It took a moment of brilliance to break through a hard-fought contest that seemed destined to be a 1-1 draw. Luiz Fernando capped off a two-goal display with a finish that skied over the opposing goalkeeper, Christian Herrera, and into the back of the net just before extra time – giving all three points to Memphis 901 FC who played an hour of the match with 10 men. 901 has improved their unbeaten streak to six games in the USL Championship.
The match featured 31 fouls, 6 yellow cards (one recipient was Colorado’s Patrick Seagrist who was a key member of last year’s 901 team) and an early red card shown to Bruno Lapa.
The jolt of energy normally brought on by the habitual late-game substitute of Nighte Pickering was inverse tonight as he earned his first start of the season. From kickoff, he explored and attacked areas behind the back line and forced them into uncomfortable situations – ultimately leading to Fernando’s first goal of the night off of his assist. Laurent Kissiedou, Aaron Molloy and the rest of 901’s attacking threats had similar mindsets in attacking empty spaces, leading to big advantages in both shots attempted and possession.
Colorado saved themselves from their lethargic start with a 20th minute equalizer against the run of play. Bruno Lapa kept Switchback striker Romario Williams onside with no defender within range to stop his header from flying into the back of the net. A barrage of shouts came from Memphis’ coaching staff and players, all wanting an offsides call which would not be given. There were not many calls that went Memphis’ way, which led to a frustrated assistant being sent off in the first half.
With Lapa’s red card half an hour into the match, the Switchbacks were able to find their footing and the match remained even for the rest of the half. Colorado had a heavy offensive mindset coming out of the break but Bill Hamid responded with two spectacular saves within a three minute span. Both were huge chances where Hamid was the last man of defense.
Despite being the team that was down a man and played a mid-week game, the momentum started to tick towards 901 as the match dwindled down. Phillip Goodrum came on for Pickering and bolstered the attack – creating several chances that just refused to come to fruition.
The pace ramped up to a blistering pace as the game neared full time which favored the Switchbacks and their more energized legs, but Memphis ultimately won the counterattacking battle with Fernando’s brilliance.