Season Previews

Part I – Intro     Part II – The Team

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Great Lakes East Conference

When the reshuffling of the NPSL took place this past offseason, Detroit City was a big winner. In addition to themselves, their new conference (Great Lakes East) consists of four expansion clubs, and the new playoff format makes the road to the national playoffs a bit easier.

I have a working theory that NPSL clubs’ on-field fortunes are directly related to the amount of time and effort put in by their front offices. DCFC’s success is due in large part to owners who truly care about the club, the city, and its people. When it comes to the Zanesvilles and Spartas of the world, on the other hand, it’s legitimate to wonder if anyone was ever actually in charge. I’ve used my theory to help me come up with the following:

2014 GLE Predicted Order of Finish

1. Detroit City FC

2. Lansing United

3. Cincinnati Saints

4. Michigan Stars

5. Westfield Select

All biases aside, this conference is City’s for the taking. The team looks just as strong, if not better, than last year’s one-loss edition, and they play Erie and Cleveland, historically their toughest opponents, just once each.

I see Lansing and Cincy as the main competition in the East, partly because both should have decent talent pools to draw from, and partly because it appears both have functioning ownership groups that are actively engaged in managing the club (which cannot be said for a number NPSL franchises). It’s a tossup between the two for second place, but I’ll give Lansing the nod because Fork Ohio.

The Michigan Stars will not be as bad as FC Sparta. I base this on the fact that the Stars’ website appears to have been designed in the 21^st Century and does not wish me a “Merry Christmass.” (Don’t worry, it’s SFW).

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I’m not totally convinced that Westfield Select actually exists. I can’t find a website, a Facebook page, or a Twitter profile, just some brief articles from months ago announcing them as an expansion club. City is scheduled to play them three times – I would be stunned if less than 9 pointswere earned from those games, and I would be even more stunned if Westfield is around in 2015.

US Open Cup

The change in the USOC format for 2014 also benefitted Detroit. Last year’s combination of travel costs and the tournament starting in March kept the team from being able to compete, but the story is different this year. City will take on RWB Adria in the First Round, with the winner moving on to play the Michigan Bucks in Round #2. (Link to schedule)

The Cup is about testing yourself against teams from all different levels of the pyramid, and the experience of playing in the single-elimination format should benefit City come playoff time. I’ll pick them to beat Adria and the Bucks, and make it to the 3^rd Round.

Playoffs and Beyond

To qualify for the Midwest Regional tournament, City must either win its conference or finish with the highest points-per-game of the region’s three second-placed teams. The winner of the four-team bracket will advance to the National Semifinals, along with the winners of the other three regions (Northeast, South, West). To put it in more simple terms, if they make it to the post-season, they have to win four games to be NPSL Champions.

Soccer arguably has the most random results of any sport there is; a team’s true quality usually shines through over the course of a season, but in a knockout competition, anything can happen. It’s hard to make a prediction not knowing very much about any of the teams in the other three regions, but here goes: DCFC is capable of going all the way, but I will pick them to win the Midwest Region and make it as far as the NPSL final four.

5 Wild Guesses

1. Wade Allan will score at least 4 goals – He’s overdue, and should see more playing time with Knox Cameron gone.

2. Pirmann will experiment with a winger at striker – My guess is Jeff Adkins.

3. Josh Rogers will not start every single game – The depth at CB will allow Pirmann to rest him from time to time.

4. Over the course of the regular season, DCFC will score at least 40 goals and give up fewer than 10 – They scored 35 and gave up 8 in 2013, and even though that was in 12 games as opposed to 14, this schedule looks weaker.

5. Average home attendance will be 1750 and the 3000 mark will be topped at least once.

Recap: Predicted Finishes

GLE Conference: 1^st

USOC: 3^rd Round

NPSL Playoffs: National Semifinals

 Hype

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Part I – Intro

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Note 1: This preview deals with the roster that is currently-known. Any players recently added to the team are not included.

Note 2: Since many players can play multiple positions, I’ve listed them at their primary spot (or at least what I think it is).

Note 3: College soccer rosters usually only list the positions: F, M, D, GK. When I’m not sure if a “D” refers to a right, left, or central defender, for instance, I’ve marked the corresponding player with a “$”.

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Forward/Striker  

At the time of this writing, striker is Detroit City’s thinnest position. Consequently, Zach Myers, last season’s team MVP and leading scorer (8) will be relied upon more than any other player. As the main offensive weapon, his consistency and health are both key – any injury to him would be a huge blow to City’s ambitions. His strike partner, Wade Allan, is primarily a hold the ball up/bring others into the game type of player, but if he could chip in a few goals (0 in 2013), it would greatly benefit the team by balancing the attack. Both Myers and Allan played well in the pre-season friendly against Saginaw Valley State, hopefully foreshadowing a strong season to come.

There are only two current bench options, but they do provide different skillsets – speed (Tom Oatley), and size (Nick Schroeder – 6’5”).

On a side note, I was all set to write about how Stefan St. Louis would greatly help the striker depth situation and challenge for a starting role, but apparently he has opted to play for the mutant offspring of the Dearborn Stars and WindsorSpartansFCSpartaMichiganFC. Guess we should ask for that ‘City ‘til I Die’ shirt back since he’s not using it.

