Hartford, Connecticut — Detroit City Football Club stays alive in the USL Jägermeister Cup after securing the extra point on a 3-2 penalty kick victory over Hartford Athletic. Matt Sheldon’s brace forced this game into penalties, and a massive save from Carlos Herrera allowed Michael Bryant to close the game out with a winning converted penalty.
Danny Dichio reverted to his normal starting XI from the lineup that took the field for the friendly against Santos Laguna on Wednesday. Carlos Herrera got the start in goal, and the four men in front of him making up the back line were Devon Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Stephen Carroll, and Michael Bryant. The midfield was made up of Ryan Williams, Abdoulaye Diop, Jeciel Cedeño, and Matt Sheldon. The front two attackers were Darren Smith and Ates Diouf.
Detroit City didn’t even get to settle into the game, as 90 seconds in, Sebastian Anderson found the back of the net for Hartford on a counterattack opportunity.
As DCFC grew into the match, the chances started coming quickly for Detroit City. Ates Diouf put the first shot on target in the 15th minute with a shot that went just over the bar off a Hartford goalkeeper tip, awarding Detroit City a corner. Off a quickly taken corner to the far post, Michael Bryant heads the ball to Matt Sheldon, and he heads into the bottom corner to level the match. For Sheldon, it was his first goal of the season.
Detroit has two outstanding opportunities in the box to take a lead in the 22nd minute, but a Hartford defender deflects Darren Smith’s shot, and the Hartford keeper saves Jeciel Cedeño’s rebound shot.
Off a defensive breakdown in the box in the 28th minute, Jonathan Jiménez fed the ball to Michee Ngalina, who put it into the back of the net to give Hartford Athletic a 2-1 lead.
A beautiful ball is played to Diouf right around the penalty spot in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, but his shot would sail over the bar.
Coming out of the break, Detroit City made one change as Alex Villanueva replaced Devon Amoo-Mensah.
Detroit City struggled with possession to begin the second half, forcing some changes in the 64th minute as Connor Rutz and Haruki Yamazaki entered the match, replacing Darren Smith and Abdoulaye Diop.
Off a Hartford Athletic set piece in the 71st minute, the ball was played into the box, and Carlos Herrera was forced into an incredible diving save, keeping Detroit City alive in the game and in the Jägermeister Cup.
Detroit made one final change in the 73rd minute, as Sebastián Guenzatti replaced Jeciel Cedeño.
In the 83rd minute, Ryan Williams delivered a brilliant cross into the box, which found Michael Bryant at the far post, but his header went just wide of the post.
Detroit City was awarded a free kick from roughly 25 yards out in the 90th minute, and another beautiful cross was driven into the box, finding Matt Sheldon, who put it into the back of the net, leveling this match at 2-2 right before the start of stoppage time.
Given that Jägermeister Cup matches do not end in draws, this match headed to penalties to determine who would earn the extra point.
After the first two rounds of penalties went scoreless for both sides, both Hartford and Detroit finally converted in the third round, both with shots to the bottom right corner.
Round four would see a similar outcome, as both sides converted. In the fifth and decisive round, Carlos Herrara made a crucial diving save to award Michael Bryant the opportunity to close out the game, which he did with a shot right down the middle.
Detroit heads out on the road this weekend to the historic Oakland Coliseum to face off against Oakland Roots SC. The kickoff is scheduled for next Saturday night at 10 pm. Detroit City returns to Keyworth on July 12 to face Hartford Athletic at 7 pm. 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 Herrera, Devon Amoo-Mensah (46’), Shane Wiedt, Stephen Carroll, Michael Bryant, Ryan Williams, Abdoulaye Diop (64’), Jeciel Cedeño (73’), Matt Sheldon, Darren Smith (64’), Ates Diouf
Detroit City Substitutes – Alex Villanueva (46’), Connor Rutz (64’), Haruki Yamazaki (64’), Sebastián Guenzatti (73’), Dominic Gasso, Marcello Polisi, Carlos Saldaña
Penalty Shootout:
Round 1:
Hartford Michee Ngalina shot missed
Detroit Ates Diouf shot saved
Round 2:
Hartford Sebastian Anderson shot saved
Detroit Connor Rutz shot saved
Round 3:
Hartford Mamadou Dieng converted
Detroit Sebastián Guenzatti converted
Round 4:
Hartford Joseph Farrell converted
Detroit Haruki Yamazaki converted
Round 5:
Hartford Adrián Diz shot saved
Detroit Michael Bryant converted
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
