Eric Glemser
A poor run of results this season led to the dismissal of 901 FC head coach Tim Mulqueen.
In a press release, 901 FC announced the dismissal of head coach Tim Mulqueen, effective immediately.
Assistant coach Ben Pirmann has been named interim head coach, and will manage the team in the next match against Louisville City this Saturday. Pirmann, who joined the staff in December 2018, has previous experience as a head coach, having spent six years in charge of Detroit City FC of the National Independent Soccer Association.
The announcement follows Sunday’s 3-2 loss to North Carolina FC, in which Memphis squandered a two-goal advantage.
“Tim was the first coach in 901 FC history and we are incredibly grateful for his countless hours and dedication to the club,” said principal owner Peter B. Freund. “That said, our goal from day one has been to build a winning culture and compete for a USL Championship and so far we have fallen short.”
Mulqueen was selected as the franchise’s inaugural head coach in August 2018, before the team launched in Spring 2019. In just under two seasons, he oversaw 11 wins, 11 draws, and 24 losses.
901 FC elaborated on the dismissal and a new coaching search at a press conference later this afternoon.
Today’s a tough day,” said 901 FC president Craig Unger, “and ultimately as we have said in our statements, that it’s about wins and losses, and our goal was to compete and compete quickly.”
My hat goes off to him, difficult times,” followed Howard. “An expansion club is very difficult to get up and running, and this year for everybody it’s been very difficult. Through trying times he’s been very steadfast in his work and his dedication to the team. Sports is very unfortunate in that when a team doesn’t perform and results don’t come the way we like, the manager suffers for that.
“We want to bring someone in who has a reputation of winning because that’s what our fans expect. As we start to do our due diligence, that’s part of the process. Our reach is thankfully far and wide, so we’ll leave no stone unturned trying to find the right manager to be our next head coach.
We’ve promoted Ben Pirmann to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. As we’ve told Ben, it’s his car to drive now. We’re going to sit back and observe, and he’ll be part of that coaching search process given that results go our way and we like what’s happening. We felt right now, given that results were trending in the wrong direction, that we needed to cut ties with coach Mulqueen and move forward. And it gives us, and him, time to move on to the next thing. The more time we have to find our next head coach, the better we’ll do.”
This season’s coronavirus-hit USL campaign has been tough for 901 FC, with only two wins from 12 matches so far. Memphis is directly competing with three others team in Group G for a playoff spot, but sits last on 10 points with 12 matches played.
