MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis 901 FC announced on Thursday the club had signed forward Noe Meza to a multi-year contract ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Meza joins Memphis having competed for the past two seasons with Union Omaha in USL League One, where he recorded 21 goals and six assists in 58 appearances across the regular season and playoffs. Meza also bagged a pair of goals during Omaha’s run to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the 2022 season, while helping Los Buhos claim the USL League One Players’ Shield this past campaign.

“Noe has performed at a high level for Union Omaha over the past two seasons and deserves his opportunity at the Championship level,” Assistant Sporting Director Caleb Patterson-Sewell said. “He gives us options across the front line, scores goals, and is an extremely hard worker which is important for our group. We look forward to Noe having a successful 2024 season.”

A native of Sunnyside, Wash., the 25-year-old competed collegiately for Seattle University, where he recorded 28 goals and 10 assists in 58 appearances and was twice voted to the All-Western Athletic Conference All-Conference Team. Meza also scored five goals in 16 appearances for Sounders FC U-23 and the Charlotte Eagles in USL League Two between 2019-2021.

Analysis

Noe Meza becomes the latest League One attacking standout to make the jump to the Championship as he joins Memphis 901 FC’s forward group for his first taste of action in the second tier. Capable of the spectacular – as seen in his bicycle kick finish nominated for the 2023 League One Goal of the Year award – Meza had a solid strike rate this past campaign at a goal every 169.2 minutes and has a career 18.75 percent shot conversion rate in two seasons.

The area the 25-year-old will want to sharpen is his shooting accuracy rate, which lagged below 40 percent in each of his two seasons with Omaha and averaged 37.5 percent overall. If he can become more consistent in testing goalkeepers, 901 FC could find a useful source of secondary scoring behind primary threat Kyle Murphy next season.