Tag: Soccer

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Sports Sports Feature

With One Match Remaining, 901 FC Looks Ahead

CREDIT: 901 FC

With year two coming to a close, 901 FC has the chance to set a positive tone for the offseason. Everyone saw the graphic plastered up on the ESPN feed during last weekend’s 3-1 away win vs. the Charlotte Independence: If Memphis had won all the games in which it had gone ahead in Group G, then the team would have easily topped the group. Instead, defensive inconsistency frequently saw the team drop valuable points in the race for a playoff berth.

901 FC

Cal Jennings proved too much for the Charlotte defense to handle during 901 FC’s 3-1 win.

Despite a frustrating campaign, the squad and interim coach Ben Pirmann began the healing process with last Saturday’s victory over Charlotte. A shaky early 20 minutes culminated in a soft concession to Charlotte’s Dane Kelly, but from there, 901 FC flipped a switch and put on about as comprehensive a performance as we’ve seen this season. Midfielder Jose Baxter picked up his first goal with a sublime curler from outside the box after great work from Keanu Marsh-Brown. Cal Jennings continued his hot run of form with menacing runs throughout the 90, constantly tormenting Charlotte’s backline and helping himself to two more goals.

The defense, meanwhile, kept a level of focus that we haven’t seen in quite some time. There were none of the risky mistakes that we’ve seen over the course of the season from both center backs and fullbacks, and constant communication kept Charlotte from finding swathes of space to exploit.

And yet, the narrative for the game could have been so much different. Memphis took to the field with only 14 players on their roster; several had been cut from the squad due to violating some unspecified team rules. That meant the team had zero margin for error when it came to substitutions and injuries. Additionally, 901 FC had no chance of qualifying for the playoffs, while Charlotte looked to snag first spot in Group G. And yet, what we saw out there in Charlotte was a collective buy-in that said the squad wouldn’t give up. It would have been easy to phone it in for the remaining couple of games, but there was urgency, precision, and fight.

As mentioned before, Jennings made it his personal mission to race toward the Charlotte defense and keep them off balance. Marsh-Brown could easily be spotted chasing the opposition into his own defensive half to recover the ball. Tommy McCabe and Leston Paul were totally locked in at the center of the pitch, spinning and playing quick vertical passes to unlock their opponents. And at the back, goalkeeper Jimmy Hague recovered from an early error to make several crucial stops and keep Charlotte off the board in the second half.

The season didn’t pan out as the organization wanted, but the staff and the players know that. It was a season of fine margins, but Pirmann and the squad know they can do better. “At the end of the day, we can say ‘we were this far away from this many games,’” said Pirmann at a press conference earlier this week. “I know they put the graphic up during the game about the what if, but hopefully there are no more what ifs. Hopefully we can look at it and say this is what we’ve done, this is where we want to maintain standards, and then keep going from there. Whether it’s life or its 901 FC, there are a lot of learning lessons.”

While there won’t be any playoffs after year two, the team has shown what it’s capable of achieving at its peak, and I think that ceiling is certainly that of a playoff team. For now, it’s clear that the players have bought in to what Pirmann is selling, and the best thing they can do is go out with a bang after a run of positive results.

901 FC closes out its season at AutoZone Park against Birmingham Legion tomorrow, October 3rd, at 7 p.m.

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Sports Sports Feature

A Tale of Two Halves

Mark Segbers will line up for 901 FC in its home opener against Atlanta United 2 on June 16th. (901 FC/Eric Glemser)

It was the best of halves. It was the worst of halves.

For 45 minutes, Memphis put in one of its best performances of the season last weekend against the Charlotte Independence in North Carolina. But at halftime, a large lightning storm delayed the game, and the resulting electricity powered a machine to resurrect Charlotte’s Frankenstein monster, and the home team emerged reborn for the second half. In the space of just 16 minutes, 901 FC conceded three unanswered goals en route to a 3-2 defeat on the road.

Eric Glemser

Fullback Mark Segbers scored his first goal of the season, and was Memphis’ best performer on the night

Let’s start with the good stuff, though. Captain Marc Burch finally made a full start after a lengthy injury battle, and replaced Zach Carroll in the starting lineup. The rest of the back four remained unchanged in front of goalkeeper Jimmy Hague, and in the first half, the defensive unit had almost nothing to do.

The opening 45 minutes were all Memphis. The entire team pressed in unison, starving Charlotte of any space and pinging around quick passes that left the Independence chasing shadows. Midfielders Duane Muckette, Leston Paul, and Michael Reed were keenly aware of each other’s positioning and shifted to cover every time Charlotte threatened to break through the lines. In fact, the only real scare for Memphis was a highly acrobatic effort from Tresor Mbuyu that crashed off the crossbar.

