June 25, 2022
USL Championship League Match
Autozone Park, Memphis, TN

Memphis Blues

Memphis. Situated in the southwest corner of Tennessee on the banks of the Mississippi River, it is the birthplace of influential strains of Blues and Rock-and-Roll. Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, and many others got their start in Memphis in the 1950s and 1960s.

Beale Street, between Main and 4th Street, was declared a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1966, and on December 15, 1977, Beale Street was officially declared the “Home of the Blues” by an act of Congress.

Memphis also has had its notable historic events. Ida B. Wells, a journalist who had been born a slave, published her Memphis-based The Free Speech, Headlight, and other publications exposing the inequities faced by African Americans and the evil of lynching. After the Lynching at the Curve in 1892, she wrote a scathing editorial. The lynching occurred because a white grocer named William Barrett found his business shrinking because of the success of a grocery nearby run by three black men, Will Stewart, Tommie Moss, and Calvin McDowell. The three black grocers were arrested and jailed based on trumped up charges. Three days later the downtown jail was stormed and Stewart, Moss and McDowell were dragged out and taken to the nearby Chesapeake and Ohio rail yards. After the publication of Ms. Wells’ editorial, the newspaper office was destroyed by a white mob while she was in Philadelphia.

The Sanitation Workers strike in 1968 brought nation-wide attention to Memphis. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on March 18th, then returned on March 28th to participate in a march. On April 4th, King was assassinated on the balcony of his hotel room at the Lorraine Hotel. (The hotel is now the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel which is a must-visit when in Memphis). The Ernest C. Withers Museum and Gallery on Beale Street is a gallery of the civil rights photographer. Martin Luther King Jr. knew the power of the photo. “The brutality with which officials would have quelled the black individual became impotent when it could not be pursued with stealth and remain unobserved.” He declared that photography was a “luminous glare revealing the naked truth to the whole world.” Withers not only photographed the civil rights movement, but entertainment and the Memphis Red Sox Negro League baseball team.

We faced Memphis 901 FC, and former City coach Ben Pirmann, back on April 2nd in a 1-1 draw at Keyworth. The goal on this 100-degree Fahrenheit evening was to take three points home.

Memphis 901 FC
Starting XI

Trey Muse – Goalkeeper
Patrick Seagrist – Defender
Niall Logue – Defender
Graham Smith – Defender
Rece Buckmaster – Defender
Aaron Molloy – Midfielder
Leston Paul – Midfielder
Jeremy Kelly – Midfielder
Lucas Turci – Midfielder
Derek Dodson – Midfielder
Phillip Goodrum – Forward

DETROIT CITY FC
Starting XI

Nate Steinwascher – Goalkeeper
Michael Bryant – Defender
Stephen Carroll – Defender/Captain
Devon Amoo-Mensah – Defender
Rhys Williams – Winger
Abdoulaye Diop – Midfielder
Maxi Rodriguez – Midfielder
Deklan Wynne – Winger
Pato Botello Faz – Forward
Connor Rutz – Forward
Antoine Hoppenot – Forward

Today’s head referee was Joshua Encarnacion, who has been the head referee in 26 USL Championship matches since 2020, including 4 this season. He’s also been the referee in 4 NWSL league and Challenge Cup matches. Not one to hold back the cards, in 2021 he showed 78 yellow, 1 second yellow/red, and 3 red cards in 18 games. Tonight he presented 5 yellow cards, four to City players Antoine Hoppenot, Deklan Wynne, Maxi Rodriguez, and Michael Bryant; and one to Phillip Goodrum of Memphis. Memphis coach and former City coach Ben Pirmann was also shown yellow, but those never show up in the stats. Ben Pilgrim and Austin Holt were the assistants.

City found themselves playing again on a baseball field, with terrible infield turf.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair. In the 21st minute, the ball was dribbled and passed around the top corner of the Memphis box, which resulted in Connor Rutz taking a low shot to the far corner that Memphis keeper Trey Muse palmed away.

Memphis then picked up the pace and in the 37th minute, Memphis was awarded a free kick about ten yards from the box (and from the infield turf between 2nd and 3rd base). Aaron Molloy lofted it into the center of the box where Graham Smith headed it to the far corner of the goal, beyond Nate’s reach, which gave Memphis the 1-nil lead.

This gave Memphis momentum and City the need to push. However the half finished with Memphis holding the lead.

1st Half Stats

Goals: Memphis 1, Detroit 0
Shots: Memphis 11, Detroit 4
Shots on Target: Memphis 1, Detroit 2
Possession: Memphis 56%, Detroit 44%
Fouls: Memphis 5, Detroit 9
Yellow Cards: Memphis 1, Detroit 1
Corners: Memphis 5, Detroit 2
Passes: Memphis 153, Detroit 132

Nate was called on again to keep City in the match. In the 56th minute, Molloy took another free kick from thirty yards out that was destined for the upper corner of the goal but for Nate pulling it down with both hands. In the 71st minute, Goodrum got open for a pass and fired it, but Nate’s positioning had Goodrum fire just over the bar. The biggest came in the 76th minute when Goodrum was sent in on a breakaway pass. He paused, let the City defender slide by, then fired. Nate was there and dove to punch it away.

City subbed in Francis Atuahene for Antoine in the 59th minute, then Macky Diop and Brad Dunwell for Pato and Maxi in the 60th. The fresh legs helped, but no scoring chances were created. Bosh Tanyi relieved Rhys Williams in the 86th minute.

Goodrum finally sealed the Memphis victory when Derek Dodson sent the ball through to him, giving him another one-on-one battle against Nate.

City remains in fourth place and Memphis tops the table with this victory.

Player of the Match was Devon Amoo-Mensah. He made two tackles, two interceptions, and made 59 passes with 76.3% accuracy.

STATS

Memphis 901 FC 2, Detroit City FC 0
MEM Graham Smith (Aaron Molloy) 37′
MEM Phillip Goodrum (Derek Dodson) 89′

REFEREE: Joshua Encarnacion
ATTENDANCE:3,883

Possession: MEM 48.1%, DCFC 51.9%
Offsides: MEM 2, DCFC 3
Corners: MEM 5, DCFC 5
Passes: MEM 327, DCFC 359
Passing Accuracy: MEM 72.8%, DCFC 72.4%
Shots: MEM 20, DCFC 7
Shots on Target: MEM 5, DCFC 2
Blocked Shots: MEM 6, DCFC 1
Fouls: MEM 13, DCFC 19
Yellow Cards: MEM 1 (Phillip Goodrum), DCFC 4 (Antoine Hoppenot, Deklan Wynne, Maxi Rodriguez, Michael Bryant)
Red Cards: MEM 0, DCFC 0

KEEPER KIT RECORD (Both USL Championship and Open Cup)

First loss in yellow.

Purple Kit: 3 draws
Yellow Kit: 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 2 clean sheets
Blue Kit: 5 wins, 1 draw, 4 loss, 2 clean sheets

IN OTHER USL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES TODAY:

Hartford Athletic 0, Louisville City 2
Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2, Tampa Bay Rowdies 5
The Miami FC 1, Los Angeles Galaxy II 3
Orange County SC 3, Loudoun United FC 1
FC Tulsa 2, Charleston Battery 1
New Mexico United 0, Birmingham Legion 2
El Paso Locomotive 5, New York Red Bulls II 0
Monterey Bay FC 1, Sacramento Republic 2
San Diego Loyal 5, Indy Eleven 0
Oakland Roots 3, Atlanta United II 0