Detroit City FC fell 1-0 to Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg on Saturday night, with Tampa Bay’s Sebastian Cruz scoring the night’s lone goal in the 88th minute.
The end of the first half saw frantic action on both sides. Detroit City’s Darren Smith had a takeaway in front of the Tampa Bay penalty area, but a heavy touch ended the threat. Tampa Bay saw multiple threats of their own, but Le Rouge’s defensive line held strong. Overall, the first half saw total shots in the Rowdies’ favor, though neither team was able to capitalize on their chances.
In the second half, Detroit City FC had an opportunity, with an Ates Diouf shot in the 70th minute saved by Tampa Bay Rowdies’ goalkeeper Jahmali White. Sebastian Cruz scored the winner for Tampa Bay in the 88th minute, putting it past Carlos Saldaña on a shot from well outside the 18-yard box, giving the Rowdies all they needed to secure the victory. Five minutes of added time in the second half saw Tampa Bay hit the post on another attempt, but the match ended without another goal.
Detroit City FC was without goalkeeper, Carlos Herrera, who was serving a suspension for a red card in Le Rouge’s last match vs Rhode Island FC. Carlos Saldaña made his fourth USL Championship appearance, and seventh overall, in net for Detroit City FC. Le Rouge’s defensive line helped keep Tampa Bay off the board until Cruz’s 88th minute goal, with three blocked shots on the night.
The match grew increasingly physical, as Detroit City FC was issued four yellow cards overall, with three coming in the second half. Alex Dalou, Michael Bryant, Haruki Yamazaki, and Kobe Hernandez-Foster were all booked for Le Rouge.
The loss brings Detroit City FC to 14-8-7 on the season. Le Rouge is now tied with Charleston Battery for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with 50 points.
Detroit City FC Starting XI
Carlos Saldaña; Aedan Stanley; Callum Montgomery; Darren Smith; Michael Bryant; Haruki Yamazaki; Alex Dalou; Maxi Rodriguez; Kobe Hernandez-Foster; Devon Amoo-Mensah; Ates Diouf
Detroit City FC Substitutions
Tommy Silva (71’), Cheikhou Niang (71’), Rafa Mentzingen (82’)
Up Next
Detroit City FC travels to Louisville next weekend to finish the regular season. Le Rouge will then host the first round of the USL Championship playoffs at Keyworth Stadium on Friday, October 30th at 8:00pm. Tickets are available now.
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X, Facebook, and@detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
Please send all media inquiries to media@detcityfc.com.
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