Leesburg, VA — Detroit City Football Club sees its three-match road trip end in defeat, falling to Loudoun United FC 3-2 on Saturday evening. Ben Morris opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with an incredible strike, but Loudoun equalized in the 38th and scored the go-ahead goal in stoppage time. Le Rouge equalized quickly in the 52nd minute with a Michael Bryant goal, but Loudoun’s goal in the 64th minute would ultimately be the decider in this one.
Head Coach Danny Dichio debuted an almost entirely different starting XI from the one that took the field in Pittsburgh last weekend. Carlos Saldaña got the start in goal, replacing Carlos Herrara. Matt Sheldon, Shane Wiedt, Devon Amoo-Mensah, and Michael Bryant made up the back line for Le Rouge. The midfield consisted of Dominic Gasso, Ryan Williams, Alex Villanueva, Jeciel Cedeño, and Connor Rutz. Ben Morris was the lone striker up top.
Although Loudoun controlled possession early in this match, off a turnover in midfield in the ninth minute, Detroit went on the attack as Connor Rutz delivered a pass to Alex Villanueva, who was unmarked. Villanueva took a shot from inside the box, but it struck the goalpost, stopping the first Detroit attack of the night.
In the 22nd minute, a Matt Sheldon pass deflected off a Loudoun defender and found Ben Morris with space in the box, and he put it into the bottom corner of the net to give Detroit the 1-0 advantage. For Morris, it’s his second goal of the season, and his first since a 2-2 draw against Birmingham Legion on March 22nd.
Off the restart, Loudoun were immediately on the attack. After its first shot bounced off the crossbar, Loudoun had a second chance that was cleared off the line by an incredible header from Devon Amoo-Mensah.
Loudoun equalized the match in the 38th minute as Abdellatif Aboukoura’s strike from the left side of the box found the bottom corner.
Seconds before the end of the first half, Aboukoura picked up his second of the match off a fast break, finding the bottom corner of the net, giving Loudoun a 2-1 lead right as the halftime whistle blew.
Coming out of the halftime break, Detroit was in control of the tempo of the match. Detroit earned a corner in the 52nd minute and took it quickly. The ball was crossed into the box and found Michael Bryant at the far post, and he tapped it into the back of the net, leveling the match at 2-2. For Bryant, it’s his first goal since the opening game of the season at The Miami FC.
Loudoun United would reclaim the lead in the 64th minute as Zach Ryan found the back of the net off a shot right by the penalty spot.
The first changes of the night came in the 69th minute as Abdoulaye Diop and Darren Smith entered the match for Ryan Williams and Connor Rutz. For Diop, these are the first minutes he has played this season after returning from injury.
Detroit made two more substitutions in the 80th minute, as Ates Diouf and Rhys Williams entered the match for Matt Sheldon and Ben Morris, in a push for a late equalizer.
The changes gave Detroit a few opportunities, but none of them would ultimately end up on target, and Loudoun would claim the victory in this match. The loss sees Detroit’s winless streak extend to eight games.
Le Rouge finally returns to Keyworth Stadium next Saturday, June 21st, to take on The Miami FC. Kickoff from Keyworth Stadium is set for 4 p.m. Tickets for all Detroit City matches are available at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
Detroit City Starting XI – Carlos Saldaña, Matt Sheldon (80’), Shane Wiedt, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Michael Bryant, Dominic Gasso, Ryan Williams (69’), Alex Villanueva, Jeciel Cedeño, Connor Rutz (69’), Ben Morris (80’)
Detroit City Substitutes – Rhys Williams (80’), Stephen Carroll, Darren Smith (69’), Abdoulaye Diop (69’), Haruki Yamazaki, Carlos Herrera, Ates Diouf (80’)
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
