It’s a busy weekend ahead for Detroit City FC with trips to Pontiac and Dayton to get its National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season underway. Coming off of a dramatic U.S. Open Cup victory over the Michigan Bucks on Wednesday night, Le Rouge face Michigan Stars FC at 7 p.m. on tomorrow night at Wisner Stadium. Then, City has a Sunday matinee with Dayton Dynamo, scheduled for a 2 p.m. kick at Welcome Stadium.
Last July, Le Rouge defeated the Stars twice in eight days. The first was a 3-1 decision in front of a record crowd of 3,884 supporters at Cass Tech. Will Mellors-Blair made the game his own, as he did so many times last summer, scoring in each half and drawing a penalty kick that Josh Rogers converted for the game-winning goal.
Eight days later, on July 19, City closed its 2015 regular season slate with at 2-0 win at Wisner. Technically, it was an away match, though it didn’t feel like one thanks to a large contingent of Rouge Rovers who made the trip. Javi Bautista and Seb Harris scored the goals in the match.
The Stars have played twice so far this season, beating Oakland County FC 3-2 last Wednesday and falling to Toledo United FC 1-0 on Saturday.
10 of the 17 players listed on the Stars’ roster played their college ball at Oakland University. One of those 10 is Alex Serwatka, the man who scored the lone Stars’ goal at Cass Tech last season.
The Dynamo also began their season last week, dropping a 2-1 decision at AFC Ann Arbor. If the name Dayton Dynamo doesn’t seem familiar it’s because it’s new to the NPSL. In December, the Cincinnati Saints took the short drive up to Dayton and stayed, taking on the Dynamo name. Their roster is composed of holdovers from the Saints and players from schools all over Ohio, such as University of Dayton, Wright State, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State.
Of course, City’s comeback win against the Saints last year, complete with a fire department check-in, will likely be lingering in the back of those remaining Saints’ minds. Down 1-0 with only 10 men, City scored three goals in the final 16 minutes to win 3-1. It’ll take more than a change of scenery to shake that memory.
It took 120 minutes of soccer plus penalty kicks to decide Wednesday’s Open Cup match against the Bucks. A 0-0 scoreline stood after regulation and two halves of extra time, which forced a shootout. Starting goalkeeper Evan Louro saved two penalty shots, which helped City to a 4-3 win.
Le Rouge will look to carry this momentum into the upcoming weekend of regular season play.
