Rivalry Game Part Two: 901 FC win streak on the line in the Derby City

While Memphis 901 FC vs. Louisville City turned into a real rivalry the last two years or so (after being totally dominated by Louisville early on in 2019 and 2020) the previous meeting between these two teams back in April at AutoZone Park was not one of the more illustrious chapters in that book. A lackluster crowd of 3,644 saw Louisville take the lead in the 9th minute and Memphis equalize in the 52nd minute through Luiz Fernando. Absent were the kind of fireworks that the September 2022 game in Louisville is known for. Not every game in a rivalry lights it up but with 901 FC rolling into the Derby City as one of the hottest teams in the USL anything is possible.

901 FC’s current hot streak has allowed them to charge up the standings in the Eastern Conference after an absolutely dreadful start to the season. The Beale Street Boys are unbeaten in eight straight games dating back to a 1-1 draw with at Miami FC on April 1. Even better is that the last four of those eight games have all been wins. It started with a 2-0 win at Hartford Athletic and was followed by a 2-1 at home against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Next up was a 2-1 win away to FC Tulsa. It culminated with a 5-1 drubbing of Miami FC at home last Saturday. 901 FC manager Stephen Glass is pleased with the most recent win but isn’t letting it distract the team from the next game.

“It’s business as usual really. I think regardless of what happened last Saturday we start looking at Louisville,” Glass said. “It’s nice to come in off the back of a victory but you know that you get nothing for it come Saturday night. So the process starts again and we look to try and start building and make sure that we’re in the best position we can be to go and win on Saturday.”

While 901 FC may be on a hot streak right now, Louisville has been getting mostly good results but the performances have left a little bit of something to be desired. Since the 1-1 draw against Memphis back in April they’ve posted two wins, one loss, and one draw: a 3-1 win over Miami FC, a 2-1 loss to FC Tulsa, a labored 1-0 win against Indy Eleven and then a listless 0-0 draw with Hartford Athletic last Saturday. Glass is aware of the challenges presented by Louisville but also took note of their most recent outing against Hartford.

“They’re an experienced team. They play a similar way all the time. They’re particularly hard to beat because they’ve had six clean sheets out of twelve which is quite impressive. But I also saw that they struggled to break down a Hartford team that sat in against them. We’ll present a problem to them I think but as always we’ll focus on ourselves rather than too much of the opposition.”

Perhaps the biggest news coming into this game is the transfer of Louisville star player Joshua Wynder from Louisville City to Portuguese giant Benfica at just 18 years old. Wynder’s departure is good for the league but in the short term hurts Louisville because he’s such a good player. However, Stephen Glass doesn’t intend to change his team’s preparation based on this latest news.

“Eh, no. I think he played the last game against us but he’s been away on international duty* for a while. I think what it does show is the strength of the league,” said Glass. “That when there’s young players like that who are attractive to foreign clubs or MLS clubs that will come and spend the money it shows what you can produce and what the league’s value does. We know that we’ve got one ourselves on our books with Nighte Pickering that can be anywhere he wants to be and he’s working hard at the minute and pushing and becoming better all the time.”

*Wynder was called up by the full USMNT in April against Mexico but did not play and just played four out of five games with the US at the U-20 World Cup in Argentina

When, Where

Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

City: Louisville, Kentucky

Time: 7pm CT

TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+

All-Time Series

Memphis 901 FC trails 2-6-2

Last Meeting

Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

Attendance: 3,644

Score: Memphis 901 FC 1-1 Louisville City

Conference Standing

Memphis 901 FC: 5th in East (18pts)

Louisville City: 4th in East (21pts)

Next Game

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Competition: USL Regular Season

Match-Up: Memphis 901 FC vs. Detroit City

Venue: AutoZone Park

City: Memphis, Tennessee

TV: WMC 5.2, ESPN+