VETERAN PLAYERS LEAD THE WAY IN HOME OPENER

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO FROM THE VICTORY.

In May of 2012, most people would call you crazy for thinking a minor league soccer team in downtown Detroit could be successful.

In May of 2013, Detroit City FC fans would call you crazy for thinking you would have room to sit down in the supporter’s section.

On a beautiful Detroit evening, in an atmosphere comparable to the final home matches of the inaugural 2012 season, over 1,800 Le Rouge faithful packed into Cass Tech High School for an absolutely electric home opener in which City defeated rival AFC Cleveland, 2-1.

As was the case in their 5-1 drubbing of Sparta the previous week, the DCFC offensive attack generated many early opportunities. However, in this match Le Rouge was met by a formidable Cleveland defense that countered City’s talent and speed with physicality and tenaciousness.  The same can be said for the Detroit backline and their handling of the Cleveland strikers.  In all, the squads would muster 3 shots on goal each.  It was clear to all watching that for the two teams on the pitch, this tilt was more than a game – it was a rivalry game.

The Royals struck first.  A field-aided turnover at the top of the 18-yard box in the 13^th minute gave Cleveland forward Vinny Bell a breakaway. He dribbled to the left of goalkeeper Jeremy Clark (Michigan St.) and placed home the opportunity for an early 1-0 advantage.

Cleveland carried the confidence gained from the opening goal into the next 10 minutes of the match, controlling the majority of possession and generating sporadic chances inside the box. Centerbacks Josh Rogers (Michigan St.) and Nick Lewin (Michigan) stepped up to anchor the back line, sprawling for loose balls and continuously frustrating Royals strikers with their positioning and resolve.

Rogers especially has shown remarkable energy and awareness during the first two games, “He is a gamer,” DCFC head coach Ben Pirmann said. “He just gets it done. You just can’t take him off the field because he does too much stuff. He’s the reason why this team wins and why we’re off to a 2-0 start.”

Feeding off the strong defensive effort, Detroit City’s attack kept pushing forward and probing for opportunities. As the half wound down, midfielder Cyrus Saydee (Michigan St.) sent a ball into the box that was headed just wide of the left post by midfielder Kevin Taylor (Michigan). Just two minutes later, the next City chance was a header from forward Zach Myers (Saginaw Valley St.) that missed just high.

The consistent offensive pressure led to a golden opportunity and the defining moment of the match.  In a scramble for the ball inside the box, Myers raced to fire a shot on goal but a hard tackle quickly brought him down and City was awarded a penalty. With a coolness forged from his earlier years playing in professional leagues , Le Rouge rookie Kevin Taylor lined up and placed the ball into the right side of the net for his first goal in a Detroit City uniform to knot things up at one heading into halftime.

Taylor immediately threw his hands up in celebration, and felt right at home standing on the main stage in front of his raucous supporters. “A penalty is the easy way to get one,” Taylor chuckled. “But no, it feels great. With the fans and the atmosphere, it’s awesome.” 

Holding the momentum heading back on the pitch for the second half, Le Rouge conducted an impressive opening for the second stanza. Just three minutes in, following a dash up the sideline that is fast becoming a trademark Le Rouge tactic, right back Zeke Harris (Michigan) lofted a beautiful cross to Knox Cameron (Michigan), who converted for his third goal of the season and a 2-1 City edge.

For his efforts, the fans voted Cameron the Core Power Man of the Match.

In the ensuing minutes, Detroit City gained the possession edge as Taylor, Saydee, Spencer Thompson (Michigan St) and Latif Alashe (Michigan) remained poised and physical in the center assuring simple distribution to the wings.  On the outside, the aforementioned Harris and his left side counterpart Zach Schewee (Bowling Green St.) utilized their speed to create space and lay off balls to the central attackers. Their efforts nearly paid off when Schewee whistled a shot just inches over the crossbar that would have sent the Le Rouge faithful into a frenzy. Despite the near-miss, the stinginess of the Detroit City back line absorbed each Cleveland attack to keep the score in City’s favor until the final whistle.

And with that, Detroit City FC (2-0-0) sent its  - still winless - archrival on a four-hour journey home with plenty to think about, while Le Rouge faithful’s chants rang loud and clear past the confines of Cass Tech and on down Grand River Ave. well after the victory.

