Stats & Analysis

Roster Analysis: March 2014

March 22, 2014March 21, 2016

Just a day before its first tryouts of 2014, Detroit City FC announced a group of signings which, when added to those of February, brings the current roster total to 32 players.

Returnees

Luke Diener (CB)
Zeke Harris (RB)
Nick Lewin (CB)
Bret Mollon (GK)
Zach Schewee (LB)
TJ VanSlooten (M)

In my February roster analysis, I said that the area of greatest need was on the back line, where Josh Rogers was the only returning starter. That statement is now outdated and irrelevant with the return of both starting fullbacks – Harris and Schewee – as well as the two centerbacks who saw the most time alongside Rogers in 2013 – Diener and Lewin.

Bret Mollon is also officially back and gives City an experienced, quality starting goalkeeper, and TJ VanSlooten gives Ben Pirmann yet another solid option in midfield.

Rookies

Tyler Arnone, University of Michigan (CM)
Moustafa Bazzi, University of Detroit/Nejmeh Sporting Club (LW/RW)
Connor Furgason, Western Michigan University (CB)
Sean Hazen, Western Michigan University (RB)
Alex Isaevski, Saginaw Valley State University (M)
Michael Lamb, Saginaw Valley State University (CB)
Colin McAtee, University of Michigan (M)
William Mellors-Blair, University of Michigan (W/F)
Craig Neal, Saginaw Valley State University (D)
Brad Ruhaak, University of Akron (D)
Zach Vasold, Saginaw Valley State University (M)

I’m not a college scout, so I can’t give a detailed breakdown of each and every one of these players. Over the course of doing a little internet detective work, however, there are three who stood out to me as having the potential to provide an immediate impact.

Although the center midfield is loaded with returnees including Latif Alashe, Dave Edwardson, Locky Savage, and Spencer Thompson, Tyler Arnone has the ability to step in and start from day one. Playing at Michigan, he was First-Team All-Big Ten in 2012 and 2013, the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in 2013, and is currently ranked as one of the Top 100 players in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.

Michael Lamb (Saginaw Valley St.) was the 2013 GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year and although centerback is now a crowded position, he should compete for a starting role right away.

For me, the most interesting new signing is Moustafa Bazzi, a former UDM winger who plays professionally for Nejmeh Sporting Club of the Lebanese Premier League. Judging from his highlights, he will bring a new dimension to City’s attack with his flair and creativity.

The pirate theme music seems fitting, what with DCFC supporters’ affinity for skeletons and skull flags.

Overview

Detroit City has yet to hold a tryout in 2014 and the majority of the roster is already set. This speaks to the club’s growing reputation – college players want to play here, and current players don’t want to leave. Case in point, Tyler Arnone’s quote from the official DCFC release:

“When (Michigan) coach (Chaka) Daley told me that I could play for DCFC this summer I couldn’t let this opportunity go by,” Arnone said. “DCFC has such an amazing reputation in the soccer world, especially here in Michigan. For me, it’s going to be a great honor wearing the DCFC jersey and playing in the NPSL.

Even with these new signings, there are still a few areas that need to be bolstered. The most obvious one is striker, which currently consists of Zach Myers, Wade Allan, Tom Oatley, and Nick Schroeder. This is a good group to start with, but more depth is needed. It would be nice to add a pure speedster a la Kyle Bethel/Shawn Lawson, as well as an impact sub (paging Knox Cameron…).

A couple more goalkeepers, including a solid backup for Mollon, are a necessity, and it would be nice to have some more depth at left back (said every club at every level around the world).

Aside from these minor issues, this team is loaded. There is a ton of skill on the wings, the center midfield depth is obscene, and the back line is arguably the best in the NPSL. Not to make any predictions (that’s what the upcoming season preview is for), but another double-digit win season looks like the bare minimum expectation for City in 2014.

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News & Notes - Stats & Analysis

Schedule Analysis: 2014

February 13, 2014March 21, 2016

by Andrew 0 Comments

The 2014 NPSL schedule (at least the part we care about) has been out for more than a day and a half, and now that the dust has settled a bit I thought I’d take a closer look.

