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Dayton Dynamo vs Detroit City FC (NPSL – May 15, 2016): Match Analysis

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Following the epic U.S. Open Cup victory over the Michigan Bucks and the NPSL league opener against the Michigan Stars, Detroit City FC headed south of the border to face the Dayton Dynamo. The match in Dayton was the first without standout goalkeeper Evan Louro and the third in the space of five days which led to some important changes in terms of personnel and tactics.

dayton-lineup Who’s On First?

Head coach Ben Pirmann fielded his third consecutive different starting XI against the Dynamo. The big question ahead of the match was without question who would start in goal for the departed Louro. Pirmann gave Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (yes, that is a real place) goalkeeper Joe Smith his first ever start for Detroit City FC. In principal, the rest of the team appeared to line up in a modified 4-4-2 formation with a back four consisting of Zach Schewee, Matt Nance, Omar Sinclair, and Seb Harris. In midfield Danny Deakin returned to the first eleven after having been rested against Michigan Stars. Deakin lined up with captain Dave Edwardson, George Chomakov, and Ali Al-Gashamy. Up front it was Tyler Moorman partnering recently unveiled Loyola University Chicago striker Alec Lasinski.

However, once the opening whistle blew, there was a lot of interchanging of positions and, particularly for Danny Deakin, freedom to roam. In attack, Al-Gashamy and Deakin both took up wide positions from the start. Interestingly, Pirmann had the right footed Al-Gashamy deployed on the left and the left-footed Deakin out on the right, indulging both of the creative players’ inclinations to cut into the middle of the pitch onto their stronger foot as they looked to create in the attacking third of the field. However in defense, Pirmann seemed to ask Moorman to tuck in and defend on either the left or right wing. Al-Gashamy covered the opposite wing leaving Alec Lasinski up front to press the Dayton defenders.  In these instances, the team shape more closely resembled a 4-2-3-1 with Chomakov and Edwardson covering just in front of the back four.

dayton-1

Another important tactical feature of the team against Dayton was that Pirmann gave full license to the fullbacks, Nance and Schewee, to get forward. The two full backs played very high up the pitch, hugging the touchline and giving the team width. This was highly important considering the theoretical, wide midfielders were taking up more central positions with great regularity.

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Blitzkrieg

Detroit City FC started the match somewhat tentatively but then opened fire scoring four goals in just over twelve minutes. The first goal was a direct free kick by Deakin in the 22nd minute. His curling left-footed shot cleared the wall and dipped in to the top left corner. Minutes later, it was Deakin again hitting a swerving direct free kick that the Dayton goalkeeper could only parry and it was an unmarked Lasinski that followed the play in before tapping the ball into an the empty net. Lasinski was on target again on 29 minutes. An excellent sequence of passes saw Chomakov and an overlapping Schewee combining on the edge of the box before Schewee slid the ball out to the right wing for Deakin whose first-time cross found the head of Lasinski who made no mistake.

dayton-3

The final goal came in the 34th minute with Deakin once again in the middle of the action. Dropping deep in to receive the ball from Harris, Deakin turned and spotted Al-Gashamy making a diagonal run in behind the Dayton backline. Deakin dropped the ball in over the top of the Dayton backline, hitting Al-Gashamy in stride who then outpaced the Dayton defenders before coolly nutmegging the goalkeeper. Al-Gashamy doesn’t have world-class speed but the timing and the angle of the run left the Dayton players sure that Al-Gashamy must have been in an offside position. Al-Gashamy started his run from wide on the left and snuck in behind the Dayton left back just as Deakin released the ball. By the time the Dayton defenders picked up on Al-Gashamy’s clever movement, he was already in on goal.

