On Tuesday, Detroit City FC revealed their first set of roster decisions as they prepare for an offseason that many expect to bring significant changes. This anticipated transformation follows a season where Detroit City demonstrated considerable potential, finishing third in the Eastern Conference. However, their playoff journey came to a disappointing end when they fell to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a penalty shootout during the first round.
Players returning in 2025
These players are either under contract or agreed to extensions according to the Club.
- Rhys Williams (M)
- Alex Villanueva (D)
- Dominic Gasso (M)
- Carlos Saldaña (GK)
- Stephen Carroll (D)
- Devon Amoo-Mensah (D)
- Ben Morris (F)
The Club just recently agreed to an extension with Ben Morris who had a breakout season with Le Rouge in 2024. Meanwhile, the Club also extended defensive anchors in Captain Stephen Carroll and Devon Amoo-Mensah signaling the team should once again employ one of the best backlines in all of the USL Championship next season.
Players whose options were picked up
- Connor Rutz (F)
- Jeciel Cedeño (F)
Connor Rutz‘s return was anticipated after a strong second half of the season for the former Black Arrow Award winner. Before any City supporters bitch about his return, it’s important to remember that this is the second DCFC coaching staff that has recognized Connor’s value at this level and has entrusted him with key minutes as the season reached its conclusion.
As far as Cedeño goes, his return is maybe one of the bigger surprises after a relatively quiet presence on the pitch after being acquired from Oakland mid-season in 2024. However, throughout his time with the Roots, Cedeño has shown the ability to be a creator offensively, something City is in desperate need of and something the team maybe thinks they can further unlock with Jeciel given a full season in Detroit.
Players who had their options declined but are in discussions to return
- Ryan Williams (M)
Ryan Williams was a pleasant surprise on the pitch last season after being a later signing heading into 2024. Williams was one of the better players for City in that ill-fated playoff match against Tampa Bay and was pretty effective on set pieces for City all year. However, there have been rumors that Williams might be thinking about going back to England. So, I wouldn’t count on him being back in Detroit for 2025.
Players who had their options declined
- Elvis Amoh (F)
- Daniel Espeleta (M)
- James Murphy (D)
Again, imagine a world where Elvis Amoh doesn’t get injured against North Carolina. The veteran was incredibly effective before the injury but just the same afterward.
James Murphy’s return is probably a bigger surprise. In his lone season with Detroit, he did find himself in some yellow card trouble but was perhaps one of the more effective central mids for the team all year. However, if the team is looking to reshape the midfield for 2025 completely, his departure makes a little more sense.
Loans returning to their parent club
- Victor Bezerra (F)
- Laurent Kissiedou (M)
- Abdi Salim (D)
It would’ve been great if Detroit somehow could’ve held on to Kissiedou for 2025. His presence up front has been exactly what this team has needed for quite some time and you hope Trevor James can bring on a player with a similar game for the upcoming season. Otherwise, Salim being hampered by injuries since his arrival was a bummer and Bezerra falling off the face of the earth certainly didn’t help things offensively for a team that still had trouble putting up goals this season.
Big Question Marks
- Laye Diop (M)
- Brett Levis (D)
- Michael Bryant (D)
- Maxi Rodriguez (M)
- Yazeed Matthews (F)
- Nate Steinwascher (GK)
- Matt Sheldon (D)
That leaves us with seven players with some question marks surrounding them heading into 2025. And with that, there’s probably not a bigger question mark than Maxi Rodriguez who’s been the centerpiece for Detroit offensively since 2020-2021. As it stands rumors have him already out the door and signed with Rhode Island, however, that has yet to be confirmed. But much like the departure of James Murphy and the presumption that the team is reshaping their midfield, Maxi’s anticipated departure is much clearer, especially for a team that hasn’t improved much (if at all) offensively since the jump to the USL Championship.
The same could be said for Diop, who has been effective for City, but a guy who could be on the outside looking in when it comes to rebuilding that midfield.
Michael Bryant is another player with a big question mark after finding his place with Detroit in the jump to USL as first a utility-type player then eventually cementing himself on that dominant Detroit backline. The rumor mill, however, has him locked in a contract dispute with the Club and his return at this point kinda seems uncertain.
Brett Levis, Yazeed Matthews, and Nate Steinwascher all seem gone. Levis, who originally came over along with Dario Suarez from Tulsa for Tommy McCabe had been injured for a good majority of the season and seemingly lost his spot to Alex Villanueva. Yazeed Matthews also had trouble finding playing time and was reportedly hurt for stretches during the year. Club legend Nate Steinwascher is reportedly retiring while Matt Sheldon has posted a highlight video potentially signaling his time with City is over.
There’s also some talk that the team has also already signed a few players and if the rumors are correct regarding Maxi as well as what we’ve seen with the initial roster decisions, you have to assume that some of those new signings are coming for the midfield. We shall wait and see though.