Taylor was thrilled to be a part of the comeback win, and even more so, he’s overjoyed to be a part of what DCFC continues to promote in Downtown Detroit.  “From playing pro to coming back to Michigan and trying to build a grassroots team, and get something started in Detroit, it’s great for the city, Taylor said. “You see by the support of the fans and everything that everyone is really into it. It makes it easy for us when we have an atmosphere like that.”

With the victory, Detroit City sits in first place in the Great Lakes Division of the NPSL.  FC Buffalo is also 2-0-0 but Detroit leads in goal differential. Le Rouge will take on Zanesville Athletic, a newcomer to the division, at home on May 25 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets will be $5 for general admission and season tickets will still be on sale for $35 for all remaining home games. Tickets will be available 90 minutes before the game and Cass Tech will open its gates at 6:30 pm.  El Guapo & Mac Shack food trucks will return to help satisfy fans’ hunger during the game. Cass Tech is located at I-75 and Grand River in downtown Detroit.

The match will be a special benefit for Hooligans for Heroes, a grass-roots movement that works in conjunction with the widely recognized Wounded Warrior Project to help bring aid & awareness to American heroes, on and off the field.  Hooligans for Heroes is organized by DCFC supporter group Northern Guard, and in honor of the cause and the Memorial Day Holiday, Le Rouge will take to the pitch in special camouflage kits, which will be auctioned off after the game.  For more information, see www.hooligansforheroes.com .

For the 2013 season, Detroit City FC will introduce the “Core Power Man of the Match”, which will be voted on by the fans during each home game. Throughout the game, fans will be encouraged to chose their top player of the game and tweet @DetroitCityFC with the hashtag #powerman. The winner will be honored after the game.

DETROIT CITY FC THROTTLES SPARTA IN SEASON OPENER

Even before the first ball was struck, Detroit City FC’s season began in impressive fashion against FC Sparta Michigan, as hundreds of soccer starved supporters sent a message to the newest member of the Great Lakes division that sometimes, home field is not an advantage.

Then the game started, and Detroit City sent Sparta a message of its own.

Braving cold, wind and the occasional snowflake, and buoyed by at least 400 of their own supporters, Le Rouge dominated nearly every facet of the match en route to a 5-1 victory on Sunday night at Berkley’s Hurley field. For the first ten minutes, Detroit City seemed to be feeling out their opponent as Sparta endeavored to get its offense flowing. Within a few minutes of the opening kick, the suburbanites managed their first shot, which was collected effortlessly by keeper Jeremy Clark (Michigan St.). It would prove to be Sparta’s lone shot on goal of the half.

Coming to life slowly over the course of the first 15 minutes, Detroit shook off their final few winter cobwebs and commenced with the spring-cleaning. Urged on by new head coach Ben Pirmann, City transitioned into attack-mode, and the results were almost immediate. Pushing up were outside defenders Zach Schewee (Bowling Green St.) and Zeke Harris (Michigan) – on the left and right, respectively – creating havoc deep into Sparta territory. The pay off came in the 21st minute, as Schewee’s persistence allowed midfielder Cyrus Saydee (Michigan St.) to pick the pocket of a Sparta defender at the top of the box and slip a pass through to midfielder Latif Alashe (Michigan) who promptly placed the ball in the bottom left corner, past Adrian Motta (Madonna), the Sparta keeper, and giving Detroit City its first goal of the 2013 campaign and a 1-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, Schewee got things started yet again with a chip into the Sparta boxl. The ball floated past the keeper and onto the foot of forward Zach Myers (Saginaw Valley St). With only a defender in his way, Myers fired the ball into the back of the net as the Le Rouge faithful rejoiced a 2-0 edge and immediately got to thinking about words that rhyme with the name Zach.

Of the dimension added by the fleet fullback Schewee, Coach Pirmann said, “It is something we worked on throughout preseason: ball speed, circulation, bouncing it side to side and then getting the other outside back going. I thought Zeke Harris was equally as good tonight. When you’ve got two fullbacks that can go with a purpose, you can break down the other team.” Sparta would hardly gain possession of the ball in the next ten minutes, and much of the remainder of the first half, as Detroit City continued to pepper the opposition with crafty passing and numerous crosses back and forth.

