Memphis 901 FC @ FC Tulsa preview: Beale Street Boys look to extend unbeaten USL run

Despite having been put out of the US Open Cup in the Round of 32 by the rival Birmingham Legion, Memphis 901 FC is still in a very good spot at the moment. The momentum generated by the Open Cup run (a last minute win in Knoxville and then a huge Cupset against Atlanta United of MLS) has trickled into regular season league play. In fact, it hasn’t been so much of a momentum trickle as it has been a momentum flood. They will look to extend that run on Friday night as they have a road trip to take on FC Tulsa.

It may not look like it in the standings, but after getting off to a poor start to the season, Memphis 901 FC is currently one of the hottest teams in the USL Championship. They dropped their first two games of the season: both in March at home and both by 3-1 scorelines (to Loudoun United and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds). They have not lost a league game since then. That’s a stretch of six straight league games unbeaten dating back to April 1st. Not only is it six straight unbeaten, but it’s also three wins in their last four games: 3-0 away to Rio Grande Valley Toros, 2-0 away to Hartford Athletic, and then most recently, their first home win of the season 2-1 against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. And while they are still a ways off the pace for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, things are now wearing a much more positive look than they were after the dreadful start to the season.

Things in Tulsa, meanwhile, are not looking so great. While 901 FC may be six games unbeaten, it’s the opposite for Tulsa: they are winless in seven straight games. Their last win, and in fact their only win, was way back on March 25 which was a 3-0 thrashing of Loudoun United. Not only has their league play been a disaster, but they didn’t even have the nice distraction that terrible teams get with the US Open Cup as they got bounced in their first game. To add insult to injury it was by crosstown rival Tulsa Athletic of the NPSL. Those who prefer to always view the proverbial glass as half full rather than half empty can take solace in the fact that they haven’t lost since April 15 (2-1 to the Charleston Battery and former Memphis 901 FC boss Ben Pirmann) and steadied the ship with three consecutive 1-1 draws. But at the end of the day they are still outside of the playoff spots. They do feature a former Memphis 901 FC player in Marcus Epps who scored 3 goals in 15 appearances for the Beale Street Boys back in 2019.

When, Where

Date: Friday, May 19, 2023

Venue: ONEOK Field

City: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Time: 8pm CT

TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+

All-Time Series

Memphis 901 FC leads 5-1-0

Last Meeting

Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022

Venue: ONEOK Field

City: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Result: Memphis 901 FC 3-0 FC Tulsa

Conference Standing

Memphis 901 FC: 6th in East (12pts)

FC Tulsa: 10th in East (9pts)

Next Game

Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023

Competition: USL Regular Season

Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC vs. Miami FC

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: 7:30pm CT

TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+