Phoenix, AZ — Detroit City Football Club escapes Arizona with three points, as they put three goals past Phoenix Rising FC in the final five minutes to claim a 3-2 victory. Two Rhys Williams crosses found Darren Smith in the box, and Smith’s two goals would level the game, and then it was Jeciel Cedeño scoring in the 90th minute that sealed victory for Detroit City.
Head Coach Danny Dichio made three changes to the starting XI from last week’s 0-0 draw against Monterey Bay FC. Rhys Williams, Jay Chapman, and Jordan Adebayo-Smith all entered the starting lineup, replacing Morey Doner, Ben Morris, and Darren Smith.
Both sides struggled to get anything going in the first 25 minutes. Detroit had a slight advantage in possession but couldn’t get anything going in the attacking third. The two sides would go into the first-half hydration break in the 30th minute, still having yet to register a shot on goal in the game.
The tempo shifted in Phoenix’s favor after the hydration break. Phoenix would capitalize on that and take the lead in the 42nd minute. A cross went into the box and found Collin Smith at the far post. He headed it past Carlos Herrera to give Rising the 1-0 lead.
Detroit would have two chances early on in the second half, as in the 48th minute, Adebayo-Smith came close to his first goal with DCFC, as his shot off a rebound just missed the net. Mere moments later, in the 51st minute, a brilliant feed found Cedeño in the box, but his shot from a tight angle just missed the far post.
Le Rouge made its first changes of the evening in the 59th minute. Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Connor Rutz exited, and Darren Smith and Ben Morris entered.
Detroit continued to push for an equalizer, but nothing was getting past the Phoenix back line. In the 70th minute, Detroit City sent on Morey Doner for Alex Villanueva in another attempt to switch up the tempo.
Mere seconds after the substitution, Hope Avayevu took a shot from inside the box, and it found the back of the net, giving Phoenix a 2-0 lead.
Detroit finally broke through in the 87th minute, as Rhys Williams crossed the ball to Darren Smith at the far post, and Smith put a perfect touch on it and placed it in the back of the net to get Detroit City back in the game.
Momentum was now firmly on Detroit’s side, and they would take advantage. In the 89th minute, another Rhys Williams cross found Smith in the box right in front of the keeper, and he would level the game at 2-2.
For Smith, it was his first multi-goal game for Detroit City.
Right off the restart, Jeciel Cedeño forced a turnover in the midfield, and he went on the attack. This led him to take a shot from the top corner of the box, which found the back of the net to give Detroit City a 3-2 lead.
Detroit would make one change in the five minutes of stoppage time as Shane Wiedt entered the match for Jeciel Cedeño.
Just five minutes before stoppage time, Detroit City was looking at a potential 2-0 defeat, and that was all wiped away, as Detroit City would close out the stoppage time and claim a 3-2 victory.
Le Rouge returns to Keyworth Stadium on Wednesday evening for the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Kickoff against USL League One side Westchester SC is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for all Detroit City matches are available at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
Detroit City Starting XI: Carlos Herrera, Michael Bryant, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Stephen Carroll, Rhys Williams, Ryan Williams, Jay Chapman, Alex Villanueva (70’), Jeciel Cedeño (90+3’), Connor Rutz (59’), Jordan Adebayo-Smith (59’)
Detroit City Substitutes: Shane Wiedt (90+3’), Darren Smith (59’), Ben Morris (59’), Dominic Gasso, Morey Doner (70’), Marcello Polisi, Carlos Saldaña
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)