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Parking The Bus

With a four goal lead and a second round U.S. Open Cup match in Louisville, the City players understandably took their foot off the gas in the second half. The team played much deeper than in the first half, often getting 8 and 9 players back behind the ball setting up a wall of rouge and gold, ceding possession to Dayton and daring them to find a way through. Pirmann left only Lasinski higher up the pitch and the team looked to play quickly and directly to Lasinski, a willing runner, whenever they won the ball back.

dayton-5

For the most part, Dayton didn’t have the guile or precision to cause too many problems for the City backline. The first goal came from a fluky deflection off of Edwardson as he tried to carry the ball out of the defensive third. The ball ricocheted and fell right into the path of one of Dayton’s Khristian Montoya who broke in on goal before Harris intervened. The referee, rightly so, called a penalty in Dayton’s favor and it was Montoya who stepped up to slot the ball home.  Smith went the right way but just couldn’t get a hand to it. Dayton scored a second in the 75th minute from a corner kick. The marking was actually not bad; Tristian Lyle simply out jumped Tyler Moorman to head home. Detroit continued to try and hit Dayton on the counter attack and Lasinski had a third goal disallowed for offsides before the final whistle blew.

Reasons for Concern

  1. City’s defensive record – After a heroic effort by the entire team defensively, shutting out the Michigan Bucks, Detroit City conceded two goals in consecutive league games. There was a bit of misfortune in the play leading up to the penalty but still four goals conceded through two games is troubling.
  2. Lack of continuity – Ben Pirmann has had no choice but to rotate the players in this opening stretch of the season. The number of games in such a short period of time has made it essential to use the entire squad. However, with a number of new players in the fold to begin with, the constant changes to the lineup have made it difficult, particularly at the back, to build raport and understanding with one another.

Reasons for Optimism

  1. Danny Deakin – The first half against Dayton was the Danny Deakin show. One goal and three assists for the University of South Carolina midfielder made him the man of the match. Deakin, who looked isolated on the left wing against the Bucks, was much more involved in the buildup with his free role in midfield and, as was the case against the Bucks, seemed to grow in confidence the more touches he got.

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  1. Alec Lasinski – Following the departure of Will Mellors-Blair, City’s top scored in 2015, everyone wondered – who was going to score the goals? Defenders Andre Morris and T.J. Stephens found the back of the net against the Michigan Stars but against Dayton, Lasinski provided a legitimate threat up front. Lasinski has the pace and the finishing but he also takes up very intelligent positions. His darting runs between the defenders resulted in him finding room inside of the box on numerous occasions, twice resulting in goals. Lasinski looked really sharp against Dayton and will hopefully continue to be a reference point in attack going forward.

My first NGS experience: Rouge Rovering at Dayton

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It was a little over a year ago when I was putting together the SG for my local PDL club, Derby City Rovers, that I was introduced to the Northern Guard Supporters. Derby City’s owner mentioned them to me when we were discussing what kind of a supporter group we felt would embody the virtues that the club espouses. He brought up that NGS has a reputation that precedes them and that said reputation is not always the most flattering. But he stressed to me that their passion is cannot be questioned. No one loves their club more than NGS love Detroit City. So I started following what NGS was doing from afar.

In the year or so since then, I have witnessed a level of local pride and fierce loyalty to the club that I don’t see in Louisville. To say that I was impressed would be a disservice to all that I was able to bear witness to. I’ve watched as club and SG outgrew the confines of Estadio Casstecha. I gave to the drive to help renovate Keyworth and have been watching with great interest, as these people in NGS whom I’ve come to consider friends do things that defy my own imagination for what an SG can do.

There’s also the common sentiment regarding football politics. The NGS and I share an adamantly steadfast belief in supporting your local club first. We support different teams but we recognize that in our levels of American soccer we are all brothers and sisters, fighting for our clubs. Fighting to get asses in the seats. Fighting to keep our clubs going, even when bigger leagues try to force themselves into an established Non-League territory. And I suspect that these politics, and sentiment of anti-establishment, are reflections of our shared working-class mentality.

