Believe it or not, this will not be Memphis 901 FC’s first trip out to Oakland this season. Back in March, they flew all the way out to California but were unable to actually play the game because the good folks in Oakland forgot to let 901 FC know that they had just put the field turf down a few days before the game. As a result, 901 FC was forced to fly a round trip total of over 4,000 miles to not play a game. But now that they are on the way back out, the circumstances of this trip are eerily similar to those of the original trip.
The first trip to Oakland back in March was supposed to be Memphis’ third game of the season. Heading into that trip, the Beale Street Boys had lost their first two games of the season and morale was not high. They dropped their opener at home against Loudoun United by a score of 3-1. Their second game of the season was again at home, this time against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The scoreline was again 3-1 in favor of the visitors.
Now for this trip to Oakland, morale is once again very low. The Beale Street Boys had been on one of the hottest streaks in team history, with a run of 12 games unbeaten in league play. That streak, in fact, dated all the way back to the 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. All that vanished a week and a half ago when 901 FC got absolutely shelled by Phoenix Rising, 6-0. Things continued to spiral at home last Friday as the defending champs San Antonio FC came to town and heaped more misery on Memphis with a 4-0 romp.
The good news for Memphis is that Oakland is not playing very well right now either. As a matter of fact, they might be playing worse than anybody else in the league (not named Hartford Athletic) right now. The Roots are winless in five straight games, the last two of which were both shutout losses: 3-0 away to the Tampa Bay Rowdies and 2-0 at home to the Rio Grande Valley Toros. Manager Noah Delgado seems to be having an off year after guiding the Roots to the Conference Semi-finals last season where they lost to the eventual champions, San Antonio FC.
When, Where
Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Venue: Pioneer Stadium
City: Hayward, California
Time: 9pm CT
TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+
All-Time Series
Memphis 901 FC leads 1-0-0
Last Meeting
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2022
Venue: AutoZone Park
City: Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 3,023
Results: Memphis 901 FC 2-1 Oakland Roots
Conference Standing
Memphis 901 FC: 5th in East (28pts)
Oakland Roots: 10th in West (23pts)
Next Game
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2023
Competition: USL Regular Season
Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC @ Sacramento Republic FC
Venue: Heart Health Park
City: Sacramento, California
Time: 10pm CT
TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+
Photo Credit: D’Angelo Connell Photography