The unbeaten streak lives on as Memphis 901 FC beats Louisville City FC

The results keep coming for Memphis as they have now won five-straight games (unbeaten in nine) after their 3-1 win against Louisville City FC. Goals once again came from multiple different players as the balanced attack has soared during this run.

Nighte Pickering put Memphis on the board early, while two second half goals from Laurent Kissiedou and Rodrigo da Costa sealed the deal. 901 FC dominated the attack in the first half, and switched to a counter-attacking approach in the 2nd half. Memphis continued to showcase their offense with three goals, but the defense stayed composed throughout the match — switching off only once where they conceded their only goal of the match.

The win also continues Memphis’ dominance on the road, as the team has failed to lose away from AutoZone Park — winning three and drawing once. The team doesn’t seem to be fazed by any opposing crowd, which was particularly impressive when up against 10,000+ voices inside Lynn Family Stadium.

With the win, Memphis takes the regular season series against Louisville as they drew 1-1 earlier in the season.

Recap:

With Memphis in red-hot form and Louisville desperate to turn their goal-scoring fortune around, it was not surprising that both teams attempted to gain a foothold through their attack in the opening minutes. There were two promising chances that quickly flamed out due to the offside flag being raised. One early attack from Memphis caused a bit of chaos as Louisville’s goalkeeper, Oliver Semmle, ventured out of the box and failed in his attempt to clear the ball — resulting in an open net for Kissiedou. Wesley Charpie quickly came to Semmle’s rescue.

Pickering was heavily involved for 901 FC right from kickoff, showing incredible versatility for such a young player (reminder: he is only 18 years old). He found dangerous areas around the box, ready to strike at a moments notice while also floating out wide to start build-up play.

Memphis continued to have the upper hand as the clock ticked on. They were brimming with confidence despite being on the road in one of the most hostile environments the USL has to offer. This animosity from the Louisville faithful ramped up as the first half went on after a string of fouls went against the home team. A collision during this stretch caused Carson vom Steeg to be subbed out due to an apparent head injury.

Although Louisville had a couple of quality shots toward goal, most of their opportunities lacked the finishing touch they have been missing all season. Most of their chances came from transitional play after Memphis lost possession, but they often fell apart once they entered the final third — whether it was an errant pass or ill-timed shot.

After absorbing a bit of pressure, 901 FC found their golden opportunity in extra time of the first half with a Bruno Lapa run that eventually found the foot of Pickering. He struck the ball with his left foot and the ball soared into the top-left corner — nothing the outstretched goalkeeper could do.

With a goal advantage, the name of the game for Memphis turned to survival. The first 20 minutes of the second half were dominated by Louisville in both shot total and possession. Seemingly every few seconds, a ball was being launched into the box by a City attacker. Drew Romig and the Memphis backline were tested time and time again with deflections and shots on goal continuing to increase. In the 70th minute, a counter-attack opened up with Kissiedou scoring off a deflection from an opposing defender.

This jump started a flurry of goals with two more coming in the next five minutes of play. Louisville promptly responded with a Wilson Harris goal, breathing life back into the crowd. More ‘survival mode’ might have been expected from Memphis in their attempt to steal three points on the road, but Rodrigo da Costa got the insurance goal right back. His first while apart of the 901 came off a timely run and a bit of skill to get around the keeper.

Taking a look at the standings after the victory, Memphis is now level with Louisville (both with 21 points), but Memphis has played the least amount of games out of anyone in the Eastern conference. If the unbeaten streak continues, there is a possibility that 901 could be top of the league by the time they catch up.

Memphis returns to AutoZone Park next Saturday, June 17 to take on Detroit City FC.

(Photo: D’Angelo Connell Photography)