With this in mind, this past weekend, my fiancée my two-year-old son and I got to experience the Rouge Rovers firsthand. They were welcoming and treated us like we were family. We learned the songs on the fly and even my two-year-old son got into it. My son’s day was made when the Detroit City FC boys came over after the match to thank us supporters. Getting acknowledgment and a high five from the players blew his mind. He was treated like he belonged and he was the youngest NGS member there. I don’t know that I can stress that enough. That has been the biggest thing that has stood out to me and it should be a credit to those who are leaders, as well as a credit to those who practice the philosophy of inclusion and community that so deeply define the NGS.

This Wednesday, Detroit City will come to my hometown with designs on winning the second round of the US Open Cup against Louisville City. A match that I had been hoping would take place as it would mean another chance to stand and support with my friends. Friends whom, when the draw was first announced, I hadn’t yet met. Now thanks to Sunday, they are my friends with whom I had one of the best fucking times I have ever had at a football match. And friends whom I look forward to sharing that fun with again.

Michigan Bucks vs Detroit City FC (U.S. Open Cup – May 11, 2016): Tactical Overview

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After weeks of speculation, beginning with the first roster announcements in early March, head coach Ben Pirmann finally unveiled his first official starting XI of the 2016 season.  With only a handful of the first team regulars available, the first pre-season friendly against Windsor was more of a conditioning exercise than anything else, offering very few clues about who would be starting and where.  The second friendly against Muskegon, however, offered the first hints that Pirmann might deviate from his standard 4-4-2 formation. Indeed, the team started the opening round U.S. Open Cup (USOC) match against the Michigan Bucks playing a rather unconventional, but highly effective 4-3-3.

dcfc-11-bucks-lineupThe goalkeeper

It was a surprise to see Evan Louro’s name on the team sheet in the friendly against Muskegon after announcing that he wouldn’t be playing for the team in 2016 and it was Louro who again made the start against the Bucks. Nobody seems entirely sure how long Louro will be available for selection but Wednesday’s USOC match showed why he was coveted by the coaching staff in the first place. Louro was a commanding presence in the City penalty area. Louro exuded confidence in the air, dealing comfortably with the Bucks’ crosses, both from the run of play and from numerous corner kicks. Louro demonstrated great shot stopping ability and was also quick to come off his line to snuff out the dangerous Bucks’ through passes. Of course Louro will go down in Detroit City history for the two huge saves in the penalty shootout. The first was not well placed but it was struck with a lot of power and Louro did well to cover it, diving to his right. The second save though he demonstrated exceptional goalkeeping technique, taking a step forward and pushing off with his front foot before reaching across with his right arm to palm the ball over the crossbar. Textbook.

The backline

Many of the questions going into the season related to the squad and Pirmann’s tactics surrounded the defense. With Josh Rogers retired and Bennett Jull pursuing his education elsewhere there was a big gap to fill in the middle. In previous seasons, a flat back four was the default but with only three recognized center backs on the roster and a plethora of attacking options, many wondered if Pirmann might experiment with a back three. Against Muskegon it was clear he would not. Having featured as a right back in the past, Seb Harris’ aerial prowess and strong tackling now make him an automatic first choice at center back. The interesting thing was that Pirmann preferred Billy Stevens as his partner in the center of defense. While Stevens lacks the height often characteristic of central defenders, he is exceptionally quick, reads the game really well, and is strong in the tackle. He often plays as right back for the University of Michigan but didn’t look the slightest bit uncomfortable in the middle. Pirmann utilized newcomer Matt Nance at left back and the versatile and experienced Zach Schewee on the right. Schewee is normally a marauding full back and sometimes it is hard to work out if he is playing as a defender or an out and out winger. But against the Bucks he limited his forward runs, focusing rather on not allowing the Bucks left winger to exploit the space behind him. Nance, on the left, was also conservative in joining the attack and this was most certainly down to Pirmann’s instructions to try and keep things tight at the back.