First though, a little info on some of the new teams that people are wondering about.

Dearborn Sports Enterprise purchased the club formerly known as FC Sparta Michigan and has rebranded it as Michigan Stars FC – they have no affiliation with Sparta or the previous ownership group. MSFC is also completely separate from the other two teams owned by DSE, the Dearborn Stars (which play in a lower league), and Motor City FC, the newly-formed women’s team. It’s unclear exactly where Michigan Stars will play, though Madonna University in Livonia (which hosts the Dearborn Stars) looks like the most likely site.

Westfield Select is located in Westfield, Indiana, 20 miles north of Indianapolis. That is all the information that exists on this team.

Fort Pitt FC Regiment is located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, 15 miles east of Pittsburgh. That is all the information that exists on this team.

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More interesting is the new conference setup and playoff format.

Great Lakes East Conference: Buffalo, Cleveland, Erie, Fort Pitt

Great Lakes West Conference: Cincinnati, Detroit, Lansing, Michigan, Westfield

Central Conference: Bordo, Eau Claire, Madison, Minnesota Twin Stars, Minnesota Utd. Reserves, Quad City

The first-place finishers in each of these three conferences and the second-place team with the highest points-per-game qualify for the Midwest Regional Playoffs – a 4-team single elimination tournament to be played July 18-20.

I hated the old playoff format in which the first place team in the Central Division automatically qualified for the regional final while the top 4 teams in the 5 (2012) or 6 (2013) team Great Lakes Division had to go through an extra round of games to determine a division winner. The new format rewards the strongest teams and simplifies the playoff qualification process: win your conference or finish second and hope for some help.

To break it down to the most basic level, DCFC must finish with more points than Cincinnati, Lansing, Michigan, and Westfield to earn a guaranteed spot in the Midwest Playoffs.

All in all I think this new setup is a big step in the right direction. Kudos to the commish and whoever else was involved with the decision.

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Finally, we come to the schedule itself:

The first thing to note is that the regular season has grown from 12 games to 14. For a league with a 10-month offseason, any increase in meaningful games is definitely welcome. On a side note, Detroit City FC’s recent e-mail to season ticket holders stated that a home friendly (TBD) will also be played.

Getting off to such a fast start in 2013 was a huge boost to the team, and the potential for a similar start exists this season. The first three games are at home against expansion sides that also happen to be conference opponents. A 3-0 start would make DCFC the team to beat in the Great Lakes West.

The toughest stretch is the following six games, five of which are on the road, including Rust Belt Derby rivals Buffalo and Cleveland.

If DCFC finds itself in a battle for first, the final five games may give them an advantage: 3 are at home and the 2 “road” games involve short trips to Michigan Stars and Lansing.

I was initially disappointed by the lack of Saturday games, but with the expanded schedule came the need for more two-game (Friday and Sunday) weekends. I’m sure the players prefer having a day between games to having to play home and away on back-to-back days.

Less than 3 months to go…

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News & Notes - Stats & Analysis

Roster Analysis: February 2014

February 7, 2014March 21, 2016

by Andrew 0 Comments

Detroit City FC dropped its first real news about the upcoming season yesterday, announcing the return of 15 players from the 2013 squad. Also, although there was never any serious chatter about his status, quotes in yesterday’s announcement confirmed that head coach Ben Pirmann will return for his second season in charge.

Below are a few thoughts on the pre-season roster. Note: I’m solely looking at the players that are currently committed and not taking into account any whose status is uncertain at present. The open spots on the roster will be filled with tryouts on March 22^nd and May 3^rd.

Forward/Striker

Team MVP and top goalscorer Zach Myers returns and will be the centerpiece of the attack along with fellow starter Wade Allan. The speed of Tom Oatley and the height of Nick Schroeder (6’5”) provide a nice mix of playing styles for Pirmann to mix and match.

Wide Midfield/Wing

DCFC is loaded with talent on the wings with the return of 2013 Great Lakes Conference ‘Best XI’ performers Cyrus Saydee, Jeff Adkins (both First Team), and Miche’le Lipari (Second Team).

