by Wednesday, May 9th, 2018 – Detroit City FC 1 Michigan Bucks 1 (5-4 DCFC on penalties AET)
Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you’ve probably heard the stories that players tell about growing up and learning to play the game. They usually go something like this: kid plays 1-on-1 with his dad or older brother in the driveway every night, dad/older brother always wins, over time, kid grows taller and stronger and starts to become more of a challenge, one day kid finally beats dad/older brother and things are never like they were before. They are now equals.
In 2015 the Michigan Bucks played City off the field, scoring their three goals in the first half an hour and quickly snuffing out any hope of an upset. It remains the most comprehensive defeat in club history and was a massive wake-up to those of us who thought City’s play would match up with that of their more seasoned opponent.
The 2016 matchup, while it went down as a penalty kick shootout victory for City, featured a similar disparity. They held on by their fingernails for 120 minutes, and their conservative gameplan and an all-time performance from keeper Evan Louro was what ultimately made the difference.
This year felt different, though. The kid’s bigger now, and for much of the match was taking the body to his old man, even throwing down a dunk:
Still, the veteran always has his tricks to fall back on. When skill fails, he can always resort to gamesmanship:
How do you call this PK after the bucks dived literally 5 times just prior to this? pic.twitter.com/OXGSxhxxLo
— Dion Degennaro (@TheDukeNGS) May 10, 2018
Although Nate Steinwascher couldn’t keep that one out, he cemented his place in club history with his performance in the shootout, which I’d argue was just as good, if not better than Louro’s. And while this match ended with the same result as the one in 2016, this was a true battle of peers – any talent/coaching/tactical advantage the Bucks had at one time is no more.
And it’s fitting that that chapter was closed by Roddy Green, the local boy who’s grown up with City and epitomizes their recent rise. In 2015 he was still in high school, watching matches from the stands at Cass. He scored in his debut against Lawrence Tech last year, but his promising first season ended on a down note when he missed his penalty kick in the shootout of the national semifinal and City crashed out.
He’s back, though, a little older and more savvy, and in this season that’s just begun, he’s already gone to work building his legacy.
Next week, after a very important league opener at Ann Arbor on Sunday that should not be overlooked, City has a chance to make even more noise. They’ve beaten professional teams before, but never in a competitive match. If they can take down FC Cincinnati, MLS’s latest lady-in-waiting (and bring me personal glory by fulfilling my preseason prediction), the rest of the country will have to start thinking of Detroit as more than just the cute amateur club with lots of fans.
The little kid is growing up.