The midfield

Pirmann’s 4-4-2 was exposed in the match last year’s USOC match against the Bucks when he paired Spencer Thompson with Dave Edwardson. The Bucks outnumbered City in the center of the pitch and were able to dominate possession and exploit the spaces through the middle. This time, Pirmann countered by deploying two holding midfielders, Troy Watson and Brett Nason, just in front of the back four. With Watson and Nason covering and tackling, it gave Dave Edwardson, in theory, the freedom to burst forward from midfield in his typical box-to-box style. Edwardson, because of the Bucks’ quality in midfield, did a great deal of covering and pressing and only had a couple of real opportunities to break forward. Edwardson was also more subdued after an early yellow card for a crunching tackle in the first five minutes. It’s hard to say if it was intentional or not, Edwardson is never one to shy away from getting stuck in, but that tackle really set the tone and sent a message of intent.  Watson and Nason, though, were key. Not only did they provide a shield in front of the four defenders, cutting out several Bucks’ attacks before they even had a chance to develop, they also provided cover for the outside fullbacks on the rare occasions when they did venture forward.

The attack

The three-pronged attack consisted of newcomers Danny Deakin, Spiro Pliakos, and ex-Bucks player Tommy Catalano. Pirmann opted to play without a traditional center forward despite having Tyler Channell on the bench. In the past Pirmann has preferred to pair a more physical target man (Channell, Wade, Myers, etc) with a quicker forward (Mellors-Blair, Bautista, etc).  Instead it was Catalano, normally an attacking midfielder, who lead the line with Deakin on the left and Pliakos on the right. Catalano, however, was frequently dropping very deep, playing at times almost as a false ‘9’ – a forward that plays between the lines, rather than playing higher up the pitch, occupying the two opposing center backs.  While they started in those positions, there was a great deal of flexibility in the scheme as the game went on. All three of the front players interchanged with one another, turning up at various times on the left, right and through the middle. The same was true after Ali Al-Gashamy and Jeff Adkins entered the game in the second half, although Adkins stuck closer to the left wing. It looked as though Pirmann was hoping to try and unbalance the Bucks’ defense keeping the front three in constant motion and having them swap in and out of different areas of the pitch.

Question marks

  1. There wasn’t a ton of pace in attack until Adkins came on for Edwardson. Deakin, Pliakos, and Catalano are all technically adept players but none of them are particularly fast. Especially on a night when City was going to have to defend and counter, for the most part, the lack of speed up front killed several chances to create danger in the final third. Adkins’ speed caused more problems for the Bucks’ back four and it’s not coincidental that City’s best spell in terms of play coincided with Adkins’ introduction into the game.
  2. Nance struggled. He seemed a bit tentative and gave the ball away too easily at times. Hopefully he will settle in after he gets a couple of games under his belt. Nance plays at very good Division 1 program (Xavier) so the quality is definitely there. But with Schewee patrolling the right and Alex Isaevski still out through injury, he needs to find his footing quickly.
  3. The team needs to find a way to get the ball to Danny Deakin. He seemed isolated on the wings and he struggled to get involved. When Edwardson came off, he played more centrally in midfield and showed signs of improvement. He seems like the sort of player that grows in confidence the more he touches the ball and in the second half when City was able to keep possession for some longer stretches, Deakin was able to get on the ball and looked sharper working short, quick combination passes with Catalano and Al-Gashamy especially.

Bright spots

  1. Pirmann got his tactics right. City was able to weather the storm in the first 10-15 minutes which is something the team was not capable of in last year’s meeting with the Bucks. They weren’t over run in midfield, everybody got behind the ball when the Bucks had possession, and the positional discipline of the players kept City in the game. Of course, Louro had to intervene on several occasions but Pirmann and the players had a clear approach to the game and for the most part they executed that plan very well.
  2. Al-Gashamy, by his own admission, was feeling a little rusty. It was hard to tell. He has great ability to hold the ball under pressure and then wriggle away from one and even two defenders before playing an intelligent pass. He combined really well with Deakin and Catalano in the final third. You can tell he has that extra bit of quality and while he didn’t quite find the opening against the Bucks’ stingy defense it’s clear that once he gets on the same page with his companions in attack and up to full match fitness he has the ability to unlock opposing defense to create important goal scoring opportunities.
  3. Someone on Twitter mentioned that Billy Stevens was going to quickly become a fan favorite. If you have seen him play for the Michigan, you knew that Stevens plays with guts. He doesn’t back down from anyone, he’s a leader on the pitch, and very communicative, always shouting instructions to his teammates. He might just be the perfect foil for Seb Harris in the center of defense.

