Memphis 901 FC @ El Paso Locomotive Preview

After a rough patch early on in their sixth season in the USL Championship, Memphis 901 FC seems to have found their stride. Their 2024 campaign began with a win over the visiting Las Vegas Lights but the next five games were all losses. Not that they played poorly in those losses. They were one of the top teams in the league in chances created and just couldn’t quite find a way to convert them. But now the Beale Street Boys are on a three game point streak in USL play as they get set for a trip to El Paso to take on the Locomotive.

901 FC began to get things back on track, not in league play, but in the US Open Cup as they dispatched Miami United courtesy of two goals from Nighte Pickering (though they have since been eliminated by FC Dallas, one of the few MLS squads participating in the competition). In league play the got things rolling again with a huge rivalry win on the road against the Birmingham Legion by a 3-0 scoreline. Bruno Lapa had two goals and Lucas Turci added another. The Beale Street Boys followed that up with another resounding win, this time 4-1 over the visiting Tampa Bay Rowdies. Marlos Santos bagged two goals (and had an assist to Luiz Fernando) and Dylan Borczak took advantage of some disastrous Tampa defending to seal the deal. Their most recent outing was a wild one out in California as they traveled to take on Monterey Bay, the second meeting between the two teams in less than a month. Memphis fell behind in the first half but then equalized through Bruno Lapa in the 70th minute. Then, it looked like Marlon Santos had won it with a goal in the 88th minute only for Monterey to equalize two minutes later.

El Paso currently sits in last. Not just last in the Western Conference but dead last in the entire league. They’ve lost seven of their ten games in league play. They have won just once this year, though it was their most recent outing (2-0 on the road at Loudoun United). Additionally, they also lost their first and only game of this year’s US Open Cup on penalties to Union Omaha. For Memphis 901 FC to keep the point streak going and keep climbing the table, this is one they cannot afford to drop any points.

When, Where

Date: Friday, May 17, 2024

Venue: Southwest University Park

City: El Paso, Texas

Time: 8m CT

TV: WMC 5.3, ESPN+

All-Time Series

Memphis 901 FC leads 1-0-0

Last Meeting

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Attendance: 3,537

Result: Memphis 901 FC 4-0 El Paso Locomotive

Conference Standing

Memphis 901 FC: 8th in West (10pts)

El Paso Locomotive: 12th in West (5pts)

Next Game

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024

Competition: USL Regular Season

Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: 7:30pm CT

TV: WMC 5.3, ESPN+

Tickets: Memphis 901 FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds tickets