Unknown Country

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Photo by Dion Degennaro

Wednesday, May 16th, 2018 – Detroit City FC 1 FC Cincinnati 4 (AET)
Saturday, May 19th, 2018 – Detroit City FC 2 FC St. Pauli 6

Photo by Dion Degennaro

Those who strive to reach new heights must inevitably push themselves beyond what they’ve done in the past. The old ways, however successful they’ve been, may not necessarily apply in the harsh terrain of the unfamiliar.

While some new ventures will result in instant success, the likelihood is low. More often, you have to fall flat on your face – again, again, and again. And a few more times after that. It’s all part of finding your way in new, confusing surroundings.

Whether success or failure is the end result, knowledge is always gathered, and growth is attained. If community-building and enrichment is Detroit City FC’s essence, it’s supported by a culture of boundary-pushing, of, “I’m taking this huge bite and I’m not sure if I can chew it all, but I’m gonna go for it and see what happens.”

I have a theory that this attitude permeates the club from the top on down, so that a supporter lighting a flare just to see if he can get away with it is merely a reflection of City’s ownership elbowing their way into the American soccer country club without the permission of Those Who Know Best. Working title: The Czervik Principle.

Not long ago, City was playing punt-and-chase against teams like Binghamton and Zanesville. Now they’re stringing together beautifully-executed counters against professional sides…

…and convincing one of the world’s best-supported clubs to come play at Keyworth, while in the process earning screen time on the same station that broadcasts the Tigers, Red Wings, and Pistons.

While the results of this week’s matches were not as we’d hoped, the overall mood surrounding the club should be one of encouragement. City went punch-for-punch with one of the best teams in USL until they were worn down by superior depth and fitness in extra time, and there should be no shame in being beaten handily by a far superior 2. Bundesliga team fresh off of a relegation dogfight.

Taking a wider view, the fact that these matches even took place at all is proof that City is progressing at a furious rate. And as fun as it is to beat up on hapless clubs from Podunk Midwestern towns, true development comes from testing yourself against superior opponents.

By repeatedly probing its own limits, City has redefined what a small American club can be. In trying to carve out a place in the world, setbacks and frustrations are a given, but the best solution is to simply step forward and see what’s out there.

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Season Preview 2018: Team Overview

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Photo by Jon DeBoer

PART I: Rebel Scum   PART II: Forwards   PART III: Attacking Mids & Wingers   PART IV: Center Midfielders   PART V: Fullbacks   PART VI: Centerbacks   PART VII: Goalkeepers

Photo by Jon DeBoer

Roster

During his tenure as Detroit City’s head coach, Ben Pirmann has tweaked and evolved his roster-building strategy from year to year. The most noticeable evidence of this came last season, when, for the first time, City didn’t carry any players from The University of Michigan. The decision to instead fill the roster with more players who were able to stay with the team for the full summer paid off handsomely in the form of a Midwest Regional Title.

The philosophy for 2018 looks the same – as of now, the roster is split right down the middle between current and post-college players.

In College (17): Amann, Amigo, Bartel, Bentley, Brazil, Busaidy, Carroll, Garcia, Green, Mentzingen, Pina, Rudel, Shrimpton, Sinclair, Skinner, Svehlik, Tomasino

Post-College (17): Adkins, Centala, Chomakov, Dargent, Deakin, Edwardson, Fiscus, Janicki, Lawson, Miller, Moorman, O. Harris, S. Harris, Saydee, Steinwascher, Stephens, Williams

Further bolstering City’s cause, a good chunk of those college players go to small schools, which are generally more lenient when it comes to allowing their players to remain in Detroit for the duration of the season. Not only is this arguably City’s deepest and most talented roster ever, it’s also the one that’s most geared toward continuity and post-season preparedness.

At the back, there are two proven keepers and a good mix of veterans and college players vying for the four starting spots in defense. Most notable are two newcomers who are talented enough to be on MLS rosters right now: Wilfred Williams and Jimmy Fiscus.

Center midfield is a bit in flux at the moment, and a holding mid needs to emerge to partner with Louis Dargent (or at least provide solid play until Dave Edwardson is healthy).

Up top, Pirmann has options galore, but his biggest test will be to figure out which combination of Lawson/Mentzingen/Moorman/Adkins/Deakin/Green/Saydee works the best. That’s not even mentioning intriguing new players such as Jake Rudel, Adan Garcia, and Mystery International Forward.

Continue reading “Season Preview 2018: Team Overview”

Season Preview 2018: Goalkeepers

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PART I: Rebel Scum   PART II: Forwards   PART III: Attacking Mids & Wingers   PART IV: Center Midfielders   PART V: Fullbacks   PART VI: Centerbacks

GOALKEEPER

First, a confession: I had to go and look up the name of last year’s starting keeper – the one before Fernando Pina. His name is Colin Miller, and the reason I had a hard time remembering him isn’t because of his play, which was actually quite good, but because Pina burned himself into my memory in his very first appearance.

He saved that penalty, made several other excellent saves, and earned a clean sheet the day he took over for Miller. Any worries about goalkeeping for the end of the season were erased, and Pina turned out to be one of the main reasons City made it all the way to the NPSL Semi-final.

