Memphis 901 FC and Hartford Athletic battle to 0-0 deadlock

Memphis 901 FC welcomed a feisty Hartford Athletic team in their return to action, playing to a scoreless draw.

The visitors have gone on an unbeaten streak late in the season despite sitting in 11th place in the Eastern conference standings, fueled by their steady defense. They were able to thwart every attack from Memphis even with the total shots skyrocketing to 29 (only seven hit the target). 

“I’m never going to say I’m happy when we don’t win, particularly when we have the amount of opportunities that we did,” head coach Stephen Glass said.

Memphis had two weeks of preparation for the match (compared to Hartford who played Saturday) but were without key pieces due to red card suspensions. Samuel Careaga and Marlon Santos were unavailable and Bruno Lapa was subbed off at halftime. The trio makes up 56 percent of the goals for 901 FC.

Still, the chances came in waves in front of an announced attendance of 3,013 at AutoZone Park. Fullbacks Akeem Ward and Oscar Jimenez pushed down the flanks to create chances, Emerson Hyndman and Lapa had efforts from long range. The final piece to the goalscoring puzzle was the only thing missing.

Renan Ribeiro, the Hartford goalkeeper, was the star of the match with seven crucial saves.

“I don’t care that their goalie was brilliant,” Glass said. “I think we should still be scoring some of those chances. It becomes an excuse rather than a reason.”

Other takeaways

• Tyler Deric made his first start since July 20 and made an impact against Hartford’s speedy counter attacks. He made two one-on-one saves in the first half that prevented Memphis from being put in a tough spot.
• The back line also put in an applaudable shift, especially in the second half limiting Hartford to one total shot. Glass went with a back three of Turci, Cissoko and substitute Tulu that shut down Hartford’s direct attack.
• Memphis showed they have the depth to create chances without their usual starting eleven available. Panos Armenakas gave the home side a boost off the bench in the final 15 minutes.

Memphis has another home match on Saturday, September 14 versus North Carolina at 7pm. They will then get another two week break before the final five games of the season.

“It’s how we handle it as a group, how we train knowing that we’re preparing for a busy October, and hopefully a very busy November,” Glass said.