Memphis 901 FC vs. San Antonio FC Preview

Despite the loss last week on the road in Tulsa, the mood for Memphis 901 FC is upbeat. Not only are they back home after nearly a month away from AutoZone Park, but they’ve added some reinforcements to the roster as well, with the additions this week of goalkeeper Triston Henry and forward Jon Bakero. Saturday night against San Antonio FC could be the first opportunity for fans to get a look at the new signings.

“We had Taylor Bailey leave earlier in the year just due to some personal issues.” said Caleb Patterson-Sewell when asked about signing another goalkeeper. “We felt we needed one more goalkeeper to come in and give us a hand. And obviously Tyler’s taken a knock on the weekend so the timing couldn’t have been any better. But we’ve known about Triston for a long time. I have some connections up in Canada, having played in Toronto and worked up there as well. So, very well aware of his pedigree and where he’s come from. He’s played in some big arenas and he’s played in the CONCACAF Champions League.”

Patterson-Sewell was also very excited to relay what he liked about Jon Bakero.

“Really good movement in and around the box. I think we’ve probably, if we’re being honest, been one or two players light this season, especially when Neco went down. We’ve moved Marlon to striker and I don’t think anybody would complain about that move right now. But I definitely think we needed a different dimension up there than can help us out. He’s got good size, he’s got really good touch. He knows what this league is all about. He’s been here and had great success in this league. He’s been abroad and just come off his season. He’s played in MLS. So he’s well versed.”

Head Coach Stephen Glass is also excited to not only be getting reinforcements, but to be getting them after such a long stretch of games on the road.

“Yeah, it’s been a long few weeks on the road. The lads have been looking forward to getting back home and playing in front of their own crowd again.” he said. “Some decent performances away. A little bit mixed at times but really looking forward to come back and like you said, a couple new players in the mix as well, which I think will really help the group. Experienced, quality players and they’ll give us a fresh impetus as well. Increase the competition for places and we’re looking forward to seeing them in a blue jersey as well.”

San Antonio may have won the last meeting between the two teams back in early June, but it has been mostly downhill for them since then. In fact, they’ve played seven games since their last meeting against the Beale Street Boys. They’ve lost six of those seven games. Their only win during that stretch was a 2-1 home win against Phoenix Rising, who had just fired their coach following a loss to…Memphis 901 FC. Despite the poor run of form, San Antonio is only six points out of the playoff places. The Western Conference Standings are as tight as ever, which Coach Glass will occasionally use to give the players a little bit of extra motivation.

“I normally say we don’t look at the table but we look at it every week,” Glass said with a laugh. “It’s very tight. I look at it in terms of being able to put things on the players. If there’s an opportunity to separate yourselves from the rest, there’s a danger that you get sucked in. So choosing the right moment to make the players aware of which way you want to look. If they’re feeling down we start talking about ‘we can be second here’ or if they’re feeling like they’re above themselves it’s ‘if we’re not careful we could be slipping out of the playoffs.'”

When, Where

Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: 7;30pm CT

TV: WMC 5.3. ESPN+

Tickets: Memphis 901 FC vs. San Antonio FC tickets

All-Time Series

Memphis 901 FC trails 0-3-0

Last Meeting

Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024

Venue: Toyota Field

City: San Antonio, Texas

Result: Memphis 901 FC 0-1 San Antonio FC

Conference Standing

Memphis 901 FC: 4th in West (28pts)

San Antonio FC: 11th in West (20pts)

Next Game

Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024

Competition: USL Regular Season

Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC vs. El Paso Locomotive

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: 7:30pm CT

TV: WMC 5.3, ESPN+

Tickets: Memphis 901 FC vs. El Paso Locomotive tickets