MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis 901 FC secured a victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday night at AutoZone Park, thanks to goals from Marlon and Oscar Jimenez.
The Beale Street Boys’ offense outperformed Pittsburgh’s formidable defense, extending their unbeaten streak to five matches, with four wins in their last five games. Despite Pittsburgh conceding only four goals in their previous seven matches, they were quickly behind with Marlon’s 7th-minute goal and Jimenez’s strike in the first minute of the second half.
Marlon opened the scoring early by gaining possession at the top of the box and netting the ball with just two touches. He has been a standout in the USL Championship, contributing five goals and five assists during Memphis’s unbeaten run.
“He (Marlon) was unfairly put in difficult positions early in the season due to necessity," 901 FC Stephen Glass said after the game. "We lost our fullbacks. He's had an unbelievable May. I think if there’s another player in the league that’s had a better season, I’d be very surprised so we’re hopeful that people recognize how good he was. He’s brilliant from start to finish including Birmingham in late april. It's important that we continue but we’re delighted with him and the credit goes to him for his work rate.”
Memphis conceded the majority of possession to Pittsburgh in the final 15 minutes of the half. The 901 FC backline held strong and goalkeeper Tyler Deric made a fantastic save towards the end of the half.
Jimenez’s goal came from a precise delivery by Luiz Fernando, finding the veteran defender at the far post to score at an angle. This goal marks Jimenez's first for the club.
Memphis' defense stifled Pittsburgh, limiting them to just two shots on target. Meanwhile, 901 FC tested Riverhounds' goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta with seven shots on target, forcing the Panamanian to make four saves.
The efforts of 901 FC’s back four, along with midfielders Emerson Hyndman and Zach Duncan, were crucial in thwarting Pittsburgh's attacks. Memphis showcased their defensive prowess by winning 74% of their tackles.
With this win, Memphis 901 FC improved to a 5-5-1 record, moving into the the third spot of the USL Championship Western Conference standings after 11 weeks of play.
“We’re happy with the work we’ve done recently and we’re aware of how quick it can turn," Glass said after the game. "We’ll always have that in the back of our mind. Having that early in the season has been a big driving force. We don’t want to go back to where we were. We felt we were performing well but the results weren’t coming. I think we’ve ground out a couple where we weren't fantastic but we did enough to win games. Good teams do that and good teams win games like the players did tonight so it’s a good three points for us.”
Memphis 901 FC will travel to face San Antonio FC on Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m. CT. They will return to AutoZone Park on Saturday, June 8 to play against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.