Memphis 901 FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds Preview

With this Saturday’s Memphis 901 FC home game against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds being the first ever postgame fireworks show in team history, it is perhaps fitting that the team has been producing some fireworks on the field of late. After a rough start to the season, the Beale Street Boys are now one of the hottest teams in the league, having gone four games unbeaten with three wins and a draw. Marlon Santos and Bruno Lapa in particular are playing like men possessed as in those four games, Santos and Lapa have each scored four goals.

The wins against Birmingham and Tampa Bay were thrashings from start to finish as 901 FC scored early and scored often in each game. Then was a wild draw on the road against Monterey Bay which saw 901 FC fall behind, tie it up, take the lead with two minutes to play, and conceded an equalizer in stoppage time. Their last time out was no less dramatic as they went on the road to El Paso and fell behind to the Locomotive only for Marlon Santos to equalize five minutes later. And then, deep into stoppage time it was Bruno Lapa to tap in from six yards out (after a fabulous dummy run from Nighte Pickering) to win it with essentially the last kick of the game.

The nice run of form not only has everybody in very good spirits but also reflects why many within the organization were so high on this team coming into the season.

“We won the first game and then went on a little run where we didn’t get the points we probably deserved.” said Assistant Sporting Director Caleb Patterson-Sewell. “I think we were top five in chances created and we kept saying we’re doing the right things and stay the course. Now we’re getting the rewards for that on the field.”

Leston Paul, the team’s captain, expressed a similar sentiment.

“For sure the vibe is there. Even before when we were getting the results. Of course, winning changes a lot, but I didn’t think guys were down. You know? Because it was like, it’s close. We are creating chances but we weren’t scoring goals. The other team was getting two chances and scoring one, we would get five chances and we don’t score. We lose 1-0 or 2-1. So I think we were just close to seeing that we’re heading the in the right direction. I think eventually the bounces are going to go your way.”

While 901 FC has gotten hot after a slow start to the season, so too have the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. They went winless in their first five games, and while their last two outings have both been draws, they did manage to win three straight games between April 20th and May 4th. That means that after a five game winless streak to start the season, they come into the game against Memphis riding a five game unbeaten streak. During that stretch however, they did drop their home game in the US Open Cup to FC Tulsa (and then funnily enough went on the road to Tulsa in league play just four days later).

When, Where

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: 7:30pm CT

TV: WMC 5.3, ESPN+

Tickets: Memphis 901 FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds tickets

All-Time Series

Memphis 901 FC trails 1-5-0

Last Meeting

Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023

Venue: Highmark Stadium

City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Result: Memphis 901 FC 2-4 Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Conference Standing

Memphis 901 FC: 7th in West (13pts)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds: 7th in East (13pts)

Next Game

Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024

Competition: USL Championship

Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC @ San Antonio FC

Venue: Toyota Field

City: San Antonio, Texas

Time: 8pm CT

TV: WMC 5.3, ESPN+