Story of the Club

When I wrote the post Dirty Old Town, it was a struggle to figure out how to express what I wanted to say, but I was pretty pleased with the end result. Now, two years later, I wanted to add a little something to further clarify my feelings.

To me, the term “Dirty Old Town” is simultaneously one of endearment and contempt, of nostalgia and nausea. Looking at the city for one moment, you see a filthy, broken-down place that seems beyond repair and isn’t even worth the attempt. But at other times, you see a place with charm and life. It isn’t broken-down but broken-in, like an old pair of blue jeans that have long since passed their throw-away date. The bottoms of the legs that have been dragged across the ground underneath the heels of your sneakers are all frayed, there are holes in the knees, and the zipper gets stuck sometimes, but their feel is unmatched and there’s no part of you that would even consider throwing them away. They just fit in a way no other pair can.

Detroit may never be whole again, but it’s still worth hanging onto, even if there are those who can’t understand why. For us, it’s something we’ll hold onto forever.

Saturday, September 19^th, 2015 – Detroit City FC 3, Ann Arbor FC 2

On the scale of time, 72 hours is nothing. It’s less than half a week, a tiny sliver of an average human life, and impossibly small if you’re thinking cosmically. When it comes to experiences, however, duration holds far less weight. A rush of adrenaline or a breathtaking sight may last only a matter of seconds, but the memory can stay with you for the rest of your life.

Over the course of four seasons, in all competitions, Detroit City FC played 36 matches at its home stadium, Cass Tech. At roughly 2 hours per match, this comes out to about 72 hours, or 3 days total.

How does a place where you’ve spent such a short time come to have such meaning for you? Moreover, how do you say goodbye to that place when it feels like only yesterday that you walked into it for the very first time?

For me, I had to do a little bit of personal reflection. When 2012 began, I had no job, I could count my friends on one hand, even if that hand had been involved in a tragic fireworks accident, and I had no real direction. I’m not going to say that City saved my life, or anything so dramatic as that, but it influenced me far more than I realized at the time.

Coming to Cass for a few hours each summer helped me recognize soccer as a true passion. Whether I’m playing, watching, reading, or writing about it, not much else gives me that feeling of healthy obsession.

This place inspired me to start my blog, a decision which I easily consider one of the best I’ve ever made. As a former introvert of a moderately severe degree, this site became my vehicle with which I could work my way into the supporter community. Cass was the birthplace of many friendships, a good number of which I expect will be of the lifelong variety. It was where I broke out of my shell for good.

For far too many young adults in America, loneliness and depression are frequent companions. We’ve all experienced it on one level or another, and even as technology has allowed us to connect with those all around us, we still ache for true, genuine companionship. At Cass, we were given an opportunity that’s rare in the modern age: the chance to build a community. It took some time, and a lot of work, but we did it. What we’ve made won’t be broken, and with a larger home, it will grow and grow.

This is where I found myself. This is where we fell in love. This is where our dream became real.

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.”

If you’re a newcomer to BIR, you probably haven’t read everything that’s ever been published here. That’s perfectly fine because that opening paragraph came from one of the blog’s early pieces and it must’ve seemed brand new to you. Here’s a little more:

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.

On that night in May of 2012, none of the thousand-odd people in the stadium –not the supporters, not the players, not the coaches, not even the owners – had any idea of what to expect.

Sitting here, three years in the future, it’s clear that City owes much of its success to a number of people who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. When it comes to on-field results, no one player has made more of an impact than Josh Rogers. Yes, he retires as the club’s career leader in games and minutes played, but more importantly, it’s his style that’s helped shape the team’s identity over its first four seasons.

He was never the biggest or fastest player on the field, but his scrappiness and determination reflected the attitudes of the club and the city it represents.

He was also loud – very, very loud – and at times during games it seemed as though he wasn’t only in control of his own body, but those of several of his nearest teammates, as if they had brain implants and he had the control pad tucked away in his pocket or his sock.

Early this season, after a couple of rough preseason friendlies, I wrote that his role would probably be reduced due to the availability of some younger, taller, more athletic options at centerback. This turned out to be completely wrong. He played himself into shape, provided the leadership and communication that was visibly lacking whenever he was absent, and by the end of the season had regained his status as an automatic starter (if indeed he had ever really lost it).

At the end, there was none of the fairytale/storybook/ride off into the sunset-type stuff. Having your career end in a mostly-empty stadium in Wisconsin is no way for anyone to go, but in soccer, as in life, few things work out according to your plans. When City finally wins its first Midwest Trophy, a different person wearing the armband will be the one to hoist it. Josh Rogers has something else, though, something that is exceedingly rare in modern sports. He has the experience of bringing a club into existence. He built something to stand the test of time.

Photo #1 by Dion Degennaro

Photo #2 and Video by Michael Kitchen

Friday, July 24^th, 2015 – Detroit City FC 1, AFC Cleveland 2

As a young lad or lass, high school forms the center of your very existence. In the moment, nothing seems more important than passing your next test, making varsity, or, if you’re less motivated, simply figuring out which party to attend on the weekend. At the end of your four years, you may be bummed out that you have to leave your friends behind, and you may be a little uneasy about stepping out into the wider world.

As time passes, though, you realize that what was important wasn’t your GPA, your sports stats, or your attendance record. It was the experiences and human interactions that helped shape you as a person.