To end

 

photo from Detroit City FC.

photo from Detroit City FC.

If Wednesday’s match answered a handful of questions, it also posed several more. Was Wednesday’s 4-3-3 designed specifically for the USOC matches and will Pirmann will revert to a 4-4-2 for league play? How will players like Javi Bautista, Tyler Channell, and Cyrus Saydee, who figure to be important contributors to the team’s success, be utilized going forward? And perhaps most crucially, how will the team cope without Evan Louro once he departs? Regardless, one thing that is clear: one game into the 2016 season, the new look Detroit City team appears capable of great things.

 

 

“2nite goes to show… you can’t write a check and buy the spirit of Detroit”

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A Deeper Look into Le Rouge v. Bucks 2016 and the DCFC family
On May 11, Detroit City FC knocked off the Michigan Bucks in the opening round of the US Open Cup. In the eyes of many, the Le Rouge victory and post-match celebration sent a clear message that you can’t write a check and buy the spirit of Detroit. That is what many believe is being done with the prospect of an MLS team in the D. Many believe that the way the prospect is being approached does not embrace the community, does not embrace the spirit of the game, but embraces big money. The excitement after the May 11 match was not just about Le Rouge getting to the second round in the US Open Cup (USOC) for the first time. The excitement was not just about an “underdog” upsetting a perceivably superior team with a healthier resume in the USOC. There is an underlining story to the match-up that is connected to an international movement of resistance to big money’s influence on the game of soccer. A movement that is in the undercurrent here of U.S. soccer. Some would say that it’s larger than even soccer, but about the almighty dollar being embraced over the family, the community.

Before we localize this issue to the match on May 11, a little overview is necessary.

The United States Soccer Federation is the governing body for professional and amateur soccer in the United States. According to USSF, there are three tiers of professional leagues in the U.S. The tiers are said to be the following:

  1. Major League Soccer
  2. North American Soccer League
  3. United Soccer League

The NASL desires to compete with MLS as a top tier league. There is some controversy that USSF is overly cozy with the MLS and allowing rules to be created that suppress the NASL and allow MLS to monopolize the top of the pyramid in U.S. soccer. Many see this as anti-competitive and motivated by money and control. USL has aligned itself with the MLS and desires to be the top second-tier league in the nation under the MLS. There is a deep divide between USL and the NASL based on differing philosophies.

So how does this relate to Le Rouge vs. Bucks.

Both the Bucks and Detroit City are in fourth-tier amateur men’s leagues seen by USSF as being just under the USL on the soccer pyramid they’ve established. The Michigan Bucks are in the Premier Development League otherwise known as the PDL.  The PDL is men’s league connected to the United Soccer League. The United Soccer League is a third-tier professional men’s league, under the NASL and as mentioned, desires to replace the NASL as the top second-tier league. The Michigan Bucks are owned by Dan Duggan. He has great resources to recruit great players. The team is set up to be a developmental team as part of a pipeline to transition great players to be greater players and then transition to a “higher level of soccer” in the U.S. soccer pyramid. Duggan has expressed an interest in bringing a USL stadium and team to Detroit. He has also been openly supportive and has significant interest in an MLS team being established in Detroit. It would situate his team well in the pipeline and even more so if he were to establish a USL squad.  There is a PDL à USL à MLS pipeline.