Le Rouge wouldn’t score again before the halftime break, but had every bit of momentum with them heading onto the pitch for the second half. But the Zach’s would not relent, hooking up in the second half for a goal in the 56th minute when Schewee sent a pass down the left sideline to the speedy Myers. Motta wasn’t able to handle Myers’s initial strike, and the Division II Player of the Year promptly corralled the rebound and knocked the ball home for his second goal and a 3-0 City lead. “(Myers) is an incredible athlete, but he’s also incredibly coachable,” said player-owner David Dwaihy. “I think he kind of took his direction from the coach, did what he was asked and followed the game plan. He’s a finisher too so he put them in the back of the net.”Myers debut performance made him the first recipient of the first ever Core Power “Man of the Match” accolades, impressive in a game with so many City standouts.

Le Rouge would continue to strike, as they netted another goal just two minutes later. This time, it was forward Knox Cameron (Michigan, Columbus Crew) who sniped in a cross from inside the box by Harris. With a 4-0 lead by the 58th minute, Detroit City was well on its way to notching its first victory of the season.

Sparta would eventually break through on a deflection off of a corner kick for its lone goal on the second of their two shots in the game. The City defense was impenetrable in live play, but Le Rouge’s head coach Ben Pirmann was not pleased with the inadequate defending on the set play. “Obviously very disappointed to give up the set piece goal,” Pirmann said. “We knew they were good on set pieces and it was one of our coaching points of our pre-game talk and it was disappointing to give up a set-piece goal, especially late.” Despite the setback, City was not finished. With the second half coming to an end, Alashe found Cameron for the striker’s second goal in his 29 minutes on the pitch.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the first game of the season was the suggestion of the talent on display for the maroon and gold. In the middle, alongside Saydee and Alashe, returner Spencer Thompson (Michigan St) and newcomer Kevin Taylor (Michigan) started the game and by the time they gave way to Miche’li Lipari (Oakland), Lachlan Savage (Saginaw Valley St.) and Nate Norman (Notre Dame), the center of the pitch had been annexed by the city of Detroit.

Along the backline, Josh Rogers (Michigan St) provided the skill and poise that Le Rouge fans have become accustomed to while Nick Lewin (Michigan) joined Rogers at centerback, making a few well timed runs out of his own end once Lucas Diener (Oakland) came in for Harris in the 70th.

Up front, 2012 City striker Wade Allan (Oakland) started alongside Myers, and granted onlookers a hint at the potential of the possibilities in combining a veteran’s feel for the game with the SVSU striker’s athleticism; similarly, in the second half, the fluid and speedy young Shawn Lawson (Oakland) made his City debut alongside Cameron, within minutes the chemistry there was plain to see as well.

Detroit City FC will host archrival AFC Cleveland On Friday, May 17 at 7:30pm at Cass Tech, El Guapo food truck will return to help satisfy fans’ hunger during the game.

Tickets will be available 90 minutes before the game and Cass Tech will open its gates at 6:30 pm. Admission is $5. Season tickets are still available at $35 for all 8 home games.

Cass Tech is located at I-75 and Grand River in downtown Detroit.

by Jeremy Summit for DCFC

MillKing It Productions and Detroit City FC have teamed up to brew CITY, a limited-edition beer for the 2013 season.  This is believed to be the first time in the history of Detroit sports that a team has worked directly with a brewery to create a distributed beer.

CITY is a limited release Red IPA. The beer is well hopped with a gorgeous ruby (Rouge) color, with medium high alcohol content and a solid caramel malt backbone to assure ultimate drinkability.

"One of our primary missions at MIP is to closely connect with our local community one beer at a time. We want our beer to be part of the lives people live within our close knit community, shared with friends, family and celebrations. We can't imagine a better way to connect to our city than with our partnership with the Detroit City FC", stated Kristy Smith, President of MIP.

“In just one year, we’ve developed a large and loyal following. It was obvious early on that a significant portion of our fan base is adults who appreciate local, independent businesses and good beer.  It only made sense to partner with a top, local craft brewery like MillKing It Productions, to create a fun product like CITY for our fans and to help spread our name,” stated Detroit City FC co-owner Sean Mann.