Detroit City’s fourth year came to an end on Friday, with the lousy graduation present of a long, quiet bus ride home. Losses, particularly in the playoffs, are tough to take, and for nobody more than the players. Josh Rogers broke down at the end of the game, a testament to how much this meant to him. He has nothing to be ashamed of, however – he helped build this club from nothing (literally nothing, as in nonexistent) to where it is today. If he’s indeed played his final game, he’s left a tremendous legacy for those who follow him.

That legacy is a club whose roots grow deeper and deeper every year, bringing people together and exerting an increasingly significant and positive influence on the community. I’ve said this before and it sounds like a cop-out/excuse/rationalization, but I truly believe it so I’ll say it again. At this level, wins and losses are secondary to building a sustainable organization and a culture that is self-perpetuating.

Once, not so long ago, there was an NPSL team with the name Detroit, and it was highly successful on the field. It even took the league title one year. Despite this, they failed to attract any real following and shortly thereafter they poofed out of existence.

There are those who don’t get us. Some refuse to watch us because they view anything below EPL or MLS as beneath them. Some say we’re a bad influence on children because we use the word “fuck”, nevermind that they’re exposed to the same language on a daily basis at school, with friends, playing sports, on TV, on the internet, in music, and in video games. My personal favorite of 2015, though, comes from a sportswriter/radio host who was covering the Open Cup match with the Bucks. To paraphrase:

“Duggan’s got the investors, the money, and the better team. You lost, why don’t you just give up?”

These people don’t matter, they never did, and they never will.

People like this are the ones who matter:

What’s been created here is not just a soccer team but something that has deeply meaningful, positive effects on people’s lives.

Four years are now in the books, and, like graduating from high school, it feels as if we’ve come to an ending. In truth, though, we’re just getting started.

Amazing. #DCTIDpic.twitter.com/Eo2bjudpia

— Sarah Hylla Spence (@Wyn_McTwitch) July 23, 2015

 

Friday, July 17^th, 2015 – Detroit City FC 2, Erie 3

Sunday, July 19^th, 2015 – Detroit City FC 2, Michigan Stars 0

There are still a few pages to be written in the story of Detroit City’s fourth season, but over the last several weeks, a dominant theme has emerged. As the teams ranks have been thinned by the proverbial mallet of injuries and player availability issues, those waiting in the wings have popped up to fill the vacancies and frustrate their wildly swinging opponents. They’ve not only filled those holes, in many instances they’ve excelled. As City heads into its first postseason since 2013, three newcomers in particular will be playing crucial roles.

Mole #1: La paroi de la Rouge

Don’t rush over to Google to translate la paroi, I’ll do it pour vous. It means “the wall,” and it accurately describes the play of Alex Bouillennec since he’s taken over permanently for Bret Mollon.

Will Mellors-Blair’s goal against Lansing has been pointed to as the moment which broke their season for good, but this save from Bouillennec may have played just as big a part.

Standing 6’4”, he’s the most physically imposing keeper City’s ever had, and from what I’ve seen, I think he’s the best pure shot stopper as well. His reach and reflexes scream pro prospect, and once he gets a better grasp of English and is able to take more responsibility directing his back line, he looks like a good bet to reach that level.

Shoutout to EA Guingamp and Troyes AC for training and developing him for us 😉

Mole #2: Kid Canada

I used this gif in last week’s post, but I’m doing it again because it encapsulates Troy Watson’s playing style in a nutshell.

He’s a defensive midfielder, but rather than being a hard-tackling destroyer, he plays a smoother, more efficient type of game, chasing down attackers and getting position on them to break up the play. His stats say he’s picked up two yellow cards this year, but I don’t remember either incident and am honestly surprised he had any.

With Dave Edwardson’s injury likely ruling him out of this weekend’s match(es), Watson’s season of starting experience helps lessen the blow. Whoever he ends up pairing with – likely Latif Alashe – the center of midfield looks like a strength moving forward.

Mole #3: Javi

Javi is King of the Moles because he popped up, got whacked, and has now popped back up again. His performance in the Muskegon friendly made him look like he would be this year’s go-to striker, but thanks to a knee injury that required surgery, he had to watch from the bench as WMB grabbed that role with both hands and never let it go.

It seemed like wishful thinking that he’d be back for the playoffs, but here we are. Not only is he back, he looks just as dangerous as he did before he got hurt.

He’s Baaaccckkk!!! Video @JaviBautista13 GOAL! @DetroitCityFC & Man Of The Match! Assist @bobbybudlong20 @NGSDetroit pic.twitter.com/jAufTu7Te9

— Kelly Zirwes-Haapala (@KellyHaapala) July 20, 2015

Both feet off ground goal attempt!! @JaviBautista13 That ball damn near crossed the line!! @DetroitCityFC @NGSDetroit pic.twitter.com/WiZDP5yFwo

— Kelly Zirwes-Haapala (@KellyHaapala) July 20, 2015

I said last week that I didn’t think we had enough attacking options to go far in the postseason, but a healthy Javi changes the equation. He has the biggest shoes to fill, but since his game is so similar to WMB’s, the team dynamic should have to change too much.

Desire is not something that’s quantifiable, you just know it when you see it. The face in that picture shows it, and with a lost season to make up for, he just might be the difference maker.