Offensively, Memphis was ruthless and efficient, its slick passing machine humming along nicely and getting into good positions. In the 13th minute, the players produced what was almost a carbon copy of Keanu Marsh-Brown’s winner against St. Louis earlier this month. This time, it was Duane Muckette who turned into space in midfield and spotted a wide-open Mark Segbers making a run in behind. The former’s looped ball over the top found the fullback, who this time took the ball inside and hit his shot between Charlotte keeper Brandon Miller’s legs for 1-0.

Memphis saw out the rest of the half in complete control, but lightning storms at halftime caused a delay upwards of 45 minutes. That put a stop to 901 FC’s momentum, and allowed the Charlotte squad to take an extra breather and regroup. I don’t know what it was after the break (perhaps complacency?), but Memphis seemed unprepared for a reinvigorated Charlotte.

What rankles the most is that, in the 50th minute, Memphis should have put any lingering nerves to rest after scoring its second goal. Muckette and Segbers combined in the midfield third before the latter’s deep cross found Rafa Mentzingen unmarked at the far post, who took his volley with one touch to score his first goal of the season.

From there, though, it was all downhill. The Memphis press was no longer effective, with Charlotte easily playing through the midfield. And with Memphis’ center trio all having committed bodies forward, it left the 901 FC back four isolated against onrushing Charlotte attackers. Sloppy play made it too easy for the Independence to get back in the game, and the catalyst for the 16-minute turnaround came from the home team’s Dane Kelly, USL’s all-time leading scorer. Burch just missed his kick on a potential clearance in the 53rd minute, and Kelly pounced to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

In the 59th minute, Hague spilled a shot back into the center of the box and took down the attacker in his rush to reclaim the ball. Just like that, it was 2-2 after the resulting penalty was tucked away. Then, in the 69th minute, fullback Rece Buckmaster misjudged a long ball and Charlotte’s Luke Haakenson latched on to the pass. He beat Hodge all too easily as he cut inside and scored past Hague to make it 3-2 to Charlotte.

The pendulum swung wildly from one extreme to another in this game. If you told me at halftime that Charlotte would be the eventual victor, I’d have said you were crazy. After the first period, Memphis had held its rivals to zero shots on target. Unfortunately, the second half saw the reemergence of defensive frailties that had mostly been tamped down on in recent performances. 901 FC showed over the last month that it possesses the right players to string together some impressive attacking moves, but these kind of defensive showings will undermine any good efforts.

If Burch retains his spot in the side, as captain, it will be his responsibility to marshal the troops when things start to go wrong. Judging by the frailty shown in the second half (coupled with some of the performances from earlier in the restart) the upcoming match against runaway Group G leaders Birmingham Legion will require a strong and vocal leadership presence on the pitch. Memphis shouldn’t have let this lead slip at 2-0, but these things happen in soccer. Now, as always, on to the next.

901 FC travels to face Birmingham Legion this Saturday, August 22.

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Sports Sports Feature

Rough Restart for 901 FC in Birmingham

CREDIT: photo by Eric Glemser

There was always a chance this could happen; with several months of inaction, some teams would surely adapt to the protracted season better than others. While there were some promising signs in Memphis’ 3-0 loss to Birmingham Legion, a sequence of unfortunate errors ultimately doomed 901 FC to a rough road loss. But despite the defeat, Memphis must quickly turn its attention to Saturday’s match in Atlanta.

On paper, the statistics paint a pretty good picture of Memphis’ play. The team held the possession advantage (52 percent), made more passes than Birmingham, and had a significantly higher tackle success rate. In fact, Memphis was superior in almost every statistical facet of play, except for where it mattered: quality chances. Birmingham Legion newcomer Bruno Lapa scored twice on his debut, the opener a volley into the ground that looped over goalkeeper Tim Howard and into the net in the 22nd minute (was it on purpose or a bit of luck? I can’t say).

photo by Eric Glemser

901 FC goalkeeper and part-owner Tim Howard was unhappy with the Memphis defense in Birmingham.

The next two goals conceded were hard to watch from a Memphis perspective. The defense was all at sea in transition, applying minimal pressure as Lapa was played in down the left before making an easy square for Brian Wright to tap home the Legion’s second in the 31st minute.  On the third, centerback Liam Doyle and midfielder Michael Reed both stopped and waited for an offsides flag that would never come. By then, Lapa was in behind to cut in and shoot for his second and Birmingham’s third on 41 minutes. To cap it off, centerback Zach Carroll received a red card for pulling back Wright when the attacker was clean through in the 59th minute.

