The race to the playoffs continues for Memphis 901 FC with the club chasing another top-four finish with four matches to go in the regular season.
The Beale Street Boys will look to rebound at AutoZone Park and extend their 11 match home unbeaten streak with all three points over the visiting Oakland Roots SC. Memphis sits at No. 5 in the USL Championship Western Conference three points behind Las Vegas Lights FC.
Last time out, Memphis grabbed the lead with two early goals from Bruno Lapa to jump on Louisville in the first half before conceding four unanswered in a loss. The loss marked the first time Memphis fell behind after scoring first since April 20. 901 FC ranks third in the league with 25 first half goals.
“The big opportunity in it for us is to get another home playoff game like we did last year and hopefully more than one,” 901 FC Head Coach Stephen Glass said. “If we take care of business here at home and on the road we can get more chances for people to come and watch us.”
They’ll look to climb the table against an Oakland side looking for answers during a disappointing run of form.
Oakland was held scoreless through the entirety of September with four-straight losses since upsetting league leading New Mexico United 1-0 on August 31. Oakland fell to Tulsa 1-0 at home on Sunday not mustering much of an attacking effort.
“We haven’t brought the energy and the commitment that we’ve needed to earn the right to play the game,” said Oakland Head Coach Gavin Glinton. “Losing a lot of second balls frustrated our defending, just the initial battle that you need to have as a baseline to be able to play this game.”
The clubs played to a 1-1 draw on August 21 with Panos Armenakas scoring his first goal as a Beale Street Boy.
Memphis can clinch their fourth consecutive postseason berth with a victory on Saturday along with other favorable results around the league.
Memphis 901 FC clinches a Playoff Berth if:
- Memphis 901 FC wins vs. Oakland Roots SC, moves to 46pts
- AND – FC Tulsa loses vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, maximum available drops to 46pts; Memphis holds head-to-head tiebreaker (1-1-0, +1GD)
- AND – San Antonio FC fails to take victory vs. Sacramento Republic FC, maximum available drops to 44pts
Kickoff for the matchup at AutoZone Park is set for 7 p.m. CT. Fans can donate toys for patients of LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in the plaza before the match.
