Detroit City FC earned its first home win of the 2019 campaign with a 3-0 defeat of FC Columbus on Sunday evening. 5,746 City supporters filed into historic Keyworth Stadium to see the Boys in Rouge overpower the opposition from Ohio.
Man of the Match honors went to Danny Deakin, who orchestrated the offense from his midfield position, including an assist on the third goal. Deakin, Bakie Goodman, Max Todd, Abdoulaye Diop, and Oscar Gonzalez dominated midfield, completing passes by the bakers’ dozen. Their sharpness on the ball and quickness in winning it back set the tempo from the opening kick. Soon, their teammates followed suit.
It was a match that saw Le Rouge control the ball and the game throughout, with everyone contributing. Playing on the front foot for the entire first half, DCFC had no issue getting into the attacking third, but struggled to find the necessary passes once there. Columbus managed to escape the first 45 unscathed, but the writing was on the wall, and it seemed to only be a matter of time.
That suspicion was confirmed when, finally, in the 56th minute, Shawn Lawson got the party officially started, as he calmly headed home a perfect cross from Kervin Kenton on the left side.
Then, Moussa Gueye notched his first goal for City, in the 72nd minute, finding himself with loads of space in the box as a corner from Max Todd came flying in. The big defender made no mistake getting his head on it and directing it into the bottom right corner to extend the lead.
Cyrus Saydee, having come on just five minutes prior, cherried the Sunday with a simple tap-in tally in the 81st minute. The real work, however, was done by Deakin, who chased down a beautiful ball from Tommy Buono and sent it out in front for Sayde to apply the finishing touch.
Also of note was a collision between Gonzalez and FCC’s Demarco Andrews in the 37th minute. The two knocked heads while trying to get a touch on a ball in the Columbus penalty area. The incident forced both to come out of the contest. Gonzalez popped right back to his feet, but his head hit the turf hard, and you’re always better safe than sorry in those situations. It was a shame for him to have to come off. He was playing an excellent game on the right wing.
Detroit City FC extends its streak of clean sheets to three, thanks, in large part, to the confident goalkeeping of Owen Finnerty and the stifling defense deployed by center backs Stephen Carroll and Jalen Crisler.
It was an important week bookended with impactful wins for Le Rouge. The six points keep them right in the thick of the NPSL Great Lakes Division playoff race. DCFC are now 3-1-1 in the league.
The Boys in Rouge go again Friday, June 7 when they play host to FC Indiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Tickets for the match are $12 online and will be $15 at the gate on matchday. Get your tickets now.
Detroit City FC Starting XI: #5 Stephen Carroll, #8 Bakie Goodman, #9 Shawn Lawson (#10 Cyrus Saydee, 75’), #11 Max Todd (#21 Tommy Buono, 75’), #14 Abdoulaye Diop (#18 Dave Edwardson, 85’), #15 Jalen Crisler (#4 Seb Harris, 85’), #17 Moussa Gueye, #22 Oscar Gonzalez (#2 Kervin Kenton, 44’), #27 Will Perkins (#96 Omar Sinclair, 80’), #29 Owen Finnerty, #30 Danny Deakin
