Asheville City Soccer Club were handed their first ever home loss on Thursday night, courtesy of Memphis City FC. The Blues fell 2–1 on a rainy night at Memorial Stadium.

The weather in downtown Asheville on Thursday evening was… not great. Rain sent close to 200 people under the bleachers before the start of the match. By kickoff, however, the stadium was once again packed with 2,027 loyal fans enduring the cold, wet situation that was Memorial Stadium. That’s good for the second highest attendance at an ACSC game, only behind the inaugural match.

As a player, I have always felt rain intensifies any competition. I can’t speak for 100% of the folks on the field a couple of nights ago, but even as a fan, any alteration in the weather conditions and you can feel the shift in energy, quite literally, in the air.

(Photo Credit: Alex Hamilton)

The rain would continue off and on for the first half, although there were no real mistakes or hesitation to be found. The first scoring chance for Asheville came in the 23rd minute on a penalty kick. Elma N’For was tripped inside the box, leading to a Christian Szalay showdown with Memphis keeper, Bennet Strutz. Unluckily for the home side, Benny Boy guessed correctly and kept the ball out of the back of the net. The rebound was cleared by the defense, and Asheville failed to convert on a PK for the first time on the season.

Memphis City had one major chance before the end of the half. The ball was kept deep on Asheville’s side for a minute or more, resulting in a couple of shots on target, the last of which was ripped toward goal, deflected off of ACSC keeper, Parker Siegfried, and ricocheted off of the post. Fortunately for the side wearing blue, it was cleared soon after. Memphis would retain the majority of possession (52%) in the first half, which concluded with no scoring from anyone.

It didn’t take long for Memphis to get on the board in the second half. There was a scramble in the box in the 48th minute with the ball bouncing around amidst the sloppy play of both sides, and it appeared as though the weather was finally showing its effects. Jermaine Steele was able to get a foot on the ball and it found its way through two Asheville defenders and past Siegfried.

Five minutes later Lewis Jones took a shot from the left side, just outside the 18'. There was a little traffic in front, but still a clear path to the keeper. As the ball approached on the ground, Parker knelt to scoop it up, only to have it slip between his hands and though his legs. This was the type of sloppy goal as a product of the weather that we feared coming in. 2–0 to the visitors.

A shot slips past Parker Siegfried for Memphis’ second goal. (Photo Credit: Alex Hamilton)

Asheville would remain down by two for 14 minutes, when in the 67th minute, Elma N’For (the man himself) got behind the Memphis back line. This wasn’t the first or last time this would happen on Thursday, but this time N’For would capitalize. He beat a charging Strutz to the ball, just getting a toe on it in time to chip it wide of Strutz’s reach and into the corner of the goal.

The South Slope Blues went ballistic. This may have been the loudest roar I have personally heard at Memorial, but then again, I sadly missed the PK in the 93' of the Knoxville match. I had to imagine that was an ecstatic crowd as well.

So Asheville was right back in it. They had all of the momentum (and it showed with 53% of the possession for the second half), and guess what…no red cards! Only a few short minutes later, Bryan Bartels headed a long cross just wide of the post, causing a collective sigh that could be heard from the Biltmore Estate. That was the last great opportunity the Blues would muster up and Memphis City would hold on for a 2–1 win.

As heartbreaking as the first home loss ever can be, there were some great positives to this game. Kenny Anderson and Cameron Saul stepped up to starting roles for the suspended Miller and Botfield. Both played exceptionally well. The depth we have shown is very reassuring, with the likes of familiar subs such as Jackson Allen, Jack Lewis, Ben Chapal, and Grady Bradshaw, as well as the lesser-played fellows such as Alex Lewis and Bryan Bartels. Everyone has been stepping up and no one looks out of sync.

(Photo Credit: Alex Hamilton)

Another huge win is the percussion section that has now made an appearance in the South Slope Blues bleachers the last 2 games. The guy has rhythm… and bangs away for the entire game. Guys. We have a trumpeter now too. He was really quiet as far as trumpets go though; we need to get that guy a mic. The supporters section has gotten increasingly rowdier every game. The word is out around town, and these games are quickly becoming “the place to be.”

Asheville City has played half their home games this year. The next one is a week from today against the Atlanta Silverbacks. That is a huge one. Atl*nta are the division leaders and we have a chance to catch them if we can pick up at least 4 points from the home and away split we still have to come.

But first… tonight we kickoff at 7:30pm against the Georgia Revolution in Hampton, outside of Atlanta. As the season is already beyond the halfway mark, every game is really important for playoffs now. There are no true runaways yet. Everyone is still in the fairly tight race. A win would put ACSC 10 points ahead of the Revolution. A loss pulls Georgia within four.

At the time of publication, I am not sure about a live stream for tonight’s match. Please check the Asheville City SC or South Slope Blues Community Facebook page for updates throughout the day.

The Revolution play four hours away from Asheville. I am hoping some of the SSB can make the trek.

I will see you down there! And as always, #COYB!