 spot in the table.
Quotables
“The first thing we had to do coming off of the six-point week was recover. We’re obviously banged up. We got a couple of days off for good recovery then we went straight into our preparation for Pittsburgh. They’re very tough defensively, they press the ball as well and anybody in the league. They’re at home at a field they make their own so it’s tough. We really want to try to move the ball against them but we also know we’re going to have to be a little bit more vertical. We’ve got to be combative there.” – Ben Pirmann
“The preparation has been good. The boys are in a good spot. We want to keep pushing in this final third stretch. Starting Saturday we have three matches in eight days before a little bit of a break so we want to take a step forward.” – Ben Pirmann
History in the Making..
Memphis 901 FC is currently enjoying their best season since its start in the Bluff City in 2019. After a playoff appearance last season, the club has established itself as a title contender with only five losses in 22 matches played. The battle at the top of the Eastern Conference has only intensified entering the second half of the season. 901 FC sits at third in the Eastern Conference with 12 matches remaining in the regular season, including a September 23 rematch against Louisville City FC.
#DefendMemphis…
Memphis 901 FC have defended AutoZone Park with only three losses in their 12 matches at home. The Boys in Blue managed a six-match home winning streak going back to May 14 while averaging 3.60 goals per match and +14 goal differential, puting 901 FC in the top three in both categories in the league.
The Race for the Golden Boot…
Phillip Goodrum has been the jetfuel as the man up top for one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the league. The forward has netted 13 goals this season, currently tied for third in the USL Championship. Memphis is unbeaten in 11 of the 12 matches Goodrum has found the back of the net including a 5-2 statement victory on June 5 when he scored two goals against his former club ATL United 2. Goodrum has scored goals in his last four appearances.
Goals Scored Leaderboard:
1 – Milan Iloski – 16
2 – Ottar Magnus Karlsson – 15
T3 – Phillip Goodrum – 13
T3 – Hadji Barry – 13
The Distributors…
Memphis 901 FC boasts one of the most dynamic duo of midfielders in the USL Championship with both Jeremy Kelly and Aaron Molloy near the top of the league in assists. Molloy has made his hay as the squad’s primary kicktaker, leading the league with eight assists while picking up six Team of the Week nods this season. Kelly has been at the center of the 901 FC attack since moving from the back line this season, tied for third in the league with seven assists in 20 appearances while Kelly was tabbed as the USL Championship Player of the Month in May after a stretch of three goals and three assists in four victories for 901 FC.
Assists Leaderboard:
T1 – Aaron Molloy – 8
T1 – Hadji Barry – 8
T1 – Kenardo Forbes – 8
T4 – Jeremy Kelly – 7
T4 – Hugh Alexander Dixon – 7
T4 – Cameron Lindley – 7
Set Piece Superstar…
Aaron Molloy has made his name as one of the most dangerous legs from the set piece in the USL Championship. All seven of the midfielder’s league-leading eight assists this season have come off of the set piece, but not before scoring his first goal of the season on a free kick strike from 20 feet out against Oakland Roots on March 19. Molloy is currently ranked sixth in chances created with 46 this season.
Let the Kid Cook…
Seventeen-year-old international Nighte Pickering already made history as the club’s youngest professional signing ever on August 6, but it wasn’t the young forward’s highlight of the week. Pickering made his debut in Saturday’s match vs. Hartford Athletic, coming on as a substitution in the second half before notching his first career goal on a Sportscenter Top-10 worthy bicycle kick that sealed a 3-1 victory.
