After winning a thrilling season opener last week, Memphis 901 FC suffered a bitter 2-1 defeat against Indy Eleven in a thrilling interconference clash at AutoZone Park on Saturday afternoon. The Beale Street Boys fought valiantly but couldn’t overcome an early deficit and a second-half red card.
The first half belonged to the visitors, who struck twice before the break. Indy Eleven capitalized on Memphis’ sluggish start and punished the home side’s defensive lapses.
However, the tide dramatically turned in the
second half when Memphis defender Oscar Jiménez received a second yellow card, leaving his team a man down.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Memphis 901 FC roared back to life. They pressed relentlessly, outshooting Indy 17-11 for the match.
“I think if a team was going to score a goal in the second half it was going to be us,” said Memphis Coach Stephen Glass. “Everything we didn’t do in the first half, we did in terms of pure endeavor and desire to go forward and be dangerous and we almost got the reward.”
In the dying moments of stoppage time, AB Cissoko scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal – his first USL Championship goal – to ignite hopes of a comeback. But time ticked away, and the Beale Street Boys ultimately fell short.
Afterward, head coach Stephen Glass lamented his team’s slow start. “We can’t start games and allow teams to dictate pace,” he said. “We got what we deserved based on the performance in the first half.
“You can’t take away how disappointing the first half was,” Glass said.
Glass praised his players’ resilience despite the adversity but emphasized the need for greater consistency. “We need to start games like we played the second half… there’s awareness that you cannot start games like that in this league,” he said.
The Beale Street Boys face a quick turnaround, with an early bye week before traveling to face Sacramento Republic FC in their first Western Conference road clash on March 30th.
