Midfielder Haruki Yamazaki is preparing for his first season with Detroit City. Yamazaki was brought to Detroit on a one-year contract with an option for an additional year in 2026. Yamazaki began his professional career last season with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC of USL League One.
Yamazaki began his professional career in 2024 in USL League One, playing 11 matches for Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. He started in 10 of those matches, accumulating 921 minutes on the field. During these appearances, he took four shots and won 29 fouls. Yamazaki made a strong impression during the Hailstorm’s journey to winning the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup, starting in all nine matches. He recorded one goal and one assist, created 10 chances, and completed 12 dribbles with a success rate of 60 percent while also winning 20 tackles and 85 duels.
Before joining Northern Colorado, Yamazaki spent his final year of college at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2023, he started all 16 games for the Golden Eagles, played 1,104 minutes, and netted two goals and two assists throughout the season.The Nara, Japan native spent his first year of college soccer at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. Yamazaki started all 20 matches for the Senators in 2022, the only season he played with the Division II side. He played 1,333 minutes, scoring seven goals and adding three assists.
