Memphis 901 FC heads to the unfriendly confines of Protective Stadium to take on familiar foe Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday, May 10 in an all-important Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 matchup.
While the Beale St. Boys never need extra motivation to take on rival Birmingham, the stakes for this edition of the Southern Harm derby have reached new heights with the victor punching their ticket to the Round of 16 in the longest running national soccer competition on U.S. soil.
901 FC made history to get to this stage with their 2-1 victory over Atlanta United FC using a go-ahead goal from Nighte Pickering in extra time. The extra time triumph was the first victory over an MLS club in franchise history.
That night in Kennesaw was another confidence-building moment in Memphis’ current run of form before the club stretched their unbeaten streak to seven with a 2-0 road victory over Hartford Athletic. Laurent Kissiedou and Rashawn Dally found the back of the net to keep 901 FC unbeaten on the road in 2023.
901 FC has spread the love with their strong attack with nine different players scoring goals in nine matches across all competitions. Bruno Lapa, Luiz Fernando, Pickering and Kissiedou have notched two each.
That attack will look to exploit a Birmingham squad that has conceded 18 goals this season, the most in the USL Championship. They’ll look to get back to their winning ways after two consecutive losses to Oakland Roots SC and Miami FC.
Despite the current loss streak, Birmingham will prove to be a tough opponent, currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference with five victories. They reached the Open Cup Round of 32 with a win over Chattanooga FC using extra time and penalty kicks in the third round.
Wednesday’s match can be streamed live on the U.S. Soccer Youtube Channel with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. Memphis 901 FC returns to AutoZone Park to host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. CT.
The Ultimate Wingman
Winger Luiz Fernando has contributed to goals in each of the club’s last five matches across the USL Championship and U.S. Open Cup with two goals and three assists. Fernando scored the equalizer in Saturday’s draw vs. Louisville and added game-winning assists vs. Atlanta and Hartford.
The Brazilian winger scored four goals and six assists in 30 appearances in 2022.
Chances on Chances on Chances
Midfielder Aaron Molloy leads the USL Championship in chances created and crosses, serving as the primary kick taker and captain on the pitch in the absence of Leston Paul due to injury. The Irish international has played every minute of action for 901 FC in 2023.
Molloy led the team with a franchise-record 10 assists last season on his way to finishing runner–up in USL Championship MVP voting.
Chances Created Leaderboard:
- Aaron Molloy – 28
- Rodrigo da Costa – 24
- Charlie Dennis – 23
A Little Southern Harm
Memphis 901 FC faces rival Birmingham Legion FC for the first time this season in the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The two clubs have battled in the ‘Southern Harm’ derby 12 times since 2019. Saturday’s fixture is the first of three dates for the two clubs with two regular season matches coming on June 7 at Birmingham and September 30 at AutoZone Park
The Kid is Cooking
Nighte Pickering has proven himself to be a dangerous presence near opposition final thirds. Serving primarily as a reserve deployed as a closer in the second half, the 18-year-old striker has put away two goals in just 83 minutes on the pitch. Pickering most recently scored the game winning goal over Atlanta United in extra time.
Pickering scored two goals in seven appearances in 2022, including a bicycle kick goal on debut, before being called up to the U.S. U-19 Youth National Team in the offseason.
On the Come Up
After two losses at home to start the season, Memphis 901 FC is undefeated in their last seven matches across the USL Championship and U.S. Open Cup, including a 2-1 comeback victory over Atlanta United FC in the third round of the Open Cup. It was the first victory over an MLS side in club history and earned 901 FC a date with rival Birmingham Legion FC in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, May 10.
Electric Attack
Memphis leads the USL Championship in shots per 90 minutes and are top-five in expected goals per 90 and final third entries.
Shots per 90 Leaderboard:
- Memphis – 15.14
- Sacramento – 14.25
- San Antonio – 13.25
Former USMNT and MLS goalkeeper Bill Hamid notched his second clean sheet of the season on Saturday vs. Hartford with four saves on four shots faced. Hamid holds a 76.5% save rate with 13 saves on 17 shots faced in the USL Championship this season.
“Bill’s a veteran and a good teammate. Clearly, he’s a good shot stopper so I think it gives us an extra level of confidence and trust that we have a guy on our team who’s been there and done that. There’s got to be some level of fearlessness and I think he’ll have that and It’s on the boys to go in and see what we’re made of.” – Phillip Goodrum
