Memphis 901 FC victorious in season opener against Las Vegas

Memphis 901 FC overcame an early deficit to start the 2024 campaign with a win inside AutoZone Park.

Memphis (1-0-0) beat Las Vegas Lights FC (0-1-0) with two first-half goals from Samuel Careaga and Nighte Pickering, the game finishing 2-1. 901 FC held an advantage in many attacking statistics despite having less possession. They had 16 total shots (six on target) with 11 coming from inside the box.

The 3,290 in attendance made noise throughout, acknowledging the attacking effort from 901 FC.

“I thought [the fan support] was incredible. There was a hell of a lot of noise especially in the first half,” head coach Stephen Glass said. “The drums were going on forever and they responded to the fight of the team.”

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The opening minutes of the new season brought an expected amount of rust. Both teams knocked the ball around their own half to get a feel for the game. Memphis were able to threaten first, stringing together corner kicks and balls into the penalty area. Akeem Ward had an impact on both ends of the pitch, following an important tackle with a dangerous cross testing the Vegas defense.

The possession battle was close, however, and a moment of brilliance from the visitors gave them an early lead. Valentin Nöel surged towards the middle of the box and scored on his debut for the club in the 20th minute, joining after a stint with Austin FC II.

There was no panic from 901 FC a goal down, continuing their attack with a high press. Nighte Pickering was nearly able to capitalize off a Las Vegas mistake, turning the ball over in their own half. He took a few dribbles to get around the goalkeeper and fired it towards goal, hitting the crossbar.

The equalizer came a few minutes later in the 33rd minute. Bruno Lapa’s shot towards goal was parried away into the path of the hustling Samuel Careaga who tapped it into the back of the net.

Memphis had their own bit of individual play to end the half, Pickering making up for his missed opportunity with a goal from a left-footed strike outside the box. The ball had tons of movement and pace, rising above the goalkeeper.

LEFT-FOOTED MAGIC 🎩 🔮

MR. NIGHTE PICKERING JOINS THE PARTY WITH HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON!#DefendMemphis pic.twitter.com/ykW5amoHYy

— Memphis 901 FC (@Memphis901FC) March 9, 2024

“Took a touch and realized there was not much pressure on me so I just decided to hit it on my left foot,” Pickering said. “Teams can try to take [the left foot] away but it’ll keep coming.”

Las Vegas had much more possession after the break but struggled to get into the final third. Memphis went to their bench in the 68th minute, taking off goalscorers Careaga and Pickering for veterans Marlon Santos and Neco Brett. 901 FC made an additional substitution due to injury with Alvaro Quezada replaced by Oscar Jiménez.

“We’ve managed to put together a pretty deep group,” Glass said. “The subs that came on really helped.”

The game slowed with an increase in physicality, leading to bodies hitting the deck and ensuing arguments.

Tempers flaring in the Memphis penalty area. Second time a Vegas player has gone down with little contact and the 901 FC players are not happy about it. Akeem Ward has been cautioned and shown a yellow card for Unsporting Behavior after shoving a Vegas player down to the ground

— 901 Soccer Podcast (@901SoccerPod) March 9, 2024

With the sun seeping through the clouds and shining towards the Memphis goal, Tyler Deric was called to action to fend off a late surge. The former Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper made a few key saves as Memphis was able to hold onto their lead.

A Molloy-less Midfield

During a busy off season with quite a few key departures, none left a bigger hole in the roster than Aaron Molloy who signed with Charleston Battery in December. Newcomer Zac Duncan, Emerson Hyndman and Careaga made up the midfield this afternoon putting together a solid effort.

Set pieces were not a highlight of the performance and is where Molloy’s impact might be felt the most, especially early in the season when plenty of tactics are still forming.

New Vegas

Las Vegas ended last season dead last in the Western conference, picking up only three wins all year. They overhauled their roster and hired a new head coach in Dennis Sanchez.

“They’ve got good players high up the field. They’re quite dangerous and they’ll cause problems this year,” Glass said. “This is not the Las Vegas of last year.”

Next Match

Memphis 901 FC are back at home next Saturday, March 16 at 3pm against Indy Eleven.