The Detroit City FC men’s team continues to move forward assembling their roster for their upcoming debut in USL Championship starting in March.
Yesterday, the club announced that 2021 Black Arrow Award winner and local product Connor Rutz would make his return for the 2022 season while today announcing that Abdoulaye Diop has also signed with City after spending the previous two seasons with Atlanta United 2.
The return of both Rutz and Diop are undoubtedly the result of head coach and general manager Trevor James’ presence with the team. And I’m not speaking in terms of James just simply reaching out and managing to strike a deal with both players ahead of the upcoming season.
Rutz is returning based on his remarkable growth as a player under James’ tutelage which not only earned him the Black Arrow Award with the Club this past season but was also named to the NISA All-First Team at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign. Not to mention since the rest of the USL world seems to think that Rutz was nothing more than a single highlight that topped the SportsCenter Top 10 this past summer…
As far as Diop goes I remember late last year as chatter became more prevalent about DCFC potentially making a jump to USL Championship there was plenty of talk surrounding who James and the rest of the front office could go after to make the roster more second-tier ready. Diop’s name was a player often mentioned amongst supporters who they would have liked to see make a return to the Rouge and Gold based on what he did in 2019 as well as the “relationship” he formed with Trevor and his wife Tiffany at that time.
And since nuance is important John Morrissey of USL Tactics presented his own set of receipts on the type of player Diop is, something that should further excite DCFC supports and put the rest of the USL on notice that Detroit City simply isn’t fucking around with the talent they’re bringing in.
So over the course of three days, City has brought back their captain in Stephen Carroll, the 2021 Black Arrow Award winner Connor Rutz, and a guy who was getting looks from one of the best teams in MLS in Abdoulaye Diop. It’s amazing to think things are just getting started too.