Where the Michigan Bucks might serve to transition players to the next level. Detroit City FC wishes to build a club interconnected with the community that transitions to the next level. It is a community movement. It is a moving family. DCFC not only embraces preparing players for the next level of soccer, but also spends a good amount of time, money, and resources embracing a supporter and community-oriented club. They desire to build their club with the community support and honor a supporter’s culture. They are currently in the National Premier Soccer League or the NPSL. It, like the PDL that the Bucks compete in, is a fourth-tier amateur league. DCFC has expressed NASL aspirations. Not to be second-tier, but to support NASL’s move to top-tier in competition with the MLS.

With a divided community on the prospects of MLS in Detroit, DCFC and their supporters, the Northern Guard, provided an example last night that there is more complexity than often meets the eye surrounding this debate. A large family has organically come together to uplift this club and the community it represents since 2012. From the beginning, DCFC was about the spirit of man coming together as a family, pooling their resources to plant a seed, and nurturing the seed to grow into a club that not only would entertain via the beautiful game, but would be intertwined with uplifting the community it represents in its name (Detroit.) DCFC gets that, in order to build support and cultivate a community-oriented embrace of the glorious game of soccer, you have to be able to tap into the spirit of that community you seek to represent. They also understand the increasing responsibility they have to the community as the club’s popularity and power increases. They’ve embraced the spirit of Detroit to not only uplift the club and the city, but the region that has been licking its wounds for years due to in-fighting. They’ve embraced a regional family. Bridges are being built and rebuilt as DCFC gains momentum. All you need to do is find yourself at a pre-match gathering before Le Rouge whoops the ass of their next speed bump to see how people are connecting and building community.

With that being said, it is fitting that the crest of DCFC includes an image of the infamous Spirit of Detroit. Let us dissect this city fixture a bit and explore its connection to the rise of the Detroit City FC and Northern Guard Supporters who follow them. If you’ve ever ventured down to the Coleman A. Young Center that sits on Woodward Avenue, you’ll notice a large sculpture that residents and admirers of Detroit have come to love, the Spirit of Detroit. One of many interesting facts about the sculpture is that the artist did not actually name it Spirit of Detroit. The name organically evolved from the people of Detroit rather than someone’s check book. It’s much easier to embrace something as a community when you’ve had a part in creating it, in naming it. Additionally, you will notice that the sculpture is of a man holding an item in each one of his hands. In the left hand, the man is holding what looks like a sphere with rays coming out of it. This is intended to symbolize God. In the right hand, the man is holding a small family. The intention of the artist was to display that the family is the highest quality and moral principal of human relationship. Additionally, he was attempting to convey that this family was manifest by God through man. This is an important point to remember. The Spirit of Detroit represents that family is manifest by God through man. It is not through money. We the people are the ones who build family, who build community. This is God’s work. Money does not build family, nor community. It surely can be used to supplement what the people have built though. It can also be used (intentionally and unintentionally) to try and tear down what the people have built. However, money never creates a solid foundation for something to carry on. Why? Money comes and money goes. Just like that! When the money is gone though, the people remain. The community remains. The family remains and because of this, the spirit remains.

As a family, we are not afraid to forge ahead, taking the long road that builds a more solid foundation. Like the city of Detroit, DCFC makes lemonade out of lemons. Detroit is not a city and DCFC is not a club that simply purchases lemonade (ie. A top-tier club) and enjoys it. This isn’t a place just for those who want a life of leisure built off the backs of others. Our leisure is earned through blood, sweet, and tears. That’s why the Northern Guard lets loose on match day. That’s where the passion comes from. When Detroit City FC fills those stands in Keyworth Stadium this year, we will have immense pride. Why? Because this family invested our hard earned cash (even if it was a couple hundred dollars), contributing to a $750,000 community financing campaign to renovate The Key. Because this family helped scrap the rusty metal off the braces under your seat. Because this family pulled up the rotten wood off your seat. Because this family replaced your seat with new wood. Because this family painted the rouge that covers the bench braces at your feet. This family sawzalled the rusty bolts off the old benches you sit on. This family collected those rusty nuts, bolts, and washers in a bucket and converted them into memorabilia that City supporters purchased to provide new equipment for local HS soccer teams. Because we swept the floor at your feet. This family embraced our sore muscles, bruises, cuts, and splinters to come another week and volunteer our time to renovate what you see at The Key. DCFC might have started off with five heads coming together, but the five became many…quickly. That family came to embrace the spirit of Detroit.

