Memphis 901 FC approached the new season with a sense of excitement, and a heightened set of expectations, after last season’s run to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Former head Coach Ben Pirmann had departed to the Charleston Battery, but Scotsman Stephen Glass arrived to lead a team which had kept much of its talented core intact. But nothing comes easy in the USL, and an opening day 3-1 loss to visiting Loudoun United reinforced that point.
The caveat here is that this was by no means a bad overall performance. For the first time in 901 FC history, there was continuity among the squad, showcased foremost in the midfield, with critical players Jeremy Kelly (pitching in with 8 goals and 10 assists last season) and Aaron Molloy (also 8 goals and 10 assists) lining up alongside each other in midfield. Memphis had more shots (15-9) and held more possession (53 percent), but Loudon came out on top in several key moments during the game. Indeed, the visitors signaled their potential danger early when Kalil ElMedkhar’s fourth minute diving header squirmed past Memphis keeper Drew Romig, but the offside flag kept the score at 0-0.
The warning was not heeded, however, as Memphis found themselves down 2-0 within the first 12 minutes. The first Loudoun goal, admittedly, was an astounding sequence of one-touch passing that carved the defense open before Tommy Williamson slotted his shot past Romig for 1-0. Just three minutes later, 901 FC defender Graham Smith turned the ball over with an errant pass just outside his own box, and Zach Ryan’s deflected finish left Memphis down two goals.
That’s a pretty big hole to climb out of, but Memphis gave it a go, and summer signing Bruno Lapa was the catalyst for the fightback. The forward stole the ball on the halfway line before driving forward solo, eventually playing a perfect pass in for Laurent Kissiedou, who settled before firing past Hugo Faroux at the near post to reduce the deficit.
But the match turned following a bizarre kerfuffle in the 2nd half. Loudon midfielder Houssou Landry started what looked like a series of patronizing pats on Kissiedou’s head after a coming together. The 901 FC midfielder took exception and swung his arm back while walking away, and hit Landry on what looked like his collarbone. Landry, however, went down clutching his face, and after deliberation, he received a yellow card for simulation. The referee also deemed that Kissiedou’s action constituted “violent conduct,” and sent him off with a straight red card, leaving Memphis to play with 10 men for the rest of the contest.
But 901 FC continued on unperturbed and did their best to attack Loudoun’s goal. Star striker Phillip Goodrum had a couple of decent looks saved, while Jeremy Kelly, Carson Vom Steeg, and Dylan Borczak all had decent chances to level the score. But while pushing for an equalizer, Memphis players were caught upfield in stoppage time and conceded a garbage time third to Ryan. A disappointing way to start the season, especially after spotting the opposition two goals within the first quarter hour, but on the overall balance of play, there’s no need to worry. This is still a very talented squad that can generate high quality chances, and most of these players are familiar with each other.
But looking ahead, there are a few wrinkles to examine. Coach Glass decided to experiment with Rashawn Dally at left back for opening day, and … it didn’t work. Dally, after all, is a forward, not a defender. He brings a lot of good qualities to the table, but that position is just not his game. Loudoun could be selective about their pressing, choosing to funnel the play over to Dally while they defended, and could usually count on him to cough up a turnover with which to spring their own attack.
Up top, it was always going to be interesting to see how Goodrum fared. Not too long ago, the striker sounded off with a pretty withering comment at a press conference:
“I had opportunities to go into Major League Soccer and go into Europe this offseason, and the club held me back from that. So I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t devastated to be back here. But look, I signed a two year contract, and so I’m here one more year. So play it out and see how it goes and hopefully we can go set a record and win some championships this year.”
That’s not what you want to hear from your record goalscorer heading into week one. And, of course, that’s only one half of the story, but it doesn’t help having an unsettled player. The striker wasn’t his usual sharpshooting self on Saturday, but still got into decent positions. It might be soon, or it might be a little longer, before he’s back in the right headspace. But in my mind, Goodrum has banked some credit after his stellar last season (22 goals!). He’s a pro, after all, and pros get on with it even if things aren’t going their way. (On a side note, the kit man probably needs to double check his work, as evidenced by the noticeably misspelled “Goodum” on the back of Phil’s jersey on Saturday.)
Up next weekend is a home match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday, March 18th at 4 p.m.
