MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC announced on Thursday the club had signed United States youth international forward Nighte Pickering to a multi-year contract. The transaction is pending league and federation approval. 

The 17-year-old becomes the youngest professional signing in 901 FC’s history and will add his goalscoring ability to a Memphis squad that is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with 13 matches remaining in the regular season. 

“We saw Nighte as a perfect match and are extremely excited for him to join our club and contribute immediately,” said 901 FC Assistant Sporting Director Caleb Patterson-Sewell. “Signing top prospects with star potential such as Nighte is a priority for the club as we work to achieve our goals both now and in the future.”

Pickering established himself as one of the top young prospects in the country with seven goals in 20 MLS NEXT appearances for FC Dallas’ Academy before being called up to the U.S. U-19 National Team earlier this year. 

“We are very excited to add Nighte to our club for the 2022 season and beyond,” said Memphis Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “He is a fantastic young attacker that can score goals and we are thrilled to add a young player from the South region to our group.”

The Birmingham, Ala. native joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2017 and was a part of the FCD U-15 team that won the 2019 FC Bayern adidas Campus Cup in Munich, Germany. 

“I saw everything was here and ready for my development. They put interest in me and had a plan right when I got here,” said Pickering. “I don’t just want to be some academy kid. I want to be here, and I want to earn my spot. I see the team is ready to compete and they want to make a playoff run and I think I can be here to help them with that.”