There is just one regular season game remaining in the USL season. For Memphis 901 FC, it’s a road game against New Mexico United. After a resounding 4-0 win over the El Paso Locomotive last Saturday night, a home playoff game is tantalizingly close for the Beale Street Boys. The final hurdle is no trifling matter however, as New Mexico is a tough place to play and the team is fighting for their playoff lives. All Memphis needs is a draw to secure the 4th spot. Can they get it done?
901 FC’s push for a home playoff game really got started with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies back on September 6th. Much like a 3-2 win over the Birmingham Legion in September of 2021 proved to be a turning point for that year’s team, so too did this particular September win prove to be a turning point. Since that thrilling comeback over Tampa, 901 FC has played six games. They have won three of them and drawn another one (on the road at Birmingham, a notorious house of horrors for the Beale Street Boys). Those three wins were 4-2 at home over the hapless Hartford Athletic, 4-2 on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies (a victory which clinched 901 FC’s third straight playoff appearance) and most recently the aforementioned 4-0 home thumping of the El Paso Locomotive. Saturday’s win against El Paso was all the more impressive because the Locomotive are fighting for their playoff lives in the Western Conference. The final game of the regular season for Memphis is against New Mexico, who sit in 8th place just below El Paso in the standings out West. All Memphis needs is a draw and they get the home playoff game. Can they do it?
Memphis may need just a draw but New Mexico needs a win to secure their place in the playoffs, as the 9th placed Oakland Roots, the 10th placed Monterey Bay FC, and the 11th placed Rio Grande Valley Toros are all within three points of them. It’s safe to say they will be giving maximum effort. It means this is going to be no easy task for the Beale Street Boys. New Mexico has been in decent for of late as they make their push for the playoffs. Their last five games have been three wins, a loss, and a draw. One of those wins was actually a tremendous help to 901 FC as on September 30 they beat Louisville City who sits just two points behind Memphis in the Eastern Conference standings. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 thriller against the Phoenix Rising that saw them take a 2-0 lead in the 83rd minute only for Phoenix to pull one back five minutes and force New Mexico to hang on for dear life.
When, Where
Date: Friday, October 13, 2023
Venue: Isotopes Park
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Time: 8pm CT
TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+
All-Time Series
Memphis 901 FC leads 1-0-0
Last Meeting
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Venue: Istotopes Park
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Result: Memphis 901 FC 2-0 New Mexico United
Conference Standing
Memphis 901 FC: 4th in East (52pts, clinched playoff spot)
New Mexico United: 8th in West (43pts)
Next Game
Date: TBD
Competition: USL Championship Playoffs
Match-up: TBD
Venue: TBD
City: TBD
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
Photo Credit: D’Angelo Connell Photography