Memphis USL team reveals new name
At 9:01 a.m. on “901 Day,” Memphis’ United Soccer League franchise announced its new identity: Memphis 901 FC.
The name refers to the region’s area code with a logo that pays homage to Memphis’ historic Beale Street.
On Sept. 1, leadership behind bringing 901 FC to Memphis posed for photos wearing 901 gear inside AutoZone Park, newly transformed into a soccer field.
“We have so many people working hard behind the scenes,” said Tim Howard, a soccer legend who lives in Memphis and serves as a consultant for the 901 FC ownership group. “The city’s ready for it. We’re tired of being USL Memphis, now we’re real, now this is for everybody.”
Howard said as fulfilling as it was to see the new 901 FC crest projected above AutoZone Park, he is eager to see the brand around the city in bars, concerts and more.
The crest includes an LP record in the center and a crown on top that refers to “kings” of Memphis music such as Elvis and B.B. King, according to a news release.
Andrew Bell, sporting director, said keeping the 901 FC brand quiet has been “a big secret.”
“We think it resonates with the city,” he said. “I’ve been itching to tell people. Now we can tell everybody.”
By the afternoon of Sept. 1, 12-yearold Kyle Cacy was struggling to pick out a souvenir displaying the 901 FC logo before the “Soccer Showdown” exhibition game.
Kyle plays for the Atoka American Youth Soccer Organization, where his father is a coach, and said he wants to start his soccer career at 901 FC.
“It means everything to the soccer that’s growing in the area,” said James Cacy, Kyle’s father. “It’s an up-andcoming sport. More and more people are going to it ... We finally get to see professional soccer at the local level.”
The exhibition game was between the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, featuring Howard as its goalie, and the Tulsa Roughnecks FC of the United Soccer League.
Before it started, Chris Smith and Anna Fisher browsed the gift shop, each buying a hoodie with the logo.
“I’m ready to see things diversify here,” Smith said. “We love coming to see the baseball games, but we want to see soccer make it just as awesome.”
Memphis 901 FC will begin play in March.