When we last left off with our Detroit City FC men’s squad, a winless run of eight matches was snapped and a unbeaten streak extended to four matches with a 1-0 away win at Birmingham Legion on the 16th of August. While this was a performance that wasn’t mind blowing, it was a performance that brought out some optimism and hope. Glimpses that perhaps the rough run is behind this side, and now DCFC was ready to turn the corner towards the final third of the regular season. Not only to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but also potentially finish in the top four, which guarantees a home playoff match in the first round.
The opponents for DCFC on this Wednesday the 21st of August were the hosting Tampa Bay Rowdies, sitting third in the Eastern Conference, and a side that Detroit City FC has lost both their trips to Al Laing Stadium in St. Petersburg. The last one was a 5-1 beatdown in May of 2023. DCFC kept the starting lineup the same as the win in Birmingham five days prior and jumped to an early lead when a Brett Levis corner in the 3rd minute met the head of Devon Amoo-Mensah which then sailed into the home side’s net. 1-0 to the visitors.
From there the rest of the first half saw the Rowdies take over play, forcing a barrage of corners and set pieces with their pressure, and their continued attack. In the 36th minute, Nathan Worth’s corner kick connected with Zane Bubb’s head, and the ball went past DCFC keeper Carlos Saldaña, resulting in a 1-1 score at the half. Luckily, Saldaña made some crucial saves for Detroit City FC, who found themselves struggling before the end of the first half.
The second half however saw DCFC make adjustments that turned out to help decide the match. Off at the half were Brett Levis, Matt Sheldon, and Connor Rutz. On were Alex Villanueva, Michael Bryant, and Laye Diop. Each substitute with a specific role to turn the tide. Villanueva the wide man on the left side of the pitch helps in the attack. Bryant helped shift what was a back four to a back three, helping Stephen Carroll and Devon Amoo-Mensah, freeing Rhys Williams to be the wide man on the right side, mirroring what Villanueva was doing on the left. Diop to be the spark and aggression that DCFC needed in the central midfield, turning what was a double pivot of James Murphy and Maxi Rodriguez into a three-man unit.
From there DCFC was able to create pressure, win more of the duels, and establish possession more to provide opportunities for both Ben Morris and Daniel Espeleta up top. In the 58th minute, these adjustments when a build-up by DCFC sees a loose ball in the Tampa Bay Rowdies box. With Rowdies goalkeeper Jordan Farr out in no man’s land, Ben Morris took advantage of the open space and poached the goal to make it 2-1. Morris made it 3-1 in the 73rd minute after a brilliant cross into the box by Rhys Williams meant all Morris had to do was tap it in from close range.
Detroit City FC then went into defense mode and the Rowdies reestablished the siege mentality they showed for most of the first half. Forward Manuel Arteaga cut DCFC’s lead down to 3-2 with a 93rd minute goal, but the Rowdies were unable to get a tying goal in the remaining six plus minutes of stoppage time. Instead it was the “Rowdy” second half approach of Detroit City FC that sees the visitors get three points with a 3-2 win, extend their winning streak to two, their unbeaten streak to five and now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Next for DCFC is a return home to Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck for two matches to close out the month of August. First up is FC Tulsa on Saturday, August 24th, followed by Hartford Athletic on Saturday, August 31st. Both kickoffs are in the evening just after 7 PM Eastern time. Can Detroit City FC continue their unbeaten and winning runs with the remaining matches? We shall see, in the meantime, all we can do, is continue to move onward.
