What happened: The skies may have been clear above Cass Tech Friday night, but it was raining goals. Kicking off the NPSL season, Detroit City FC rallied to a 3-2 win against AFC Cleveland. Le Rouge took down their Rust Belt Derby rivals in front of a packed crowd of 3,012 fans.
DCFC got on the board first, as Colin McAtee (Michigan) slipped behind the defense catching up to a pass from Javier Bautista (Ashford). McAtee took a few touches and placed the ball just past Royals’ goalkeeper Anthony Flowers, opening up the flood-gates for plenty of goals to come.
In the 35th minute, Cleveland midfielder Brian Potocnik found forward Sergio Manesio with space on the left side of the penalty box. Manesio swung a low-shot around the gloves of Bret Mollon (Temple) into the bottom right corner, tying the game.
Just before the halftime break, DCFC stormed forward, and Tommy Catalano (Oakland) found the first-half substitute, Will Mellors-Blair (Michigan), at the top of the penalty box. Mellors-Blair carried the ball into the box, caught a glimpse of the goalkeeper, and shot around him to give Le Rouge a one-goal lead heading into the half.
However, just like they had for the first goal, the Royals answered.
Cleveland came out firing after the break, earning a corner kick in the 47th minute. The cross flew in toward Tom Beck, who directed the strong header into the back of the net, leveling the scoreboard at two goals apiece.
The game went back-and-forth for the remainder of the second half, but as the clock winded down, Le Rouge earned a late corner. Cyrus Saydee (Michigan State) stepped up and sent in a swift curler that was met by the head of City defender Seb Harris (Oakland). Harris’ rocking header found the back of the net, and Cass Tech erupted as Le Rouge took the 3-2 lead in the 88th minute.
Harris’ thrilling goal earned him the M1 Imaging Man of the Match award Friday, and he was greeted by a roaring applause from the DCFC faithful after the game.
Partners in crime: Head coach Ben Pirmann switched up the team’s striking pair multiple times throughout the night. Forwards McAtee and Bautista matched up to start, and proved to be quite a deadly duo. Bautista nearly scored, driving a half-volley off the cross-bar, but was subbed out for Mellors-Blair, who joined McAtee, a fellow Wolverine, atop DCFC’s formation. In the second half, an offensive-minded midfielder James Murphy (Michigan) was substituted in and also contributed to the attack.
What’s next: Le Rouge leave the state of Michigan for the first time this year, matching up with FC Buffalo on the road Saturday, May 23rd. DCFC encounter their other Rust Belt rival for the second game of the NPSL season, as they look to carry momentum from Friday’s win to upstate New York.
