Detroit City FC (DCFC) is an American minor league soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan that plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Founded in 2012, DCFC, is one of seven teams in the Great Lakes Conference that also includes Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Michigan Stars FC (Dearborn, Mich.), Lansing United (Lansing, Mich.) and Westfield Select FC (Westfield, Ind.).
Former opponents include the now defunct Zanesville Athletic FC (2013), Greater Binghamton FC (2012, moved to the Keystone Conference in 2013) and FC Sparta Michigan (2013, sold franchise rights to Michigan Stars FC in 2014).
DCFC's home matches are played in downtown Detroit at Cass Technical High School, where games take on a festive atmosphere provided in large part by the team's three main supporter groups — Northern Guard Supporters, Motor City Supporters and Le Rouge Supporters. The team's nickname, Le Rouge, is derived from the team's colors — maroon and gold — and Detroit's French roots.
History
Detroit City FC was started by a group of five Detroit residents who wanted a club of their own that would promote the city and help build community through soccer.[1] In their first season in the NPSL, Detroit City FC finished second in the five team Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region. Le Rouge went on to lose 2 - 1 to AFC Cleveland in the Great Lakes Conference Semi-finals, ending their season with a 5 - 2 - 5 record. In December 2012, it was announced that head coach Kylie Stannard and associate coach Cale Wassermann would not be returning for a second season with the team due to other obligations. The following month, Ben Pirmann took over as head coach and Adil Salmoni was hired as associate head coach.
In 2013, Detroit City finished first in the Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region and were ranked #1 in the NPSL following an undefeated regular season and a Rust Belt Derby Championship. After beating rival AFC Cleveland for the 3rd time that season in the semi-finals 3 - 1, DCFC lost to Erie Admirals, ending their season with a 12-1-1 record.
Head Coach
-
Kylie Stannard (2012)
- Ben Pirmann (2013 – present)
Associate Head Coach
- Cale Wassermann (2012)
- Adil Salmoni (2013 – present)
Stadium
Players
2013 Detroit City FC
2013 Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. |
|
Position |
Player
|
| |
|
GK |
Mike Weist
|
| |
 |
MF |
Fabio Villas Boas Pereira
|
| |
|
MF |
Jon Evans
|
| |
|
MF |
Matt Ybarra
|
| 0 |
|
GK |
Bret Mollon
|
| 2 |
|
FW |
Jeff Adkins
|
| 3 |
|
FW |
Adam Bedell
|
| 4 |
|
MF |
Lachlan Savage
|
| 5 |
|
MF |
Latif Alashe
|
| 6 |
|
DF |
Josh Rogers (Captain)
|
| 7 |
|
MF |
Cyrus Saydee
|
| 8 |
|
MF |
Spencer Thompson
|
| 9 |
|
MF |
Kevin Taylor (vice-captain)
|
| 10 |
|
FW |
Knox Cameron
|
| 11 |
|
DF |
Ezekiel Harris
|
| 12 |
|
DF |
Nick Lewin |
|
|
| No. |
|
Position |
Player
|
| 13 |
|
MF |
David Dwaihy
|
| 14 |
|
FW |
Tom Oatley
|
| 15 |
|
FW |
Zach Myers
|
| 16 |
|
MF |
Wade Allen
|
| 17 |
|
MF |
TJ Van Slooten
|
| 18 |
 |
MF |
David Edwardson
|
| 19 |
|
MF |
Miche'le Lipari
|
| 20 |
|
FW |
Shawn Claud Lawson
|
| 21 |
|
MF |
Nate Norman
|
| 22 |
|
MF |
Chase Jabbori
|
| 23 |
|
DF |
Zach Schewee
|
| 24 |
|
MF |
Austin Oldham
|
| 25 |
|
MF |
Raphael Reynolds
|
| 26 |
|
MF |
Grant Chong
|
| 27 |
|
DF |
Lucas Diener
|
| 30 |
|
GK |
Jeremy Clark |
|
Notable Former Players
Year-by-year
| Year |
Division |
League |
Regular Season |
Playoffs |
Open Cup |
| 2012 |
4 |
NPSL |
2nd, Midwest-Great Lakes, 5-5-2 |
Conference Semi-Final |
Not Eligible.[2] |
| 2013 |
4 |
NPSL |
1st, Midwest-Great Lakes, 11-1-0 |
Conference Final |
Did not qualify[3] |
Historic Record Vs Opponents
| Opponent |
Regular Season (W-D-L) |
Post-season (W-L) |
Total (W-D-L) |
| AFC Cleveland |
2-3-1 |
1-1 |
3-3-2 |
| Erie Admirals |
3-1-1 |
0-1 |
3-1-2 |
| FC Buffalo |
4-1-0 |
0-0 |
4-1-0 |
| Greater Binghamton FC |
2-1-0 |
0-0 |
2-1-0 |
| Sparta Michigan |
2-0-0 |
0-0 |
2-0-0 |
| Zanesville Athletic |
3-0-0 |
0-0 |
3-0-0 |
| ALL-TIME |
16-6-2 |
1-2 |
17-6-4 |
Club Culture
The Northern Guard celebrate a goal during a home game at Cass Tech
Supporters
