City’s hard work led to a great chance in 31st minute, as a deflection of a corner kick landed at the feet of Mahamoudou Kaba (University of South Carolina, Motor City Soccer) at the top of the six-yard box. Kaba sent the chance over the net.

Overall, the first half was evenly matched. “I thought we came out very organized and disciplined in the first 15 minutes but lost our focus after this and were fortunate to be tied 0-0 at halftime with Buffalo having a few good chances,” said Head Coach Kylie Stannard.

The second half started with a Detroit flurry. Again Bedell was at the center of the action as his patented long throw-in caught an over-committed goaltender off guard, forcing FC Buffalo’s defense to clear the ball of the line. Jonny Evans (Oakland University, Whole Foods Market) came on in the 60th minute and was dangerous on the left side helping create 2-3 scoring opportunities.

Controversy ensued in the waning minutes of the match as FC Buffalo appeared to score in the 89th minute, only to see that goal called back due to an offsides call. City Associate Coach Cale Wassermann saw no controversy. “Regarding the goal that was ruled offsides, Nick Lewin (University of Michigan, O’Connor Realty) did a great job to read the play and step at the right time to leave the Buffalo player in an offside position, it was close but the referee was in the right position to make the call. It is always scary for a second when the ball ends up in the back of the net but when the referee’s flag goes up right away with no hesitation, you know he is confident in his decision,” Wassermann said.

Detroit City FC will be without the services in its next match of its beloved captain Josh Rogers (Michigan State University, Supino’s Pizza) as he was sent off in the 91st minute after accumulating two yellow cards. “It was a physical game and I was surprised to see Rogers given a second yellow considering the way the game had been called. There were some very tough tackles, Sean Magee (Oakland University, Pure Detroit) was taken off injured after he was cleated pretty badly on a tackle, but when Josh went up to challenge for the ball in the air, the ref felt he was one of the last defenders and stated that he thought it was a tactical foul… that is the way the game goes sometimes and you have to deal with it,” Wassermann said.

Overall, the coaching staff was pleased with the performance, given the circumstances. “Obviously we had some tough circumstances for our players coming off of a very intense game Saturday night and having to travel 6.5 hours to Buffalo for a game on Sunday against a team who was fresh and ready to go for their first game of the year. The boys stepped up and brought the point home. Obviously we want to win every game we play and we want to play as best as we can, but with all the circumstances considered, we kept a clean sheet on the road in our first away match in club history so all we can do is build on that and hope to get better for next weekend’s games. “I know Jeremy [Clark] (Michigan State University, Recycle Here) was happy to get the clean sheet after letting one slip by at home. He was very strong for us in the air coming up with some good strong punches on crosses and holding on to some shots.” Wassermann said.

Head Coach Stannard agreed and noted areas of improvement. “Overall, the game against FC Buffalo was a good test of character and I thought we showed a good physical and mental toughness to grind out the point on the road and maintain a shutout considering the back to back games, long travel, missing a few players, and freshness of the Buffalo players not having played the day before. We are disappointed not to get the win, but I’m happy to get the shutout with our focus having been mostly defensive so far. We look forward to working on our attack a little more this week.”

Detroit City FC Lineup: Rogers, Clark, Bedell (Timm, 68th’), Oatley, Harris (Magee, 40’; Evans 60th’) , Lewin, Schewee, Hearn (Bernadini, 82nd’), Kaba (Stern, 74th’), Dreshaj, Schroeder.

(photo courtesy of natebenson.com)

A number of avid supporters groups, bass drums, and families across the metro-Detroit area came out to Cass Tech High School to watch the newly founded Detroit City FC soccer club in its first ever match.

In its inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), Detroit City FC (0-0) played host to its Midwest Division rival, AFC Cleveland (0-0) on Saturday night, before more than 1,000 fans.

Detroit City started the game strong as it controlled the majority of possession throughout the first half. Le Rouge forward Stefan St. Louis (Oakland University) used his strength and skillful attack positioning in order to create multiple scoring chances during the first 30 minutes.

