In a game full of highs and lows, Memphis 901 FC were unable to hold onto any of their three leads at home against Orange County SC in a 3-4 defeat.
There were encouraging signs to take away from the loss – most notably the attacking duo of Emerson Hyndman and Rodrigo da Costa up top making scoring seem inevitable.
“[The attack] is the positive but it reminds you of the negative, doesn’t it?” coach Stephen Glass said. “You score three goals at home and you don’t come out with anything.”
The first half featured six goals with the scoreline deadlocked at halftime but a foul-filled second half slowed the match down. Plenty of the whistles did not go in 901’s favor, including a second yellow to Jeremy Kelly that led to Orange County’s late dagger.
“It’s not the referee that lost the game tonight. It was us that lost it in our performance, especially when we were 2-nil up,” Glass said.
Although different circumstances, Memphis has conceded in the closing minutes of the past two games with both resulting in dropped points.
Recap
Memphis started the night on a high note, putting instant pressure on Orange County. Quick, decisive passes defined their time in possession as they used Luiz Fernando and Laurent Kissiedou often to send balls into the box. The opposing goalkeeper had plenty to deal with, including an own-goal scare that was eventually pawed out of bounds.
The positive play quickly turned to an early lead with Emerson Hyndman rewarded for an ambitious attempt yards away from goal. The ball was struck solidly but the goalkeeper was in position for the save… until the ball took an unexpected bounce into the back of the net.
Orange County continued to look dazed and on the back foot until a stoppage in play came to the rescue. A small issue with the field – right on the edge of the covered baseball diamond – gave the visiting team time to reconvene, and the game was immediately turned into a back-and-forth affair
In the 20th minute, Marc McNulty, the Orange County striker, hit the post on an attempt he really should have scored on. Two minutes later, Rece Buckmaster scored one of the more impressive goals of the season for Memphis, accompanied by a lovely cross from Kissiedou.
The action did not stop there as two brothers linked up for an Orange County goal immediately after. Brian Iloski collected his first assist of his season sending the ball to Milan Iloski who chipped it over Drew Romig (fun fact: there is a third Iloski brother who also plays soccer professionally, last playing for Las Vegas Lights).
With the score 2-1 favoring Memphis, neither team let off the gas pedal. 901 maintained their possession advantage but they were not as comfortable on-ball. Orange County eventually forced a turnover that led to a McNulty goal, who used all of his experience and strength to beat both center backs and Romig on his own.
There would be plenty more to come in the first half. A dangerous ball lofted towards goal from Fernandez sent three bodies to the ground, but da Costa was the first man to his feet and scored his seventh goal of the season. Memphis would not enter the break with a lead as they would concede yet again. This time, the luck would not favor the Beale Street Boys as a Graham Kelly deflection somehow found the bottom left corner – turning an easy save into disaster.
The second half did not have the same pace nor goals as the first 45 minutes, instead featuring physicality and plenty of cards given from the referee. Orange County had a more defensive approach to the game, allowing Memphis even more of the ball and replacing their attack with speedier players that would be threatening on the counter.
The game was in the balance for a long period of time with either team potentially grabbing all three points, until the fouls turned the game on its head. 10 of Memphis’ 14 fouls committed came in the second half which coincided with four yellow cards. No call was going in Memphis’ favor but it was a rare undisciplined stretch in a pivotal moment.
A red card from Jeremy Kelly really turned the tide in Orange County’s favor. Memphis were forced to go on the defensive being a man down and were unable to hold their lead – the goal coming from Bryce Jamison in the 86th minute.
Bruno Lapa added on to the misery by getting sent off himself, leaving Memphis without two players for their next match. 901 will be up against Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday, July 29 at 6pm which is the start of a four game road trip.
Photo credit: D’Angelo Connell Photography