Elvis Rivalry Gets Interesting As Memphis 901 FC Signs Former Las Vegas Lights Player

Memphis 901 FC announced on Thursday the club has signed midfielder Alvaro Quezada to a multi-year contract.

Quezada comes to Memphis by way of the Las Vegas Lights, which perhaps could provide a little bit of extra juice for the Elvis-themed rivalry between the two teams. In his two seasons in Sin City, Quezada made 48 appearances for the Lights and recorded six assists to go with four goals.

“We had Alvaro on trial with us during the season last year. He is solid defensively, good on the ball, and his character is exactly what we are looking for within our group,” Assistant Sporting Director Caleb Patterson Sewell said. “We look forward to Alvaro having a strong preseason and pushing for minutes this season.” 

Quezada played his college soccer for the Anteaters of UC-Irvine (who made the NCAA Tournament in 2018) and was selected 68th overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft by LAFC, for whom he made just one appearance in 2021.

Quezada joins a growing list of players heading to Memphis in preparation for 901 FC’s 2024 campaign in the Western Conference of the USL Championship. Ten players were retained from last season’s team that made a run in the US Open Cup, finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, and hosted a home playoff game. Kyle Murphy was brought back into the fold after a pair of seasons down in Florida with Miami FC. 901 FC’s longest-tenured player, Leston Paul, signed a multi-year contract that will see him expand his role with the coaching staff. On top of that, the team brought in forward Noe Meza from Union Omaha, where he was one of the most dangerous goal scorers in USL League One. And most recently was the addition of defender Tulu from San Antonio FC.

More news regarding new signings and players with options on their contract will be announced in the near future.

The season for 901 FC kicks off on Saturday, March 9 downtown at AutoZone Park against (funnily enough) Alvaro Quezada’s former team, the Las Vegas Lights. The following Saturday will be another home game against Indy Eleven.

Season tickets for 2024 are currently on sale and while single game tickets aren’t yet available, information will be made available for them soon.