DETROIT — Detroit City FC settled for a point on Saturday evening with a 1-1 draw against Eastern Conference opponent Hartford Athletic. It was a difficult matchup for both sides, and Le Rouge’s only goal on the night came from a brilliant Ben Morris shot.
Head Coach Danny Dichio once again heavily changed his lineup from last week’s 1-0 loss to FC Tulsa. A total of eight changes were made as Carlos Saldaña returned to the starting goalkeeper position. Brett Levis, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Stephen Carroll, and Michael Bryant made up the back line for Le Rouge. James Murphy, Maxi Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Diop, and Rhys Williams were the four midfielders selected for this matchup. Ben Morris started up top alongside Laurent Kissiedou, who was making his first start for Detroit City.
Detroit City started the match quickly, forcing a corner kick in just the second minute of the game. The kick deflected off a Hartford player in the box, and it would get to Laurent Kissiedou outside the box, but his shot went just above the bar.
DCFC would control the tempo of the game for the next fifteen minutes. But, off of a counter-attacking opportunity in the 17th minute, Michee Ngalina delivered a brilliant ball to Mamadou Dieng, who slotted the ball past Saldaña, giving Hartford the lead.
Detroit would be on the attack almost immediately after the goal. In the 21st minute, the pressure paid off as Laurent Kissiedou delivered a sensational ball to Ben Morris, who beat his defender and slid it past the Hartford keeper, equalizing this game at 1-1.
After the two goals, yellow cards became more prominent in this matchup. Devon Amoo-Mensah picked up the match’s first yellow card in the 24th minute.
Carlos Saldaña would once again make a huge save, as he has so many times this season, in the 26th minute, as a curling free kick from just outside the box forced him into a diving save.
Hartford would pick up their first yellow card in the 42 minute, as Emmanuel Samadia was the recipient of the caution.
The two sides would go into the half level at 1-1, as the game became more balanced as the half went on. Attacking third choices were few and far between for both sides.
Coming out of the half, James Murphy would pick up a late yellow card in the 54th minute, and Hartford’s Tristan Hodge would pick up a yellow in the 65th minute.
Both sides struggled mightily to find opportunities in the attacking third, as both teams made great midfield stops.
The only chance for Le Rouge in the half came from a shot from the middle of the box by Rhys Williams, which forced the Hartford keeper into a fantastic diving save.
Detroit’s first changes of the night came in the 70th minute, as Jeciel Cedeño and Alex Villanueva entered the match for Rhys Williams and Brett Levis.
Michael Bryant would pick up Detroit’s final yellow card of the night in the 75th minute off of a late tackle.
Detroit City made one more substitution in the 87th minute, hoping for an equalizer, as Elvis Amoh came on for Maxi Rodriguez.
Detroit City and Hartford Athletic would share the points this Saturday night as this match ends in a 1-1 draw. The draw sees Le Rouge move one point clear of fifth-place Rhode Island FC in the Eastern Conference standings.
Detroit City travels to El Paso next week to face El Paso Locomotive FC but returns to Keyworth Stadium on September 14 to face New Mexico United. Tickets for all Detroit City matches can be found at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
Detroit City Starters: Carlos Saldaña, Brett Levis (70’), Devon Amoo-Mensah, Stephen Carroll, Michael Bryant, James Murphy, Maxi Rodriguez (87’), Abdoulaye Diop, Rhys Williams (70’), Ben Morris, Laurent Kissiedou
Detroit City Substitutes: Nate Steinwascher, Alex Villanueva (70’), Ryan Williams, Connor Rutz, Daniel Espeleta, Elvis Amoh (87’), Jeciel Cedeño (70’)
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