Having a training ground for future professional players is good and I applaud Duggan for what he does in that regard. He recruits great players and works with them to develop even greater. There is no shame in that. However, that is not how you build Detroit soccer. That’s not how you build Michigan soccer. This is not how you build a family, a community. That does not embrace the spirit of Detroit. That is simply one way you can build good soccer players. Creating a USL team or MLS team out of the blue to represent Detroit will not embrace this spirit either. The Michigan Bucks establishing itself as part of a pipeline of players is fine and dandy. Duggan creating a USL team to extend that pipeline is find and dandy. Personally, I have nothing, but love and respect for their staff and players. The organization advances the game in their own tailored way. However, it is not Detroit and it is not Detroit soccer. It does not embrace the spirit of Detroit. If the spirit was truly embraced, City faithful who could not make the match on May 11 against the Bucks would not have watched the game via Twitter updates. You would have fed us Le Rouge v. Bucks livestream. The spirit was found in the young man who filmed a livestream from his phone to supporters on Twitter.

In friendly Twitter banter with Michigan Bucks leading up to the May 11 match, I had an interesting exchange with someone that, to me, showed an example of the disconnect. I joked about a picture shared by Michigan Bucks that included an Oakland Grizzly on a banner in the background. I joked that the Grizzly on the banner made more noise than their supporter did. Obviously, it was a little jab at their lack of community connection despite an impressive resume for an amateur team. The reply though was to point out that the Grizzly represented a player from the US Men’s National Team that assisted the Bucks in winning a national PDL championship in 2006. I thought to myself, “Congrats on what you did 10 years ago! WE just raised $750,000 a few month ago from average people to renovate our new stadium. We’ll be volunteering again this week to help renovate it with our own hands.” THAT’s the Detroit way. That is Detroit City FC. That’s the Northern Guard. That is the spirit of Detroit. We turn rusty nuts and bolts into new equipment for HS soccer players who have hand-me-down gear. That’s a family. That’s a community. THAT’s a movement. THAT’s the spirit.

May 11 wasn’t an upset, it was the inevitable train on the track. Come and Get It! However, remember this as you continue building what you are building…. The spirit of Detroit is not for sale.

And just to think, I’m the new guy in NGS J

 

FEA,

Red

Great Lakes West Weekend Preview #1

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Friday, May 13th

Michigan Stars – Detroit City FC (7:00 PM)

Just two days after facing off with the Michigan Bucks in the 1st round of the US Open Cup, Le Rouge will travel to Wisner Stadium in Pontiac. The Stars feature a heavily revamped roster this year, retaining only a few players from last year’s 9th place out of 13 finish. New Head Coach Andy Wagstaff is a former assistant at Oakland University and the current Head Coach at Saginaw Valley State University. This year’s roster directly reflects his coaching experience, featuring a host of current and former OU players, players from around SVSU’s conference (GLIAC), and even two current members of the SVSU coaching staff. Some familiar faces to Detroit City FC fans could appear on the other side of the ball – the Stars have signed former DCFC players Shawn-Claud Lawson and Michael Lamb for the 2016 campaign.

The short turnaround after the cup tie with the Michigan Bucks will likely necessitate some degree of rotation in the Detroit City roster. This will make the game slightly more difficult than it might otherwise be, but it will also provide opportunity for some players to prove that they deserve playing time for the rest of the season.

AFC Ann Arbor – Kalamazoo FC (7:00 PM)

AFC Ann Arbor showed well in their first game of the season, mounting a second half comeback to secure the win. The result was no fluke – The Oak threatened the Dayton goal with close chances throughout the game, hitting the woodwork multiple times before finally breaking through. This is a solid team with a few dangerous players.

