Deep-diving Memphis 901's preseason opener
What a friendly against Atlanta United can tell us about Memphis ahead of their debut season in the West
As Colin Farrell in Miami Vice is to mojitos, I am to preseason soccer. The South is doing it right this winter, which means I’m able to hit the other half of the Southern Harm derby and talk Memphis 901 after breaking down Birmingham last week. What stood out in a 1-1 draw at Atlanta United?
Memphis lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, one featuring two familiar faces at the center back spots and new signings on the left wing (Noe Meza), at right back (Oscar Jimenez), and in net (Tyler Deric). First impression? This team will be competitive in the mid-range out West, probably around the level of your Colorado Springs and New Mexico types.
Without the ball in the first half, 901 defended in what I’d label a 4-4-1-1, using Bruno Lapa very aggressively out of the No. 10 spot. Often, Lapa would come level with Nighte Pickering at striker to put his side in a proper defensive 4-4-2. The focus was very clearly on tightly hugging the opposing No. 6 to deny controlled progression down the middle of the park.
Two examples of that look are shown above. In the first, it’s as described with Lapa popping high. Meanwhile, the Zach Duncan-Emerson Hyndman pivot hinges itself in the direction of the ball-carrying holding midfielder, tightening his windows downfield. Memphis stays tight, and a turnover ensues.
You get some variation in the second play. This time, Atlanta attacks toward 901’s right channel, but Lapa is lower down as he tracks the back of a midfielder. Instead of the No. 10 peeling off of his man, Luiz Fernando bursts high from his right wing position to re-create the 4-4-2. The hosts sputter out because of it.
Stephen Glass isn’t re-inventing the wheel here, but the level of execution was strong without the ball; Memphis lost the shot battle but gave up very few good looks. Against corners, they tended to use one zonal marker directly on the near post, with one of the center backs on the same vertical plane but sitting on the edge of the six-yard area. The other center back defended zonally in the heart of the six-yard box.
While I liked the defensive showing, Memphis’ attack was more of a mixed bag. This was a squad that went fairly direct last year; 55% of goalkeeper passes went long, and 901 ranked seventh in the league for their overall long passing share. What stood out in the preseason opener?
Progression through the middle was a lesson in chemistry. Memphis occasionally had ideas, but they struggled to find those third-man connections they needed to advance. The dynamic between Lapa, Duncan, and Hyndman wasn’t quite there yet - which is to be expected!
The three clips here illustrate the good and the bad. In the first example. 901 moves down the right wing, leveraging Hyndman and Oscar Jimenez near the halfway line. There’s a very narrow, easily-defended triangle that forms, and it does the guests little good. Meanwhile, Lapa is upfield, making a jaunt beyond the striker.
By contrast, #10 comes low in the second play, but the depth of the run and the lack of a replacing move by Hyndman or a complementary cut inside by one of the wingers leaves Memphis feckless again.
Watch how the last sequence sizzles against those other two. Yes, Memphis starts on the front foot, having just re-won the ball in a good area. Still, Duncan - who projects as a solid ball-winner and middling progressor according to his A-League stats - immediately dribbles forward. This time, Lapa spaces to the right at a good receiving angle, deftly linking with Duncan on a one-two while Pickering completes the trio.
If Memphis wants to be possessive, this is what they need. Lapa has all the passing talent you want in that in-between spot, and the ability for one of the central midfielders to advance on the dribble is paramount in throwing the defense off.
The question is whether this 901 side will play on the ground in that manner with regularity. More often than not, restarts and build-up sequences resulted in long balls over the top.
Above, you’ll see Lucas Turci hit three passes well into the opposing half. Turci, of course, was a driver on the early Night Pickering goal, too. I called out as much on Twitter, highlighting his carriage from the back.
Mainly, though, the left-footed Brazilian was focused on those lengthier attempts, preferring not to risk a deadly turnover on the dribble. His targets were almost always the wingers, who would make runs beyond a lower-showing Pickering. That rotational movement in the front line didn’t quite beat Atlanta, but it kept them honest, and it’ll do the same in USL play.
There’s a fairly popular dogma that left-footed defenders playing on the left side are preferable in build. Jason Hawkins, former GM of the OKC Energy, attested to as much in reply to my comments on Turci. A 2022 ESPN piece described the same phenomenon, discussing how those players “can also find better angles for a line-breaking ball into crowded, central areas” while “being at ease when successfully dribbling away from danger areas, or pin-pointing a crossfield switch ball.”
In any event, the Brazilian moved to the No. 10 spot for the second half, which is wild for a center back to do even if Turci is a natural midfielder by trade. It’s a good look at how Glass values his wildly unique skillset.
Overall? Good first go for this Memphis team. They haven’t overhauled their system to any real degree, and I think seeing this unit for real allayed my worst concerns about a too-slow defense - Atlanta targeted quick breaks and long balls a lot - or an overly cautious center.
Some other notes:
I liked seeing Noe Meza get the start on the left. He went off as a precaution after about five minutes, but if the first half/second half splits are meaningful, it means the former Omaha man will compete for minutes with Marlon at that spot.
Akeem Ward fuckin’ rules. One of my favorite full backs in the league. I wondered if he’d go back to the right with Oscar Jimenez on the left, but Ward stayed where he played for most of 2023.
Tulu played at center back out of the halftime break, but he ended up at right back as the second period wore on. He’s probably not quick or skillful enough for that to become a regular fixture, but it’s a nice back-up plan.
AB Cissoko rocking the #91 kit rules.
Two trialists were named on the broadcast: Andrew Dunn, a Nashville SC academy product who played as a right winger, and Jake Singer, the right back in the second half and a veteran of Cal and Virginia in the NCAA.
Two more trialists are evading me. A man-bunned winger called “Costia” or something to that effect was very influential in the second half; he had a really notable full-field recovery to save a goal against Aiden McFadden late on. Memphis also broke out a striker named “Kamara” nearer to the end of affairs.