Memphis 901 FC marks former manager Ben Pirmann's return with a victory against Charleston
In what was an eventful 3-2 victory for Memphis 901 FC versus Charleston Battery on June 24 at AutoZone Park, the story of the game wasn’t actually about the game.
Instead, it was about the return of former 901 FC manager Ben Pirmann. Pirmann, who served as manager during the 2021-22 season and had been a member of the club since joining in 2018 as the assistant manager.
Pirmann turned around the 2021-22 season with 901 FC. Though the team started slowly, 901 FC found its footing after a miraculous win over Birmingham Legion on Labor Day Weekend.
901 FC reached the top of the Eastern Conference but lost to Louisville City FC to end its season. Nonetheless, the season was redeemed and Pirmann made his mark in Memphis.
“It was home for a little while,” Pirmann said. “(There’s) a lot of honest people in this town and (we made) a lot of good friends. That was the most enjoyable.”
It was an emotional moment for Pirmann when he re-entered AutoZone Park. Players the team recruited and signed for Memphis were part of the success while he was there. On Saturday, they were the enemy.
But there’s always a mutual respect for competitors like Pirmann.
“At the end of the day, you go to battle, you do what you can to get the result, you shake their hands afterwards and go back to being friends,” Pirmann said.
Last season, 901 FC was driven by the team motto: “higher character, higher energy.”
Pirmann said then-assistant coach Devin Rensing picked up the phrase when he was in Kansas City for Sporting Kansas. Pirmann was able to install the team’s approach with that mantra.
“We want people working hard, having a good attitude and effort, and then focus on the things that we can influence — control the controllables, per se,” Pirmann said.
SECRET OF SUCCESS: How Memphis 901 FC has become the best team in the USL Championship
The high energy comes from when players get through the adversity. The high character originates from the way the team presented itself in a respectful and professional manner. It leads to a willingness to do whatever it takes to fight through any challenge that ultimately makes the team better.
It seems this year 901 FC (8-2-4) has a similar mentality — having gone through a stretch of three games in seven days.
“They have a hunger to not get beat and a pure desire to win games,” 901 FC manager Stephen Glass said. “When the quality comes through, which we believe we’ve got, then you end up getting wins.”
Pirmann said the focus for the Battery (8-4-4) is on the process and getting better every day.
“There’s a reason (Memphis 901 FC) they’ve got the results that they’ve had," Pirmann said.
Reach sports writer Jerry Jiang at JJiang@gannett.com or on Twitter @j_jiang30
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How former Memphis 901 FC manager fared Ben Pirmann in return to city