Kalamazoo has only played one preseason friendly, earning a 2-0 victory over D3 Kalamazoo College, where Head Coach Lumumba Shabazz coaches for the rest of the year. They are not without some decent players, but I have some concerns about the quality of their supporting cast and depth. AFC Ann Arbor should be an entirely different level of opponent than Kalamazoo College, and have to be considered the clear favorites to me.

Dayton Dynamo – Lansing United (7:00 PM)

Dayton was outgunned by Ann Arbor last weekend, but I have reservations about whether they were able to send a complete squad on the trip. The early timing of that game in the schedule means not all teams are fully together yet, and long road trips often mean that some players at this level can’t travel due to other obligations. Owner David Satterwhite also took to twitter on Wednesday to say that Dayton have signed a former Senegalese international with Champions League experience. The name hasn’t been released yet, but if this player is still in shape it would help bolster their squad further.  Playing at home with the benefit of an extra week for players to join the squad could see a different level of Dynamo team on the field on Friday.

Lansing is under a new head coach following Eric Rudland’s departure to AFC Ann Arbor. Nate Miller, the head coach at Spring Arbor University, has taken the reigns. The team has lost former captain Matt Brown and a few players to other clubs in the offseason, but still have a solid set of players from Michigan State University as a backbone, and return other key players such as Austin Dunn and James DeCosemo. This will be a good test of Lansing right off the bat though, with a long road trip and a potentially strengthened opponent. The result of this one should tell us a lot about what to expect from both teams for the rest of the year.

Sunday, May 15th

Dayton Dynamo – Detroit City FC (2:00 PM)

The Cincinnati Saints finished low in the table the last two years, but they gave Detroit City a serious fight both times the two teams met in Ohio. A stoppage time winner out of Michael Lamb and a late comeback with only ten men saw DCFC take 3 points in each, and DCFC won every meeting between the two teams. In the offseason Cincy moved to Dayton, and they’ve retained former coaches, staff, and a number of players from their old team. However, this game should be considered far from free points. It is the longest road trip on the regular season schedule, the third game in just 5 days, a USOC game on Wednesday to look forward to, and Dayton may be able to field a stronger squad at home than they showed against AFC Ann Arbor. This should be a serious litmus test of Detroit City’s depth and resolve early in the season.

Bonus Info: Dayton should be streaming the match via their website. So if you can’t make the long road trip, you can still watch the game!

Kalamazoo FC – Lansing United (6:05 PM)

I’ve already expended most of what I have to say about both teams in their previous games this weekend. This is the second game of the weekend for both, and as such should test the depth of both teams. I’ll be looking towards this result and news from the game to tell us something about the capabilities of each team for the rest of the season.

Grand Rapids FC is the only team that won’t kick off divisional play this weekend, opting to instead start their regular season on May 20th.

RECAP: City eats Venison in US Open Cup 2016

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Detroit City FC knocked off the Bucks in penalty kicks on Wednesday evening. This is Detroit City’s first victory against the Bucks and first victory in the US Open Cup. Here’s how it looked from a supporter perspective.


– video from @dohaeng


– video from Nick Miko (on Twitter as Rick Reiko).


– video from @dohaeng

A full game recap video from Nick Miko

DCFCFC: Episode 17 – #juicenotes part 2

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Dean and John enable Sean by making encouraging noises as he descends the rest of the way into madness and/or roster analysis.

We finish up the DCFC roster discussion, talk a bit about the Bucks match and the Sharta and Dayton matches later in the weekend and note that there’s some really amazing deals available should you ever want to go watch an AFC Cl*veland match.

This week’s interviews are short post-match discussions with George Chomakov, CAPTAIN Dave Edwardson and Coach Ben Pirmann.

This is also the first DCFC Fancast episode that is part of the Just Can’t Get Enough collective, a new effort to provide a welcoming home to as many creative people as possible who love Detroit City FC and want to share their creativity with the world.AFC Cleveland Stadiums