Coach Tim Mulqueen can’t budget for individual errors like he saw on Wednesday in his game plan, but since going 2-0 up against Indy Eleven in the first game of the season, Memphis has now conceded seven goals without reply. It’s a cause for concern, but the next few games should provide a clearer picture of whether this is a long-term issue. Doyle was imperious after signing for Memphis last season, while fullbacks Mark Segbers and Rece Buckmaster are both new to the squad. Defenses take time to gel properly, but it will have to be quick in the USL’s new format. With Carroll suspended for Saturday’s game against Atlanta United 2, we may see Marc Burch return to the starting XI; his veteran experience should be useful for a disorganized Memphis backline.

photo by Eric Glemser

Centerback Liam Doyle (left) and Howard tussle with Birmingham forward Brian Wright.

On the offensive end, Memphis put only one shot on target. Last year’s top scorer Brandon Allen uncharacteristically blazed over the bar from inside the six-yard box in the first half, while Duane Muckette also blasted high a presentable chance. On a positive note, new signing Cal Jennings came on in place of Allen in the 62nd minute for his first professional appearance. The forward gamely challenged for balls up top, making his presence felt, getting into the box, and holding up play well to bring other runners into the attack. It was a decent cameo for the Central Florida graduate, and has me excited for what he might be able to produce at this level.

The poor performance can hopefully be attributed to a prolonged absence of play for a side still bedding in many new players. But with matches every few days, there’s not a whole lot of time to adjust. Tomorrow, 901 FC visits Atlanta United 2; our opponents are coming off their own loss (2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies), but since they played a man down for almost the entire game, it’s hard to gauge what kind of threat they’ll pose to Memphis. Last season, 901 FC lost its home match against Atlanta 1-0, but won away 2-1.

In other news, AutoZone Park has received approval to allow a limited number of fans back into the stadium for home matches. With proper social distancing and safety regulations, about 1,000 fans should be able to attend matches and cheer on the squad.

Memphis 901 FC plays Atlanta United 2 away on Saturday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m.

Birmingham Legion 3 – 0 Memphis 901 FC highlights can be viewed here

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From My Seat Sports

Forza Calcio!

I was in a European soccer riot when I was eight years old.

Okay, this warrants an explanation. My family spent a memorable academic year (1976-77) in Torino, Italy, as my dad pursued his Ph.D. in economics. (He was studying people and policies in the country under Cavour, Italy’s first prime minister.) I was in 2nd grade at the time and fell in love with the city’s renowned soccer club, Juventus. I Bianconeri (“the Black and Whites”) were to Italian calcio what the New York Yankees are to American baseball. No Italian club has won more Serie A championships (35), and no Italian club sports as distinctive colors as the vertical stripes — yes, black and white — on Juve’s home kits. Before I came to cheer the likes of Lou Brock and Ted Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals, I had posters of Roberto Bettega and Dino Zoff on my bedroom wall.

In the spring of ’77, Juventus beat Spain’s Athletic Bilbao to win the UEFA Cup for the first time. Now known as the UEFA Europa League, this is a competition between qualifying clubs across Europe. It’s not the Champions League and nowhere near the World Cup, but four decades ago, let me tell you, it was a big deal, a title that made Bettega, Zoff, and friends kings of the pitch in Europe.

When Juventus clinched the championship in Spain, the streets of Torino — well before nightfall — went wild in celebration, chants of Forza Juve! filling the increasingly smoky air. The air was smoky, as my blurred memory recalls, because of small fires, not all of them celebratory. Torino, you see, has not one, but two major soccer franchises. If Juventus is the Yankees to northwest Italy, Torino F.C. is the Mets. And fans of Torino that May evening back in 1977 were not thrilled about the UEFA Cup coming to town. Not only were trash cans set aflame, there were Juventus flags burning on the sidewalk, some ripped from the hands of Juve fans riding along in trolley cars. It was scary for a boy of my age. And it was exciting. These were “Met” fans attacking a “Yankee” parade . . . but fueled purely by Italian blood. The culture’s reputation for passion — passione — is well-earned.