Detroit’s hard work paid off early in the 11th minute with a goal from St. Louis off a stellar cross from forward Tom Oatley (Western Michigan), giving Detroit the lead and the momentum early on. Yet, in the 35th minute, a long ball got behind the City defense and found the foot of Division III All-American forward Vinny Bell who neatly shot one into the back of the net.

The half ended on a physical note, as a yellow card was shown to each team in the final five minutes of play. The equal level of possession between the teams resulted in a 1-1 tie heading into halftime.

Throughout the game, the atmosphere was electric, as City’s 3 supporter groups, the Motor City Supporters, The Northern Guard and the Le Rouge Supporters were vocal throughout. At halftime, the crowd of over 1,000 was treated to the nation’s only jeans short cannon

The start of the second half picked right up with the same physical play that capped off the first.

This half, it was Cleveland forward Vinny Bell who imitated the effort of Detroit City’s St. Louis. Bell shouldered off the Le Rouge defenders on his way to creating several chances for Cleveland on the offensive end, but the opportunities came up short as the score remained even at one.

As for Detroit City, its stellar effort was present throughout the game as Le Rouge outshot its opposition 11-4. Despite the deficit in shots, Cleveland held a tight form defensively, ensuring a hotly contested end of the match for both squads.

With another yellow card coming at the hands of Detroit City defender Josh Rogers (Michigan State), stoppage time began and finished as one of the most exciting parts of the game.

Two corners for Le Rouge in the final minutes, as well as numerous scoring opportunities gave Detroit City the edge until the final whistle. Despite the last-minute effort the home team failed to score and the match ended as a 1-1 tie.

The following evening, Detroit City made its first road trip to take on FC Buffalo. The two teams played to a 0 – 0 tie.

Detroit City FC will look forward to next weekend as they travel to Binghamton for a match on both Friday May 19th and Saturday, May 20th. Detroit City’s next home match is May 26th at 1:00 pm v. the Erie Admirals.

Photo courtesy of Jon DeBoer

Coach Stannard is obviously pleased with the signings. “In Spencer, Jeremy, and Josh, we demonstrate our commitment to building a solid team up the middle of the pitch. Spencer will be a cornerstone of our midfield. Spencer’ ranks 7th at MSU for career assists and was drafted in the 2nd round of the MLS Supplemental draft. He’ll be a force in our midfield. Jeremy was team captain for his senior season at MSU and started every game that year. He’s a five-team ODP Region II player that provides a solid foundation on which to build. Josh will lock up our backline. Josh too is an ODP Regional Team member and has won at all levels. His vision and tenacity will help our backline link-up with our midfielders.” All three played at Michigan Sate University.

Listen to the interview here.

Detroit City FC is pleased to announce its partnership with Cass Tech High School for its inaugural season. Located just north of downtown Detroit at the corner of Grand River Ave. and  I-75, Cass Tech’s field will serve as Detroit City FC’s home for its eight regular season home games, the first of which is May 12 v. Cleveland.  Other opponents will include Erie, Buffalo, and Binghamton.

“Detroit City FC is dedicated to building community bonds within the city,” team President Ben Steffans said. “It’s an honor to be partnered with such a storied Detroit institution. We couldn’t be prouder to call Cass Tech our home. It is a venue that provides us with an intimate setting for fans, sweeping skyline views of the City, and a location that everyone in Southeast Michigan knows something about.”

To heighten the gameday experience, Detroit City FC is cultivating relationships with a variety of local entertainment; food, beverage, and merchandise vendors to create a unique gameday experience.  “The idea is to not only expose people to high quality soccer, but to create a family friendly atmosphere that showcases Detroit,” Steffans said.

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Wassermann is currently the Head Coach for Saginaw Valley State University’s Men’s soccer team. Wassermann recently led the Cardinals to their most successful in school history, finishing with a 12-5-3 record. Prior to joining, SVSU, Wassermann was an assistant coach at Lewis University, a perennial powerhouse at the NCCA Division 2 level. Wassermann played four years at SVSU and was named First Team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2004 and 2005. “Cale is a winner. He runs a tight session and has deep roots throughout Michigan’s soccer community. Cale is surely an asset to Detroit City,” Steffans said.