Detroit City FC Kickoff off NPSL Season with Set of Matches
Detroit City FC travel to take on Michigan Stars FC and Dayton Dynamo as the club kicks off its 2016 NPSL campaign over the weekend. Detroit City is coming off a win versus the Michigan Bucks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and has its home opener set for May 20th at Keyworth Stadium versus AFC Ann Arbor.
Soccer News: It’s a busy weekend ahead for Detroit City FC with trips to Pontiac and Dayton to get its National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season under way. Coming off of a dramatic U.S. Open Cup victory over the Michigan Bucks on Wednesday night, Le Rouge face Michigan Stars FC at Wisner Stadium at 7 p.m. tonight. Then, City has a Sunday matinee with Dayton Dynamo, scheduled for a 2 p.m. kick at Welcome Stadium.
Last July, Le Rouge defeated the Stars twice in eight days. The first win was a 3-1 decision in front of a record crowd of 3,884 supporters at Cass Tech. Will Mellors-Blair (Michigan) made the game his own, as he did so many times last summer, scoring in each half and drawing a penalty kick that Josh Rogers (Michigan State) converted for the game-winning goal.
Eight days later, on July 19, City closed its 2015 regular season slate with a 2-0 win at Wisner. Technically, it was an away match, though it didn’t feel like one thanks to a large contingent of City faithful who made the trip. Javi Bautista (Ashford) and Seb Harris (Oakland) scored the goals in the match.
The Stars have played twice so far this season, beating Oakland County FC, 3-2, last Wednesday and falling to Toledo United FC, 1-0, on Saturday.
10 of the 17 players listed on the Stars’ roster played their college ball at Oakland University. One of those 10 is Alex Serwatka, the man who scored the lone Stars’ goal at Cass Tech last season.
The Dynamo also began their season last week, dropping a 2-1 decision at AFC Ann Arbor. If the name Dayton Dynamo doesn’t seem familiar it’s because it’s new to the NPSL. In December, the Cincinnati Saints took the short drive up to Dayton and stayed, taking on the Dynamo name. Their roster is composed of holdovers from the Saints and players from schools all over Ohio, such as University of Dayton, Wright State, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State.
City’s comeback win against the Saints last year, complete with a fire department check-in, will likely be lingering in the back of those remaining Saints’ minds. Down 1-0 with only 10 men, City scored three goals in the final 16 minutes to win 3-1. It’ll take more than a change of scenery to shake that memory.
It took 120 minutes of regulation soccer plus penalty kicks to decide Wednesday’s Open Cup match against the Bucks. A 0-0 scoreline stood after regulation and two halves of extra time, which forced a shootout. Starting goalkeeper Evan Louro saved two penalty shots, which helped City to a 4-3 win.
Le Rouge will look to carry this momentum into the upcoming weekend of regular season play before its home opener at Keyworth Stadium on May 20.
