A road match against a top team is already a tough task. Add a first half red card into the mix and the possibility of a result dwindles further.
Memphis experienced the uphill battle against the Charleston Battery, ultimately falling 3-1. Lucas Turci was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a handball (first cautioned for a bad foul). Memphis conceded shortly after and were on the back foot for the majority of the match afterwards.
Former Beale Street Boys Chris Allan, Mark Segbers and Graham Smith were in the starting lineup for Charleston. The number of familiar faces was dampened a bit with head coach Ben Pirrman serving a red card suspension and Aaron Molloy out due to injury.
Memphis also had a pivotal player out of the lineup with Marlon Santos. A discouraging sign for a club that has struggled for goals in recent weeks (three goals in the past five games). Forward options Bruno Lapa and Luiz Fernando were lively to start, looking to correct the goal scoring woes. The Brazilian duo had the first two chances of the game with shots from outside the box.
Charleston have not had any trouble putting the ball in the back of the net. They sent five past Indy Eleven their last time out and all came in the second half. It took time for their offensive motor to kick into gear. Similarly, they had nothing going in the first ten minutes against Memphis until a few warning shots appeared.
Triston Henry, earning his third consecutive start for 901 FC, had to deal with several balls sent into the box. In-swingers arrived from corner kicks, low-driven crosses became bothersome.
In response, Memphis had a stretch of possession where they built up promising chances of their own. A long-range Lapa effort headed to the top right corner was saved in the 20th minute. Zach Duncan and Nighte Pickering added on with shots of their own not long after.
All of the momentum started to lean towards Memphis as they continued to compile touches in the attacking third. The advantages quickly disappeared in the 37th minute after Turci was sent off. The Battery scored four minutes later. Nick Markanich chested down a cross and volleyed it past Henry for his 21st goal of the season.
Memphis survived the remaining minutes of the first half after Carson Vom Steeg was subbed in for Emerson Hyndman. They switched to a back three to begin the second and looked to be more aggressive than the Battery. Their push for an equalizer was rewarded in the 50th minute. Amidst appeals for a handball, Memphis played on with Alvaro Quezada saving the ball on the end line and Samuel Careaga scoring with his left foot.
The Battery seemed to be caught off-guard by the waves of pressure from the 10-men Memphis side. Another Careaga strike, this time from far-off, needed to be parried away. Quezada nearly scored from a corner kick but the ball was deflected off the line in the 54th minute.
After absorbing all of the 901 attacks, Charleston scored with their first opportunity after the break. Their other potent goal scorer, MD Myers, collected the ball after Markanich went to ground inside the box and was clinical. The build-up play involved using the wide areas and sending in a pinpoint cross.
The third and decisive goal for Charleston arrived in the 72nd minute with a stunning strike from Juan Torres into the bottom right corner, past the diving Henry.
Next Game
Memphis has a mid-week game to respond to the loss, taking on Miami FC on the road Wednesday, August 14 at 6pm.