Detroit City FC saw their 2026 season come to an end on Friday night, falling 2-1 to Hartford Athletic in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
An action-packed first half began with heavy Detroit City FC pressure by both Alex Dalou and Darren Smith, but a Kobe Hernandez-Foster red card in the 19th minute slowed Le Rouge’s attack.
Hartford’s Sadat Anaku put a left-footed shot just past Carlos Herrera in the 33rd minute, but Devon Amoo-Mensah had an electric response 12 minutes later, sending the game to halftime in a 1-1 tie. The goal was Amoo-Mensah’s second career postseason goal, after his game winner against Louisville City FC last year.
The second half saw both teams come out aggressively, with Hartford making a strong push towards goal in the opening minutes. Following Hartford substitutions in the 60th minute, Le Rouge saw two excellent chances, first from Dalou, who put a ball right at Smith’s feet directly in front of Hartford goalkeeper Antony Siaha. In the 64th minute, Smith had a takeaway and put a ball directly over the top of the crossbar.
Hartford’s Sadat Anaku scored his second goal of the night in the 75th minute, giving Hartford a 2-1 lead. The match slowed down following the goal, as Hartford tried to protect their lead. A Maxi Rodriguez free kick from the top of the box saw a diving save by Siaha, with Cheikhou Niang putting the rebound just over the net. Five minutes of added time saw a heavy Detroit City FC push, but Hartford’s defense stood strong, securing their victory and ending Detroit City FC’s season.
Detroit City FC Starting XI
Carlos Herrera; Aedan Stanley; Callum Montgomery; Darren Smith; Abdoulaye Diop; Michael Bryant; Haruki Yamazaki; Alex Dalou; Maxi Rodriguez; Kobe Hernandez-Foster; Devon Amoo-Mensah
Detroit City FC Substitutions
Ates Diouf (79’); Cheikhou Niang (79’); Kian Williams (88’)
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X, Facebook, and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
Please send all media inquiries to media@detcityfc.com.
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