He’s 6’1”, but with his athleticism plays like he’s 6’3”, and exhibits strong vocal and physical command of his area. Now 24, his college career has been a long and winding one: he began at Akron in 2012, transferred to Coastal Carolina in 2015, and is now at Fort Hays State, where somehow he’s still only a redshirt junior.

Because of Pina’s performance at the end of last season, I had him pegged as the definite number one keeper heading into 2018. After seeing the play of Nate Steinwascher this preseason, however, I think we have more of a 1A/1B situation on our hands.

In hindsight, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Steinwascher has showed his quality time and again for City, beginning with his epic performance against Louisville City in 2016.

Continuing in 2017:

And now this spring:

Pina has a slight height and athletic advantage, so I give him the smallest of edges, but I expect to see the number of starts split fairly evenly between the two. No matter which of them happens to be in net on any given day, both should fill City supporters with confidence.

And, as if two quality options weren’t enough, there may even be a third. Pearce Skinner started 11 matches as a redshirt freshman for Cincinnati in 2017, recording two clean sheets and winning a conference player of the week award.

At 6’2”, he’ll be the tallest keeper on the roster, and he doesn’t appear to be lacking in reflexes or ability:

Pina and Steinwascher are both much more experienced, but I could see Skinner earning some time of his own. The mid and late-season friendlies will be great opportunities for him to showcase his talents.

One Reason to Be Excited 🙂

City has two starting-caliber keepers, plus a number three who’s a starter at the D-1 level. I’m hard-pressed to remember when, or if, the team has ever gone into a season with a stronger group from top to bottom.

One Reason To Worry 🙁

As with forward, I’m having trouble coming up with any serious concerns. Barring an injury or departure, we should be able to make it through the season without any keeper anxiety.

Player to Watch 😎

For the first time ever, I’m going to pick two: Pina and Steinwascher. While we know what both are capable of, I’m interested to see if one or the other will raise their game enough to grab the number one job all for themselves. If that happens, City’s goalkeeping may reach new heights.

Header Photos: Detroit City FC/Univ. of Cincinnati/DCFC

Season Preview 2018: Centerbacks

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PART I: Rebel Scum   PART II: Forwards   PART III: Attacking Mids & Wingers   PART IV: Center Midfielders   PART V: Fullbacks

CENTERBACK

Without question, the unsung hero of City’s 2017 season was Stephen Carroll. He started 14 of his 15 appearances, and was one of the keys to City’s massive defensive improvement over a sub-par 2016. Although Tyrone Mondi took home the Black Arrow Award, some supporters were adamant that Carroll was even more integral to the team’s success.

While not a towering physical presence, he’s very strong and wins his share of headers. He also possesses good positional awareness, but his greatest strengths may be his calmness with the ball at his feet and his distribution from the back. He was a close second on the team last year in total minutes played, and I expect him to be at or near the top again this season.

While Rafa Mentzingen should bring flair and excitement to the attack, the best newcomer on the team could very well be Jimmy Fiscus. Fiscus just wrapped up a stellar career at Michigan State in which he made 73 career starts and was named a team captain in both his junior and senior seasons. In 2017, he was named First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-America.

What makes his addition particularly sweet, aside from his undoubtable talent, is that he spent last summer with AFC Ann Arbor. Capturing his services while simultaneously depriving your primary competition for the division of their best defender is an absolute coup. A 6’2” aerial specialist, he and Carroll should form the best centerback pairing in the NPSL Midwest.

Continue reading “Season Preview 2018: Centerbacks”

Season Preview 2018: Fullbacks

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PART I: Rebel Scum   PART II: Forwards   PART III: Attacking Mids & Wingers   PART IV: Center Midfielders

FULLBACK

If there’s one position on the team where numbers should be no issue, it’s fullback. There are currently seven players listed here, and competition for the two starting spots should be intense.

I’ll begin with the lone returner from last year’s team, and my pick to start on the right side, Omar Sinclair. After spending 2016 at centerback and generally playing well, he slid outside and played on both the left and right in 2017. His hardnosed, take-no-prisoners defending style, combined with his ball skills and raw speed, made him a perfect fit at fullback, and he was one of the major factors in City’s 9-match league winning streak. On top of all that, he also showed that he’s a genius dead-ball specialist.

I have no idea why he didn’t take a free-kick all season until the playoffs, but I’m willing to bet he’ll get a few more opportunities this year.

Challenging Omar’s incumbency will be Tyler Stephens, who returns to City after a year of playing professionally in New Zealand.

Stephens played for Detroit in 2015 and 2016, lining up mostly as a right back or right midfielder. In addition to his experience, his versatility – he can also play centerback and holding midfielder – will be an asset to the team. Whether or not he beats out Sinclair, he should see plenty of time thanks to his positional flexibility.

One other player who seems to slot in at right back is Mattias Tomasino. I say, “seems,” because it’s not quite clear where he fits in. He played on the right side of a three-man backline for Northwestern this past fall, his size (5’10”, 165) suggests he’s more fullback than centerback, but he also played some center midfield, too. Similar to Stephens, I expect Ben Pirmann to play Tomasino in a variety of positions to see where he likes him best.

Continue reading “Season Preview 2018: Fullbacks”