Memphis 901 FC looking for 2020 win
Memphis 901 FC is still searching for its first win of the season after a 2-2 draw with Charlotte Independence in front of a masked and socially-distanced Autozone Park crowd Saturday night.
The boys in blue dominated from the opening whistle and had the bulk of the possession Saturday night but couldn’t lock the game down. Twice Memphis took the lead and twice they allowed Charlotte to jam their foot in the door as 901 FC looked to close it.
Memphis should have found the winning goal at the end of regulation, but midfielder Duane Muckette couldn’t quite get on the end of a pass across the face of the goal from forward Cal Jennings.
Speaking about last weekend’s draw against Atlanta United II at practice this week, goalkeeper Tim Howard said that getting a point was good, but that the team had to find a way to get all three.
“When you dominate games in the fashion that we did, you can’t come away with a point; that has to be all three points,” he said.
His comments rang true after Saturday’s match as well.
In a condensed season and in a very competitive group, every point will matter for a team that has said since the preseason that the goal was a postseason run. Here’s what needs to happen for 901 FC to bag all three points next time out.
Stop giving up cheap fouls, late goals
Charlotte had not been giving Memphis’ defense much trouble until a poor foul by Leston Paul outside the 18-yard box a few minutes into the second half gave the Independence a dangerous free kick. A header off the set piece led to
Charlotte equalizing, something that looked unlikely before the foul.
Conceding goals just before the half and near the end of regulation was a problem that plagued 901 FC throughout the 2019 season ,and the same problem has presented itself in the 2020 campaign. A goal in first-half stoppage time in the season-opening loss to Indy Eleven kick-started a comeback for Indy and its three goals in the second half sealed the match.
Memphis had the lead and the momentum heading into the final 10 minutes of Saturday’s game, but Charlotte’s Valentin Sabella was able to work his way into the box — possibly because of an uncalled foul, which Howard gave the referee and earful about moments later — and pull his team level in the 83rd minute.
Clinical finishing
Coach Tim Mulqueen has made this point after every other match this season and it remains relevant now. Memphis 901 FC has to finish on more of the chances it creates. Memphis got 17 shots off, five of them on target Saturday night. In comparison, Charlotte took nine shots all night. Only two were on target, but both found the back of the net.
Mulqueen said he thought his team needed to take the lead early to win and forward Brandon Allen put 901 FC ahead with his third goal of the season just before the 16-minute mark and defender Rece Buckmaster put Memphis back in the lead shortly after Charlotte equalized for the first time. But after that, the squad missed several chances to put the game away, leaving the opportunity for Charlotte to bag the late equalizer.
Seize every advantage
Memphis had a big advantage coming into Saturday’s match. They had played two games since the restart, while Charlotte hadn’t played since March. Memphis’ first two games back weren’t always pretty, but it gave the players an opportunity to get their legs under them after the season suspension and fine-tune the kind of communication that can be developed in practice but is perfected during games.
And there’s a big difference between being fit and being match fit. No matter how hard Charlotte had been training, nothing prepares you for 90 minutes of competitive soccer like 90 minutes of competitive soccer. Memphis looked more energetic and more synchronized than Charlotte all night, but couldn’t leverage that advantage enough to put the game away.
Memphis was also playing at home. While necessary safety measures prevented fans from coming to the game en masse and creating the loud, energized atmosphere seen in previous home games, there’s something to be said for sleeping in your own bed the night before a match and playing on a familiar field, Mulqueen said earlier in the week.
Howard also said earlier this week that 901 FC needed to collect as many points as it can, meaning home games need to be won.
“I think in all sports, but particularly soccer, you hear about making homefield count and making sure that you win the home games, so that’s obviously a priority for us,” he said.
Memphis is at home again next weekend hosting Saint Louis FC, who has two wins and a loss on the season.
I always want to hear from you. Tell me what you thought of Saturday night’s match, share your experience if you were at Autozone Park and send me your score predictions for next weekend’s fixture. You can reach me via email at Corinne.kennedy@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Corinneskennedy