Images of that street riot have danced in my head of late for two reasons. The first: My 16-year-old daughter is in Europe this week, competing and touring with her own soccer club (Memphis FC). She’ll be exploring Brussels for much of the trip, but crossing into France for a couple of World Cup games, a live look at the greatest female soccer players on the planet. There won’t be any rioting (fingers crossed), and I doubt she’ll witness a rivalry along the lines of Juventus-Torino. But Elena will be immersed in a form of international sports culture only soccer — calcio! — can deliver.
Courtesy Memphis 901 FC

The Bluff City Mafia

My Juventus memories are also triggered by this town’s very own soccer club, 901 FC. Memphis is struggling in its first season in the USL Championship, having won but two of 14 matches (with five draws). But don’t tell the Bluff City Mafia, the band of fans who arrive at AutoZone Park on game night with multi-colored (and quite safe) smoke bombs and enough drums to wake Kong himself. Soccer culture has arrived in the Bluff City and it’s a culture that connects us globally in ways that the NBA hopes to someday. (When there’s a riot between a city’s rival basketball clubs in, say, Munich, let me know.) A few home wins will help 901 FC among casual fans. But the club’s mere existence has transformed Memphis sports culture, and for that I’m grateful.

My daughter is likely playing soccer in Europe as you read this column. And I still have Roberto Bettega on my wall at home. It is indeed a soccer world we call home. Glad we Memphians now have a permanent address.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Get on the soccer bandwagon at the Brass Door.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

If you’re one of the millions of people who forgot soccer existed the moment your buzz wore off after the U.S. Women’s National Team laid waste to everyone in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, then chances are you’ve rediscovered it these past couple weeks as the 2018 World Cup unfolds. If you’re just a casual fan, then you’re definitely back on the soccer bandwagon because baseball bores you and your life is so pathetic that you need a reason to drink beer at 6 a.m. Memphis is fortunate enough to have two great Irish pubs in Celtic Crossing and The Brass Door, the latter of which I visited last week to get back on the soccer bandwagon myself.

The Brass Door is a great place to kick it and watch soccer without actually having to kick anything, which is fantastic for someone like me who would prefer to watch sports without having to participate in them. That being said, I’m the only one who’s often actually sitting down at the bar, as everyone else is standing up and pounding fists and hugging people they don’t know whenever that one guy with the hair makes a goal, or as announcers spell it, a goooooooooooal. The Brass Door is comprised of two parts: On one side, a stately old bar is the centerpiece of a beautiful room with original checkered floors and tall windows; the other side has more of a sports pub feel, with the main attraction being the multiple TVs. To no one’s surprise, my friends and I can most often be found on the grittier side where spilling beer on others isn’t as frowned upon.

Seamus Loftus opened The Brass Door just a few years ago, and it has already undergone a bitchin’ menu change, courtesy of Patrick and Deni Reilly of Majestic Grille. While I celebrate all of the food there, I’m particularly into the brunch menu because it features a grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with beer cheese dip and a sunny-side up egg. If you’re watching soccer and drinking beer, there is exactly a zero percent chance you’re turning down a grilled cheese with cheese dip and an egg on top of it unless you’re vegan or a soulless weirdo.

The whole food menu is as colorful as Seamus’ language, which is why I can’t repeat most of the conversations I’ve had with him. I can tell you that he is the type of host to offer your friend who is inexplicably wearing Elton John sunglasses indoors a fine Scotch, served neat, that aforementioned friend drinks as a shot. He is the type of pub owner who is a part of the local soccer community, sponsoring both a recreation league team and a soccer-themed podcast, Round Table of Hooligans, that is recorded at the bar. He’s the guy whose soccer analysis you listened to on the Chris Vernon Show during the last World Cup, and he’s going to be your new favorite person to talk shop with if you find yourself at his bar.

The World Cup is a sports phenomenon in that it brings everyone together to actively hate on Portugal’s national team, which is why you will meet no enemies at The Brass Door, regardless of which side of the establishment you park yourself. The fancier side is bright and inviting; it purrs, “Come, sit at my large wooden bar and order a Smithwick’s,” which is fantastic if you’re popping in for lunch with a friend for a midday beverage. The pub side is darker and more forgiving of those who slept in last night’s makeup; it screams, “Hello, yes, hi! Order Jameson and yell about something that happened back in 2009!” Either way, the bartender who most often puts up with my friends and me, Joey, will be there to accommodate you without judgment.

Soccer is rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S. and The Brass Door has contributed to the local rise in interest, often hosting both the Memphis Gooners and American Outlaws Memphis. The World Cup comes to a close this weekend, so I’d suggest joining me in visiting so you can witness the fandom yourself. Next year, for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, plan on patronizing an Irish pub. I promise you that no one will be angry when you spray a whole beer on the floor from excitement, Seamus least of all. 152 Madison. 572-1813, thebrassdoor.com

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Opinion The BruceV Blog

Saturday in the Park: Scenes from Overton

Check out these shots from last Saturday posted by the Overton Park Conservancy. I think they put to rest the myth that the battle for the park is somehow an elitist struggle being conducted by “well-to-do Midtowners with too much time on their hands.”