DETROIT — A return to Keyworth Stadium for Detroit City Football Club ends in disappointment, as Hartford Athletic claims a 2-1 victory on Saturday evening. Two goals resulting from defensive mistakes put Detroit down early, but a brilliant goal from Diouf in the 38th minute reduced the deficit to one. Le Rouge had multiple chances in the second half to equalize, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Head Coach Danny Dichio made a few alterations to the starting XI that took the field in Oakland last Saturday night. Carlos Saldaña got the start in the net, and the four men in front of him were Devon Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant, and Matt Sheldon. Ryan Williams, Abdoulaye Diop, Alex Villanueva, Ates Diouf, and Haruki Yamazaki made up the midfield for Le Rouge. Darren Smith led the attack on Detroit City.
For the second time this season against Hartford Athletic, Detroit City conceded early, this time in the fifth minute, as Jonathan Jiménez found the back of the net off a right-footed shot, giving Hartford an early 1-0 win.
Even though Detroit claimed most of the possession to start this match, it struggled to get anything going in the attacking third.
Hartford would pick up a second in the 23rd minute, as a Michee Ngalina cross found Mamadou Dieng, and his header flew past Carlos Saldaña, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead just about halfway through the first half.
Detroit would come close to cutting the deficit in the 25th minute. Off a free kick, Diouf attempted a header to the far post, but the Hartford keeper made a diving save.
Le Rouge forced a turnover in the midfield in the 38th minute, leading to Darren Smith and Ates Diouf to go on the counterattack. Diouf played the ball to Smith in the box, which caused the keeper to come out, and Diouf received the ball back, taking a shot at an open net that he converted, cutting the Hartford lead to 2-1.
DCFC held onto momentum in the final minutes of the first half, forcing multiple chances in the attacking third, but could not get any shots on target.
Coming out of the halftime break, Detroit City conceded a penalty in the 49th minute, allowing Hartford to put the game to bed early in the second half. Michee Ngalina stepped up to take the penalty for Hartford. he sent the shot to the right, but Carlos Saldaña guessed correctly and dove the same way, making a crucial save to keep this game at 2-1.
A double substitution for Detroit City occurred in the 58th minute, as Jeciel Cedeño and Connor Rutz entered the match for Matt Sheldon and Abdoulaye Diop.
Jeciel Cedeño came close to making an instant impact for Detroit City, as in the 61st minute, he took a shot from just outside the box that curled to the far post but was saved by the Hartford keeper.
Detroit City made another change in the 73rd minute as Sebastián Guenzatti entered the match for Darren Smith.
After multiple stoppages in the second half, the fourth official awarded eight minutes of stoppage time, which gave Detroit a few more opportunities to find an equalizer. None would be better than the one in the fifth minute of stoppages, as Diouf took a shot that tested the Hartford keeper, but he couldn’t control it, and Amoo-Mensah is there for the rebound shot, but it’s saved.
Detroit couldn’t find a better opportunity in stoppage time, which would see Hartford claim the three points on the night. For Hartford, it’s their first road victory in the USL Championship this season, and for Detroit, it’s a fourth game lost in the last five USL Championship matches.
Detroit City will be at Keyworth this upcoming Friday, July 18th, as they host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7:00 p.m., in a match that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. 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, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant, Matt Sheldon (58’), Ryan Williams, Abdoulaye Diop (58’), Alex Villanueva, Ates Diouf, Haruki Yamazaki, Darren Smith (73’)
Detroit City Substitutes – Jeciel Cedeño (58’), Connor Rutz (58’), Carlos Herrera, Sebastián Guenzatti (73’), Dominic Gasso, Zain Elder, Marcello Polisi, Bilal Obeid
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