Le Rouge Supporters, Northern Guard Supporters, and the Motor City Supporters are three distinct groups that collectively represent the soccer supporting culture at DCFC matches.
Known for setting off fireworks, walking into the stadium in a parade-like manner, and chanting an already established series of songs and cheers, supporters groups have become a staple at Detroit City FC home games and have even traveled with the team to show their support. In 2013, City fans recorded an all new high attendance record at Cass Tech, bringing over 2600 people to watch Detroit City FC end AFC Cleveland's season with a 3 - 1 victory.
Rivalries
Supporters of Detroit City FC, FC Buffalo, and AFC Cleveland formed the 'Rust Belt Derby'. The winner of the Derby is based on the head to head record of the midwestern clubs during regular season NPSL matches.[4] These are typically high pressure games and particular fan favorites, especially by Detroit City FC supporter groups who have been known to greatly antagonize DCFC’s opponents.[5] Cleveland won the inaugural Rust Belt Derby on June 23, 2012 following a 1-1 draw with Detroit.[6] Detroit City FC would come back and win the 2013 Rust Belt Derby trophy after beating FC Buffalo 2 - 1.
Detroit City FC also compete in friendly games against Windsor Stars in an across the bridge battle. These games create a patriotic sentiment from fans and are normally accompanied by frequent cheers of “USA” and waving American flags.
Kit Supplier and Sponsor
| Years |
Kit manufacturer |
Sponsor |
| Front Sponsor |
Back Sponsor |
| 2012 |
Nike |
Independent Detroit businesses sponsored individual players |
Slows to Go/ Michigan Greensafe Products |
| 2013 |
Nike |
None |
CorePower/MillKing it Productions |
Sponsors
References
External links
Detroit City Football Club |
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| | | | The Club | |
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| | Stadium | |
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| | Culture |
Motor City Supporters |
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| | Rivalries | |
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| | Key Personnel | |
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Seasons (2) | | | NPSL | |
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| | Northeast Atlantic | |
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| | Northeast Keystone | |
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| | South Mid-Atlantic | |
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| | South Sunshine | |
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| | South Southeast | |
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| | South Central | |
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| | Midwest Great Lakes | |
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| | Midwest Central | |
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| | West Southern | |
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| | West Golden Gate | |
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| | West Northwest | |
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| | Other Topics | |
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| | Overview | |
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| | Men's national teams | |
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| | Outdoor leagues | |
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| | Indoor leagues | |
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| | Cup competitions | |
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| | Men's college soccer | |
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| | Women's national teams | |
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| | Women's leagues | |
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| | Women's college soccer | |
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| | Defunct men's outdoor leagues | |
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| | Defunct men's indoor leagues | |
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| | Defunct women's competition | |
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Current season
