Cary, North Carolina — Detroit City Football Club and North Carolina FC end in a 1-1 draw this Friday night. North Carolina dominated the first 30 minutes, but afterward, Detroit City took control of the game, with Darren Smith scoring his first goal since May to level the score in the 63rd minute.
Head coach Danny Dichio made two changes to the starting XI that claimed the 1-0 victory over Indy Eleven last Saturday night, as Jay Champion replaced Connor Rutz and Darren Smith replaced Sebastián Guenzatti in the starting lineup. Carlos Saldaña kept the starting spot in goal, and Devon Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant, and Matt Sheldon were once again the four in front of him. Joining Chapman in the midfield were Kobe Hernanzed-Foster, Alex Villanueva, and Abdoulaye Diop. The two strikers at the top were Smith and Ates Diouf.
It was a slow start for Le Rouge, as North Carolina controlled the first twenty minutes of the match. Detroit City struggled to enter the attacking third, as North Carolina was just too difficult for Le Rouge to break through in the opening minutes of this match.
North Carolina broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when a great pass from Evan Conway found Pedro Dolabella, who took a shot from outside the box, which found the bottom left corner, giving North Carolina a 1-0 lead.
Detroit’s first good chance of the evening came in the first minute of first-half stoppage time when Matt Sheldon took a shot from the top of the box, forcing the North Carolina keeper to make a diving stop at the near post.
Just three minutes later, Darren Smith came close once again for Le Rouge, as his shot from right around the penalty spot beat the keeper but bounced off the post and back into play before being cleared out by a North Carolina defender.
Following the halftime break, Le Rouge implemented two tactical modifications in an effort to assume control of the match. Haruki Yamazaki and Ryan Williams were substituted into the game, replacing Shane Wiedt and Jay Chapman.
A defensive start to the half for both sides saw not many opportunities in the attacking third for either side in the first fifteen minutes of the second half. Ates Diouf would have the first opportunity of the half in the 61st minute, as his shot from outside the box would graze past the far post.
Another change for Detroit City in the 62nd minute as Jeciel Cedeño entered the match for Abdoulaye Diop.
Off the restart of play, Kobe Hernandez-Foster played an absolutely stunning ball down the middle to Darren Smith in the attacking third. Smith would take a shot from the center of the box and slot it into the bottom left corner, leveling the match at 1-1.
For Smith, it’s his first goal since the Jägermeiser Cup match at Portland Hearts of Pine on May 31, and it’s his first league goal since May 3rd at Indy Eleven.
Detroit would make another change in the 68th minute, as Jordan Adebayo-Smith entered the match for Ates Diouf. For Adebayo-Smith, it was his first match playing 20+ minutes since the league match at Pittsburgh Riverhounds on June 7th.
North Carolina’s best chance of the second half would come in the 86th minute as Thomas Roberts would send a ball into the box, which found Ahmad Al-Qaq just outside of the six-yard box. His header would force Carlos Saldaña to make a great save to keep this match level at 1-1.
Detroit’s final change of the night came in the 87th minute, as Sebastián Guenzatti entered the match for Alex Villanueva.
After five minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither side could find a go-ahead goal, leading to the points being shared. With the draw, neither side sees their position in the Eastern Conference standings change, as Detroit City still sits in sixth and North Carolina holds steady in third.
Le Rouge returns to Keyworth next Saturday, August 23rd, for a crucial Eastern Conference battle against Tampa Bay Rowdies. 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 (46’), Michael Bryant, Matt Sheldon, Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Jay Chapman (46’), Alex Villanueva (87’), Abdoulaye Diop (62’), Darren Smith, Ates Diouf (68’)
Detroit City Substitutes – Jeciel Cedeño (62’), Haruki Yamazaki (46’), Carlos Herrera, Sebastián Guenzatti (87’), Dominic Gasso, Ryan Williams (46’), Jordan Adebayo-Smith (68’)
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