Center Midfield

With three players who saw extensive playing time in 2013 – Latif Alashe, Dave Edwardson, Locky Savage – and the return of Spencer Thompson from injury, this position is the deepest on the team.

Fullback

One of the biggest advantages DCFC had over other teams in 2013 was its outstanding fullback play. With both Zach Schewee and Zeke Harris gone, Jonny Evans is the only true player at this position currently on the roster. Left and right back will certainly be at the top of Coach Pirmann’s ‘Needs List’ come tryout time.

Centerback

The heart and soul of the club, Josh Rogers, will return to anchor the back line. With the departures of Adam Bedell, Nick Lewin, and Luke Diener, the search will be on for a new partner for the captain.

Two other returnees, Matt Ybarra and Chase Jabbori, are listed. I have to confess that I haven’t seen enough of them to comment on where they fit in. Detroit City lists them as defenders while their college rosters have them as midfielders. If both do play at the back, that would still only make 4 defenders on the current roster, meaning plenty of opportunities for anyone looking to try out at those positions.

Goalkeeper

This is obviously the most glaring need, since, at the moment, there are no keepers on the roster. Jeremy Clark was brilliant in his two years, and Bret Mollon was so good in 2013 that he essentially became a co-starter. Picking up a good #1 here is crucial, and with the structure of rosters in the NPSL (limited player availability due to family/career/etc.), finding a solid #2 is a must.

[Update: Right after publishing this, Bret Mollon stated that he will be back for 2014.]

Overview

One of my biggest concerns heading into 2013 was that if there was too much roster turnover, the foundation laid by the promising inaugural season would be torn up and the team would have to start from scratch. That concern was mitigated by a large portion of the 2012 team returning, as well as an excellent group of newcomers such as Myers, Mollon, and Kevin Taylor.

By retaining over a dozen contributors, the club has again set itself up for success. The biggest needs are in goal, at both fullback spots, and at centerback opposite Rogers. After that, it would be nice to add a speedy striker who could play a role similar to that of Shawn Lawson in 2013, some depth on the wings, and an attacking midfielder in the Keith Lough/Fabio Pereira mold.

I have no doubt that the popularity and reputation of DCFC is a huge draw to local players, and tryouts will surely become more and more competitive as the status of the club grows.

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Attendance Numbers - Stats & Analysis

Number Crunchin’: 2013 Attendance

September 18, 2013November 11, 2019

by Andrew 0 Comments

When attempting to gauge the success of American soccer clubs, particularly those in the leagues below MLS, the best metric is probably stadium attendance. Unlike the major professional sports leagues in this country, on-field success in the NASL/USL/NPSL/PDL does not necessarily result in increased popularity and financial stability. Just as an example, 5 of the 11 clubs that have won an NPSL title are now defunct.

When winning is combined with large attendance numbers, however, you can get success stories like Orlando City SC. OCSC came into being in 2011, the same year that their league, USL Pro, began play. They won the championship that year and won their second this September 7^th before a league-record crowd of nearly 21,000. They’ve also led the league in attendance each year, averaging over 8000 per game this season. With that level of support, it’s easy to see why they will be joining MLS in a year or two. (It’s also easy to see why people are upset at the idea of putting an MLS expansion franchise in Miami, a city with a long track record of apathy towards its sports teams, including a former MLS club that folded!)

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I did a little research and found some excellent resources with attendance numbers for NASL, USL Pro, and PDL, but next to nothing for NPSL. (Shocking that a Mickey Mouse league that makes things up as it goes would have no way for tracking the ONE THING that can be used to judge its overall health).

http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/

http://dohertysoccer.com/

Cutting to the chase, here are Detroit City FC’s attendance numbers, followed by a bit of analysis. The numbers are listed in the match results section of DCFC’s Wikipedia pages (2012 Season, 2013 Season – this page was deleted two days ago for some reason) and are taken from the team’s Twitter feed and/or what was announced at the stadium.

