Over a month had passed since Detroit City FC had taken on a Rust Belt Derby opponent, but nobody had forgotten about one of Le Rouge’s coveted rivalries.
Though, with everything that happened at Cass Tech on Sunday evening, it wouldn’t have been too shocking if somebody had.
This weekend, Le Rouge shut out in-state opponent Lansing United, 1-0. In front a record crowd. Lansing was held scoreless for the first time since its season opener, and DCFC forward Will Mellors-Blair (Michigan) scored a brilliant individual goal, propelling City to the top of the Midwest table.
If anyone doubted Mellors-Blair’s speed, they were silenced. He outran the entire United defense on his goal, starting from within his own half. As Mellors-Blair darted the length of the field, the noise level rose. City fans knew something great was about to happen.
“I managed to flick it over the first defender, run past another defender, run past another defender and then slip it past the keeper,” Mellors-Blair said. “Great goal for me, and great goal for DCFC. It feels great to get a win at home in front of the fans again. We wanted revenge because (Lansing) beat us at their place. Three points mean a lot to us. Onwards and upwards.”
The game was also a boost of confidence for City’s newest netminder, Alex Bouillennec (Saginaw Valley State). Bouillennec, a French goalkeeper, has been in between the pipes for DCFC’s last two matches, both of them shutout wins. The City keeper earned his first shutout on Friday evening in Pittsburgh in Detroit’s 1-0 win over Fort Pitt Regiment.
Bouillennec was the biggest factor in holding Lansing scoreless, coming up with a big save against a point-blank header just before halftime.
“We played really well defensively,” Bouillennec said. “We knew it was going to be really tough. For me, it was the most important game of the season so far, and now we’re at the top of the table. We showed that we are the best team in this league.”
On top of the standings, with three consecutive NPSL victories, two of which came on the road, Le Rouge are playing their best soccer of the season. You would think that DCFC coach Ben Pirmann, the players and the City faithful would be satisfied with all that.
Yet somehow, there is still more to be excited about.
At the end of the Lansing match, despite all the hectic chaos, still nobody had forgotten about the Rust Belt Derby.
The three-team rivalry consists of DCFC, AFC Cleveland and FC Buffalo. In mid May, DCFC beat Cleveland 3-2 at Cass Tech and tied Buffalo the next weekend on the road. Le Rouge had four points from these games, a tally that proved to be enough.
Last week, the Royals (Cleveland) and the Wolves (Buffalo) drew to a 1-1 tie, and the result meant the trophy was coming back to Motown for a third-straight year.
Since DCFC’s inaugural campaign in 2012, major realignments have changed the structure and dynamic of the National Premier Soccer League, but year in and year out, the supporters and the teams never let the intensity of this rivalry drown.
The trophy means more than just a handful of games in the regular season, it’s a reason to rally. Three hard-edged cities filled with boisterous, proud supporters who taunt, sneer and jibe at one another every time the teams meet, seeking hopes that their team raises the tarnished, auburn copper at the end of the year. On Sunday evening, that preserved piece of rust was back where it belonged: Cass Tech.
And when DCFC captain Josh Rogers lifted the trophy at Cass Tech, the supporters’ call was answered.
Detroit City FC are the 2015 Rust Belt Derby champions.
– Ted Janes / DCFC Staff Writer
