by 
Head Coach: Ben Pirmann
Captain: Dave Edwardson
103rd Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: Second Round
NPSL Great Lakes West Conference: 5th
NPSL Midwest Regional Playoffs: Did not qualify
Rust Belt Derby: Winner (4th time)
Top Goalscorer (Competitive Matches): Tommy Catalano (5)
Black Arrow Award (Team MVP): Tommy Catalano
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Friendlies
103rd Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Regular Season
Great Lakes West Final Standings
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Predictions Revisited
My annual triumphal march/walk of shame. View my 2016 predictions in their original, unaltered state, HERE. Last year’s score: 3.5/5
2016 Great Lakes West
I got this just about bang on with two notable exceptions: overestimating DCFC and underestimating Grand Rapids. Flip those two and the predicted table is nearly identical to the actual finish. I nailed 2-4 and accurately projected Dayton and Kalamazoo to finish near the bottom, though the latter proved to be much more respectable than I expected.
5 Wild Guesses
(1) City will host the Midwest Playoffs.
Verdict: Incorrect. It was a bit of a rough year 🙁
(2) Three City players will score at least 5 goals.
Verdict: Incorrect. Only Tommy Catalano, City’s leading goalscorer, reached that number.
(3) Average home attendance will top 4500 and the 5000 mark will be broken.
Verdict: Correct Average home attendance came in at a robust 5208 and the 5000 mark was broken five times. The high of 7410 came in the home opener against Ann Arbor.
(4) City will not drop any points against Dayton, Grand Rapids, or Kalamazoo.
Verdict: Incorrect. See prediction #1. Dayton proved to be a pushover, but Grand Rapids was the class of the Great Lakes West and Kalamazoo proved to be a legitimate opponent.
(5) The noise at Keyworth will visibly affect an opposing team.
Verdict: Incomplete. This one is subjective so it’s hard to judge. In retrospect I probably should’ve stuck with a black and white prediction like the others. The closest confirmation we got to this had to be the 5-0 win over Dayton, but that result probably had more to do with the fact that Dayton were a really poor team. I’m calling this one a push.
Goals of the Year
#3 Cyrus plays ping-pong against Ann Arbor. (Video: Nick Miko)
#2 Alec Lasinski opens Keyworth. (Video: WDIV ClickOnDetroit)
#1 Brett Nason beats the Bucks. (Not technically a goal, but far and away the best moment of the 2016 season and it would be a crime to omit it)
(Video #1: Ian McCulloch; Video #2: Michael Kitchen)
BIR Player Awards
MVP: Jeff Adkins (LW/RW/Attacking Mid) Tommy Catalano won the Black Arrow Award as the official MVP, but Jeff Adkins was City’s most consistent player and most dangerous attacker throughout the season. His stats didn’t do him justice as he typically dominated each and every fullback that he went up against, often making them look slow and silly. His combination play with Danny Deakin and Cyrus Saydee was the strongest point of City’s attack, and if he returns in 2017 I’d expect him to pick up right where he left off.
Breakout Player: Omar Sinclair (CB) When he was announced as part of the roster, it looked to be the addition of a youngster who could provide depth at multiple positions on the back line and maybe work his way into the lineup with an eye toward 2017. Instead, he appeared in all 12 regular season matches at centerback and led the team in minutes played (903). He also called me out on Twitter for underestimating him. Never again, sir. Never again.
Unsung Hero: Tyler Moorman (ST/Mid/FB) Proved to be a crucial piece to the roster with his ability to play virtually any position on the field. His signature performance came away to Ann Arbor when he started at right back, helping to keep Dario Suarez, arguably the best player in the NPSL Midwest, mostly in check. He then moved up to forward late in the match and scored the winning goal in the 80th minute.
Note: I typically include an updated DCFC All-Time Best XI at the end of these season wrap posts. I’m saving this year’s update for a feature early next year. Stay tuned…