2012

* Denotes Friendly Match

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2013

* Denotes Friendly Match

** Denotes Playoff Match

Notes:

Over two full seasons, DCFC has drawn at least 1000 people to every single game – regular season, playoffs, and friendlies.
In Year 1, the average attendance hovered around 1000 for the first half of the regular season but rose to 1567 in the second half.
The Year 1 record for single-game attendance (1743) was topped four times in Year 2, and the current record (2634) represents a 51% jump from that first year record.
From Year 1 to Year 2, DCFC’s regular season average attendance rose by a healthy 14.6%. If playoff games are included, that number rises to an outstanding 32.4%.

Comparison to other leagues:

DCFC’s regular season average of 1484 would’ve ranked 6^th (out of 61) in the PDL, 8^th (out of 12) in USL Pro, and… Dead Last in NASL (more on this below)

I won’t bore you with charts and tables of NASL attendance statistics, but I will say that the growth is impressive (2012 numbers, 2013 numbers). San Antonio has actually taken a bit of a dip from 2012, but every other team has seen their numbers increase significantly. Prime example: Minnesota United averaged 2796 fans per game in 2012. In the 2013 spring season, that rose to 5225!, an 87% jump.

The NY Cosmos are drawing over 7500 a game and with the addition of Indy and four other clubs over the next two years, the NASL is well on its way to becoming a strong and viable alternative to MLS for American soccer fans who live in those cities.

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There are those who believe that soccer will never “take off” in this country. They are too shortsighted to realize that it already has. MLS TV ratings remain modest, but there is a groundswell of support for teams in the lower leagues; Detroit City foremost in our minds. For year 3, I’d like to see us average 1700 per game and break the 3000 mark.

We’ve had a nice start, but now it’s time to take it to the next level.

[Editor’s Note: I am legally obligated by the NPSL and Detroit Public Schools to remind you that crystal meth is NOT permitted on Cass Technical High School grounds.]

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Stats & Analysis - Story of the Club

The Boys in Rouge

September 9, 2013March 21, 2016

by Andrew 2 Comments

It recently occurred to me that I’ve never explained where I came up with the title of my site. Those who stood in the supporters’ section this season will need no explanation, but the uninitiated may need a little help so here it is. Boys in Rouge is simply taken from the “Come On You Boys in Rouge” chant, which is modeled after Celtic’s “Come On You Bhoys* in Green.”

I haven’t been able to find a video of DCFC’s version (if someone finds it please post a link in the comments), but this is how it goes:

Come on you boys in gold

Come on you boys in rouge

Detroit tried and true

Ohohohohoh…

It took me a little while to come up with Boys in Rouge – my other ideas were Rouge Report (ugh, terrible) and City Blog (not that bad, but there are dozens of teams that call themselves “City”) – and I think I made the right decision.

* [From Wikipedia: The club has the official nickname, “The Bhoys“. However, according to the Celtic press office, the newly established club was known to many as “the bold boys”. A postcard from the early 20th century that pictured the team, and read “The Bould Bhoys”, is the first known example of the unique spelling. The extra h imitates the spelling system of Gaelic, where the letter b is often accompanied by the letter h.]

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It’s also occurred to me that in spite of my site’s name, I hadn’t actually written much about the actual boys in rouge – the players.

In the beginning, when the first tryouts were going on, I was cautiously optimistic that a competitive team would be put together. Southeastern Michigan has a number of quality college soccer programs (UM, MSU, UDM, Oakland, SVSU among others) and a track record of producing talented players, such as former US National Teamers Alexi Lalas, Brian Maisonnueve, Kate Markgraf, as well as current pros Josh Gatt, Soony Saad, and Justin Meram (among others).

[On a related note, Michigan is 10^th in the number of registered youth soccer players by state with almost 90,000. Bonus trivia: After California, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania, Massachusetts! comes in 5^th with over 164,000.]

When opening night finally came, it felt a little strange cheering for a brand new team with players I’d never seen before. On a more specific note, I joined the crowd in applauding a little louder when the captain, Josh Rogers, was introduced. I then thought, “I wonder what position he plays.” Here was our Gerrard, our Puyol, our Lahm, and I’d never even seen him kick a ball. Looking back now, it was a truly unique experience to watch that first match with no expectations, no prior knowledge of the players’ styles, strengths, weaknesses, or even where they would line up. My familiarity and opinions of them were built not by segments on ESPN or sports-talk radio, but solely by their play on the field.

