DETROIT — Detroit City Football Club returns to Keyworth Stadium this Saturday, as they host an Eastern Conference battle against Hartford Athletic. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast locally on CW Detroit 50 (WKBD-TV). For Michigan residents, the match is free to stream on CBSDetroit.com.
Le Rouge enters this match off a difficult 2-0 road defeat to Oakland Roots SC last Saturday night. A brilliant defensive effort in the first half kept the score tied at 0-0, but Oakland scored the first goal in the 55th minute, and Detroit couldn’t respond. A mistake led to them conceding late and losing the three points.
These two sides faced off just two weeks ago in the USL Jägermeister Cup, with DCFC emerging victorious in a penalty kick shootout. After falling behind in the second minute, Matt Sheldon picked up his first goal of the season in the 16th minute to level the match. Hartford pulled ahead again before the half, and it would be Matt Sheldon scoring again in the 90th minute, sending the game into penalty kicks. A massive save from Carlos Herrera in the fifth round allowed Michael Bryant to close the game out with a converted penalty.
Hartford Athletic have not played a match since the Jägermeister Cup battle. In league play, Hartford has earned five points in its last five games, most recently defeating Loudoun United 3-0 on June 20th. Mamadou Dieng opened the scoring for Hartford, and a Kyle Edwards brace sealed the game for the Connecticut-based club. The win marked Hartford’s second win in the league season.
This will be the third time these teams have faced each other this season. In the first matchup of the year, they played to a 0-0 draw back in May. Despite Detroit City holding Hartford Athletic to 0 shots on target on Saturday, Le Rouge struggled to succeed in the match’s attacking phase.
Although these sides have faced off eight times since Detroit City joined the USL Championship, Hartford still holds only one victory in the series, a 1-0 victory back in July 2024. Detroit City has three wins, with the most recent coming in a 3-0 win in September 2023. The two sides have drawn four times.
Detroit City continues a three-game homestand next Friday, July 18, in a nationally televised Eastern Conference battle against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. 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.
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