On May 9^th, there will be a release party for CITY beer at the Harry's Bar in Detroit open to Detroit City FC season ticket holders. In the coming weeks, CITY will be available at Detroit City FC official host establishments and across the Metro Detroit region.  Detroit City FC official host establishments that will be offering CITY includes but is not limited to:

Harry's

Green Dot Stables

Slow's

Lager House

Bronx Bar

Mercury Bar

Detroit City FC is a minor league soccer team that plays in the National Premier Soccer League’s Midwest Great Lakes Conference. Started by five Detroit residents, Detroit City FC plays its home games at Cass Tech High School in front of one the largest and loudest home crowds in minor league soccer. Detroit City FC starts its second home campaign on May 17^th, when its hosts AFC Cleveland.

MillKing It Productions

MIP is a local award winning craft brewer in Royal Oak that focuses exclusively on producing authentic honest beers for the local Detroit market. The beers are hand crafted with passion and distributed to local bars, restaurants and finer beer retailers. The brewery is well known for the very popular BRIK Irish Red, AXL Pale Ale and SNO White Ale.

Detroit City FC would like to remind you that it’s important to serve and drink alcohol beverages responsibly, and that you must be 21 years of age to consume CITY or any other alcoholic beverages.

Detroit City FC is proud to announce Core Power and MillKing it Productions as the jersey sponsors for the 2013 campaign.

Core Power, Official Post-Game Drink of LeRouge

“We’re excited to be partnering with two quickly growing organizations, like ourselves, that produce a high quality product for their customers,” stated DCFC co-owner, Sean Mann.

Core Power will be the “Official Post-Game Drink of Detroit City FC,” and its logo will be on the back of LeRouge’s home and away jerseys. Core Power is a real milk protein drink made from fresh, lowfat, lactose-free milk and real honey, making it the perfect post workout recovery drink for an active lifestyle.

Core Power products will be available for purchase at game day concessions and the team will also be provided with Core Power product after each game to help with recovery between matches. After each game a Core Power “Man of the Match” will be announced.

MillKing It Productions, maker of BRIK and AXL beers.

Also appearing on the back of DCFC jerseys will be MillKing It Productions, the Royal Oak Brewery known for award winning beers like AXL and BRIK. MillKing It Productions (a.k.a. MIP) was founded in 2010 with a singular mission: To strip down all pretensions and preconceived notions of the craft brewing industry and create a truly memorable and focused catalog of fine beers. MIP brews a limited number of stylistically and historically accurate beers.

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement next week about our partnership with MillKing It Productions.

The 2013 jerseys will be available for pre-sales at the end of this week.

More about or sponsors at:
Core Power
MillKing It Productions

Wade Allan scores against the Columbus Crew Super 20s during PKs, July 2012.

Mark your calendars: Detroit City FC will be welcoming the Columbus Crew Super 20s and the Windsor Stars back to Cass Tech this season.

DCFC supporters had a chance to see both teams last year during friendlies and we look forward to having these competitive sides back to Detroit this summer. While only exhibitions, the matches provide valuable opportunities to give our players greater exposure, more chances for our fans to enjoy the DCFC game day experience, and most importantly, get the team ready for the NPSL postseason by playing top notch opponents.

The home friendlies are set for:

Columbus Crew Super 20s, Tuesday, June 18, 7:30 pm
Windsor Stars, Wednesday, July 17, 7:30 pm

Check out the full schedule here

Columbus Crew Super 20s is a talented team boasting some of the best young players in the country. CITY dropped a 3-1 decision to this loaded squad in a tune up before the NPSL playoffs last season. The Crew side has won the national Super 20 championship two out of the last three years and went on to lose in the national final last year after its match against Detroit City FC.

Stefan St. Louis lines up a shot against the Windsor Stars, July 2012.

The Windsor Stars, our neighbors to the south, will be coming back to Cass Tech after playing to a scoreless draw last season. The Stars qualified for last season’s Canadian Soccer League playoffs, with help from LeRouge players Josh Rogers, Wade Allan, and Keith Lough, who joined them on loan after the end of the DCFC season.  There will be a return leg match in Windsor (date to be determined), as part of a partnership the ownership of both organizations hopes can grow in to a healthy non-league rivalry.

Be sure you don't miss any of the action this season. Buy your season tickets today.

More information about our opponents can be found at:
Columbus Crew Homepage
Windsor Stars Homepage