Stefan St. Louis was obviously the first one who jumped out – it’s hard to miss a speedy, dreadlocked striker who scores your club’s first goal 11 minutes into the first match. Also hard to miss was 6’6” center back Adam Bedell. Athletic for his size, he was rarely beaten for speed all season because of his excellent positioning. Rogers, it turned out, was also a center back, and a damn good one (always in the right spot, never seeming fatigued) despite not being as physically imposing as his partner. Directly behind and in front of him were two of his former Michigan State teammates, Jeremy Clark in goal and Spencer Thompson in central midfield. A hard tackler and generally fiery player, there was a point in the opener at which Thompson was told to calm down, the ref seemingly surprised that someone would actually be, you know, trying hard and taking this seriously.

As that first season rolled on, more players kept emerging: Cyrus Saydee – only 5’6” but calm on the ball and easily the most technical player on the team, capable of playing all over the midfield; the fullbacks Zeke Harris – a former striker with speed and size – and Zach Schewee – a Leighton Baines look-alike with a good left-footed cross; Latif Alashe, a defensive mid quite adept at “breaking shit up;” Knox Cameron, a target man every bit of 6’3”, 220.

For my money, City’s best player in year one, and in the club’s short history, was Keith Lough. Equally capable of playing on either wing or in the middle behind the striker, he was typically the main creator in the attack and constantly provided quality service on set pieces.

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The team was competitive in year one, narrowly missing out on the regular season division title, but since the club operates on an amateur basis, with nobody under contract, my concern going into year two was that we might have to start from square one with a mostly new squad. Fortunately, a large portion of the team returned, and they were joined by a few new faces.

Zach Myers stepped in at striker for the departed St. Louis and played excellently throughout the season en route to winning The Black Arrow Award for team MVP (and a sweet-looking bike). Kevin Taylor was the team’s top scorer early on and became the leader in the center of midfield when Spencer Thompson went down with an injury. Bret Mollon backed-up Jeremy Clark in goal and played so well that he essentially became a co-starter by mid-season.

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As the reputation of DCFC grows, it becomes more and more of an attractive option for local talent. A prime example of this is how the depth of the squad improved from year one to two. In the first season, I tended to get a little concerned when I didn’t see some of the regular starters out on the field. This season, somebody new seemed to step up every week, whether by scoring goals or simply playing well within the team structure: Wade Allan and Shawn Lawson up top; Dave Edwardson, Lachlan Savage, Fabio, Miche’li Lipari, and Butler teammates Austin Oldham and Jeff Adkins in midfield; Nick Lewin and Luke Diener in defense. I feel bad omitting anyone but the list of contributors just goes on and on.

Heading into year three, I have no worries about finding talent because of the solid recruiting base that has been established, as well as the coaches’ track record of choosing good players. Looking further down the road, I think it would be a great move for DCFC to sponsor a youth team(s) and host some summer soccer camps. I have no idea of what the logistics or financial commitment for these would be, but I think they would be a great way to spread awareness of the club and continue growing roots in the area.

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To finish off, I thought I’d share my Detroit City FC All-Time Best XI. This covers the first two seasons and will be updated every year from here on. This is purely my opinion – you can create your own lineups at startingeleven.co.uk.

SUBS (7):

Stefan St. Louis (ST)

Knox Cameron (ST)

Kyle Bethel (RW/LW)

Spencer Thompson (CM)*

Adam Bedell (CB/CM/ST)*

Luke Diener (CB)

Bret Mollon (GK)

*[There’s a good chance Thompson and Bedell would be in the first XI if they hadn’t missed most of season two with injuries.]

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Come on you boys in gold

Come on you boys in rouge

Detroit tried and true

Detroit tried and true

Ohohohohoh…

Stefan St. Louis (ST)

Knox Cameron (ST)

Kyle Bethel (RW/LW)

Spencer Thompson (CM)*

Adam Bedell (CB/CM/ST)*

Luke Diener (CB)

Bret Mollon (GK)

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