Wide Midfield/Wing

Despite playing their home games on a field that is a bit narrow, one of City’s noticeable advantages over most teams is wing play. Miche’le Lipari and Jeff Adkins are out-and-out speedsters, while Cyrus Saydee relies more on his outstanding technical ability and ball control. All three were named to 2013 Great Lakes Conference ‘Best XI’ teams (Adkins & Saydee – 1^st team, Lipari – 2^nd team). Joining them is newcomer Moustafa Bazzi, formerly of Nejmeh Sporting Club of the Lebanese Premier League. He should bring a little flair and creativity to the table, as well as dramatic pirate music:

Another interesting rookie is William Mellors-Blair, who played two seasons at Georgia State before transferring to Michigan for 2014. According to his college profile, he is mainly an attacking-mid and winger and spent several years (ages 12-15) in the Manchester United Academy.

Center Midfield

Center-mid is easily the deepest position on the entire team. By my count, there are at least half a dozen guys who will be competing for starting spots early on, and that number should go even higher as the new additions settle in. With this glut of talent, a possibility would be to put three on the field at once, but more on that later.

Not all CM’s are created equal, and there is a good deal of variety to this group. Latif Alashe, Spencer Thompson, and fan-favorite Kevin Taylor are strongest in ball-winning, attack-extinguishing roles, while Dave Edwardson, Locky Savage, and TJ VanSlooten are good all-around box-to-box types. After Thompson went down with an injury early in 2013, Alashe, Taylor, Edwardson, and Savage earned the bulk of the playing time, and this familiarity from playing together should serve them well in the early part of 2014.

The best newcomer to the team could very well be Tyler Arnone. Playing at Michigan, he made First-Team All-Big Ten in 2012 and 2013, won Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in 2013, and is currently ranked as one of the top 100 men’s college players by Top Drawer Soccer. His profile suggests he’s an offensive-minded playmaker, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing regularly by mid-season.

Joining VanSlooten and Arnone will be their Michigan teammate, Colin McAtee $, as well as SVSU’s Alex Isaevski $ and Zach Vasold $.

Fullback

When watching Detroit City, one doesn’t need to be a professional coach or scout to see that one of the team’s greatest strengths is fullback play. Zeke Harris (RB) and Zach Schewee (LB) are not only good defenders, they also excel in getting forward on a consistent basis to join in the attack. Clubs at all levels of the game struggle to find quality left backs, and for me, Schewee is the most underrated player on the team. He also looks like Leighton Baines:

Adding to the depth at LB will be former Michigan State starter Ryan Thelen, who drew praise from Ben Pirmann for his play in the pre-season friendly vs. SVSU. Also on the roster are another first-year player, Sean Hazen (RB), and familiar face Jon Evans, who can play on either side of the field.

Centerback

Over the course of Detroit City’s brief existence, captain Josh Rogers has become the face of the club. Consistently strong in defense, and seemingly always in the right position, he is (to steal a line from the great Bob Ufer) the ‘Guts and Glue of the Gold and Rouge.’ His two most frequent central defense partners from 2013, Nick Lewin and Luke Diener, are both back. They face strong competition for their positions, however, with the arrival of Seb Harris and Michael Lamb*. Harris brings size (6’3”) and experience (Michigan Bucks, Northampton Town) to the position, and Lamb was the 2013 GLIAC Defensive POTY (playing for SVSU).

Other defensive options include Connor Furgason (CB), Craig Neal $, Brad Ruhaak $, Matt Ybarra $, and Chase Jabbori $.

*[Edwardson, Mellors-Blair, and Lamb are all English. Someone get on this.]

Goalkeeper

After reading the previous 1000+ words, you’ve probably caught on to the theme that DCFC has talented players at each and every position. Goalkeeper is no exception – 2013 co-starter Bret Mollon should begin the season as City’s #1, but Jason Wise (SVSU’s starting GK on their run to the 2013 D-II title game) will likely see significant playing time as well.

Overview

Playing in a conference with four first-year clubs, one of the huge advantages that City has is the familiarity many of its players have with each other. Last year’s entire starting XI is back, and the presumed starting back four of Schewee-Rogers-Lewin-Harris has played together since 2012.

The biggest concern is obviously the lack of depth at striker – an injury to either starter could cause real problems. As alluded to above, a possible tactic would be to play a 4-4-1-1 with a single striker and an attacking-mid underneath. The key would be finding someone who could play this “number 10” role – Saydee and Bazzi have the creativity and technical ability; Arnone and Mellors-Blair look like other possible candidates.

On a more positive note, City coaches have a track record of quality mid-season pickups (Knox Cameron, Fabio Pereira), so it’s a good possibility that any thin areas will be strengthened as the summer progresses.

Predictions

Key Player: Zach Myers (ST): Discussed above; the best (and possibly only) pure goal scorer on the roster.

Unsung Hero: Zach Schewee (LB): Consistently excellent at a position that is notoriously hard to fill.

Breakout Player: Tyler Arnone (CM/CAM): The best midfielder in the Big Ten, and he still has a year of eligibility remaining; has the ability to make an immediate impact.

Projected Starting XI

The lineup will obviously change from game to game, but here’s what I expect to see on opening day: