With only a few months until opening kickoff, Detroit City FC has released its full schedule for the upcoming National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season, featuring a 12-match regular season and five friendly matches.
The schedule includes exhibitions against teams from two professional-based North American clubs, a balanced NPSL divisional schedule and one of the most anticipated international friendlies of 2016.
Le Rouge will open the regular season on the road on Friday, May 13 against Michigan Stars FC in Pontiac, Mich., followed by a trip to Dayton on Sunday, May 15. City will play its first-ever match at its new home, Keyworth Stadium, against AFC Ann Arbor on Friday, May 20. In total, City will host six NPSL Midwest Region West Division matches and four friendlies. Most notably, DCFC will welcome semi-professional British side FC United of Manchester for its first match in the United States on Saturday, May 28 at 3 p.m. EST.
“We have a very exciting and, yet again, rigorous schedule this summer,” DCFC head coach Ben Pirmann said. “We have a great balance of tough NPSL games as well as some top-notch friendlies. The match against FCUM will be an historic event, and I think everyone involved with the two clubs and communities are on the edge of their seats.”
2016 Detroit City FC Schedule
| Friday, May 13 | at Michigan Stars FC | 7 PM EST |
| Sunday, May 15 | at Dayton Dynamo | 2 PM EST |
| Friday, May 20 | vs AFC ANN ARBOR | 7:30 PM EST |
| Sunday, May 22 | at Kalamazoo FC | 6:05 PM EST |
| Saturday, May 28 | vs FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER (friendly) | 3 PM EST |
| Friday, June 3 | vs FC BUFFALO (friendly) | 7:30 PM EST |
| Sunday, June 5 | at FC Buffalo (friendly) | 2 PM EST |
| Friday, June 10 | at Grand Rapids FC | 7:45 PM EST |
| Sunday, June 12 | vs LANSING UNITED | 5 PM EST |
| Sunday, June 19 | vs KALAMAZOO FC | 5 PM EST |
| Saturday, June 25 | vs DAYTON DYNAMO | 7:30 PM EST |
| Friday, July 1 | vs GRAND RAPIDS FC | 7:30 PM EST |
| Sunday, July 3 | at AFC Ann Arbor | 1 PM EST |
| Wednesday, July 6 | vs COLUMBUS CREW COLLEGE PROGRAM (friendly) | 7:30 PM EST |
| Sunday, July 10 | at Lansing United | 12 PM EST |
| Friday, July 15 | vs MICHIGAN STARS FC | 7:30 PM EST |
| Wednesday, July 27 | vs WINDSOR STARS (friendly) | 7:30 PM EST |
For more schedule details, click here.
The NPSL Midwest Region returns to a two-division format, with the West and East divisions comprised of seven and six teams, respectively. The 2016 regular season is set to feature home-and-away fixtures between teams within their respective divisions.
Detroit City FC is joined in the West Division by Lansing United, Michigan Stars, Dayton Dynamo (formerly Cincinnati Saints), and expansion teams Grand Rapids FC, AFC Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo FC.
The Midwest Region East Division features FC Buffalo, AFC Cleveland, Erie Commodores, FC Indiana, expansion team Rochester RiverdogZ FC, and Indy Eleven B (formerly Indiana Fire, now associated with NASL side Indy Eleven).
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top two teams in the East Division and the top two teams in the West Division will advance to the Midwest Region semifinals, with the East Region first seed facing the West Region second seed, and the West Region first seed facing the East Region second seed. The winners will advance to the Midwest Region finals the weekend of July 22, which will determine the region champion to move on to the national tournament.
Despite the realignment, Detroit City FC and FC Buffalo aim to continue their rivalry to the best of their ability, including a home-and-home friendly series. Detroit will host Buffalo on Friday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST followed by a Detroit visit to Buffalo on Sunday, June 5 at 2 p.m. EST.
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AFC Ann Arbor |
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Dayton Dynamo |
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Detroit City FC |
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Grand Rapids FC |
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Kalamazoo FC |
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Lansing United |
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Michigan Stars FC |
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AFC Cleveland |
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Erie Commodores FC |
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FC Buffalo |
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FC Indiana |
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Indy Eleven B |
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Rochester RiverdogZ FC |
With a new year, a new stadium and a new divisional alignment, Le Rouge is in for an exciting season.
You won’t want to miss a second of the action with 2016 season tickets, which will include entry to every NPSL home match and select friendlies, not including the May 28th match against FC United of Manchester. Purchase yours now at https://www.detcityfc.com/tickets. Group tickets also remain available. For more information, contact general manager Donovan Powell at donovan.powell@https://www.detcityfc.com.
Single game tickets will go on sale in early March. Tickets for the FCUM friendly will go on sale to the public in mid-March, after Keyworth investors are given an exclusive window of time for priority purchases.
