by Friday, May 24th, 2019 – Detroit City FC 0 AFC Ann Arbor 0
Monday, May 27th, 2019 – Detroit City FC 5 FC Indiana 0
(1) Four matches into the regular season, I’ve seen enough to convince me that the 3-5-2 should be the go-to formation from here on out.
In the three matches it’s been used, City has won twice and drawn once without surrendering a single goal. The other match, against Kalamazoo, was a loss in which three goals were conceded. Since most NPSL teams run a vanilla 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and are used to playing against similar styles, the 3-5-2 can be confusing for opponents to deal with, especially when they have very little time to prepare for it.
It also seems to be a good fit for the players on City’s roster. The extra central defender is an effective deterrent to counter-attacks, and his presence allows the wingbacks (Kenton and Perkins) more freedom to get forward and join the attack. The technically skilled center midfielders (Goodman, Todd, Diop, Saydee, Deakin) are then able to combine in numerous ways to move the ball up the field.
The main area where the team can improve is in the final third. They’re creating a good amount of chances, but I’d like to see the willingness to shoot more and rely a bit less on the difficult killer passes.
(2) After the season opener, I said it was a bold decision to move Stephen Carroll to right wingback. It now appears that was just a temporary move necessitated by a thin roster; in the last two matches, he’s been back at home, playing in the middle of a three-centerback back line. His absence against Kalamazoo was painfully noticeable, and with his return to the lineup, City’s defense is exponentially better.
(3) Although Shawn Lawson missed a penalty against Ann Arbor and had a goal called back for offside (I initially thought this call was incorrect, but subsequent evidence showed that it was probably the correct call), he bounced back with a goal at Indiana. He’s repeatedly gotten in good positions all season and has been City’s most consistent attacking threat.
(4) Other early season standouts:
Bakie Goodman and Max Todd have looked excellent in center midfield, particularly their ball-winning, ability to keep possession, and consistent pressuring of opposing players.
Kervin Kenton has repeatedly rampaged up and down the field from his left wingback position. He assisted on Lawson’s goal against Kalamazoo and very nearly scored one of his own against Ann Arbor. One could make the argument that, outside of Lawson, he’s been City’s best attacker thus far.
Danny Deakin has looked much-improved over his 2018 self, combining well with Todd and Goodman in midfield. His late chance against Ann Arbor should’ve resulted in a penalty for handball, but he came right back on Monday to score his first of the season.
Less than a month since his high school graduation, Owen Finnerty has stepped in and looked like a veteran goalkeeper. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that I prefer to pick a #1 keeper and play him nearly every match so that he can build familiarity and chemistry with his defenders. This year, injuries and other circumstances have prevented that from happening, but Finnerty has handled the situation well.
(5) While we may despise AFC Ann Arbor, I do appreciate them for putting out updated tables each week. Also, extra props to them for ordering the teams by points, rather than the utterly stupid points-per-game used on the official NPSL website.
(6) Possibly my favorite tifo ever (Video by Michael Kitchen, Photos by Franzi Loetzner)
