by Article and Photos by Robert Sherman
We all remember the day like it was yesterday. Two years ago in Rochester, the likes of Dave Edwardson, Evan Louro, Cyrus Saydee, and Jeff Adkins squeezed out a victory against the most successful amateur team in the state and etched their names into Detroit City FC folklore for all of time.
Fast forward two years and Nate Steinwascher, Shawn Lawson, Stephen Carroll, and Roddy Green stared into the eyes of the Bucks and created their own legacies in front of 3,416 fans.
This match was different. This time Detroit City FC was the dominant factor. Le Rouge made the Bucks look like fawns in headlights.
On Wednesday night, in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup, City outplayed, outclassed, and defeated the Bucks, 5-4 (1-1) in a penalty kick shootout, in a match that should have been finished in 90 minutes.
“At the end of the day, I think that the proper team advanced,” head coach Ben Pirmann said.
In years past we have been treated to a U.S. Open Cup match controlled almost exclusively by the Bucks, or Pirmann’s strategy of locking down the midfield and settling in for a defensive battle.
When the team sheet was released for Wednesday’s clash, we saw an attacking lineup from Caesar. Rafa Metzingen, Lawson, Danny Deakin, and Brad Centala highlighted the offensive front while Omar Sinclair, Carroll, Jimmy Fiscus and Elliot Bentley were in charge of shutting down the Bucks’ attack.
Unlike in recent years, City wingbacks, Sinclair and Bentley, were able to push forward and join in on the attack, a facet of the offense that the Bucks have never encountered from Pirmann’s squads in this tournament.
The first round meetings between these two teams are always nerve-wracking affairs, and Wednesday’s match was no exception. Midfield commander Saydee started on the bench, rain poured down half an hour before kick off, and a handful of injuries plagued the squad in the days leading up to kickoff.
“I shouldn’t have even played him [Saydee], he’s just too good not to play and even when we went up, there was 15 minutes where we bossed it,” Pirmann said. “It was through him and Danny [Deakin] getting the ball, and finding Rafa [Metzingen].
“Obviously when we went down he had to defend more. It was very tough in the sense that Danny was 80-percent, Cyrus was 70-percent and he’s hurt, but when we put all the best guys out there we ran the game for a good fifteen minutes.”
Everyone was on eggshells. That is, everyone but the coaching staff and players of Detroit City FC, who kept their cool through the full 120 minute match. A prime example, playing on a yellow card received in the second half, Sinclair made several key challenges, including two sliding tackles, to relieve pressure coming down the wings.
Lawson shocked the entire stadium in the second half by wrangling in a shot that rattled the crossbar and absolutely powering the ball past Bucks goalkeeper Jimmy Hague from inside the six-yard box.
After the goal, motivation struck the City players on the field, and stress started to crack the entirety of the Michigan Bucks. Cohesion and momentum were on Le Rouge’s side, until Pirmann decided to make a headscratching change.
In a bid to lock the game, Greg Janicki entered the match, taking the place of Lawson. The substitution immediately affected the match in a negative way for the home club. All offensive momentum was lost, and their cohesion deteriorated.
A bogus foul inside the City 18-yard box led to the Bucks’ sole tally against Detroit since 2015, a penalty that was put past Steinwascher courtesy of Alfonso Pinheiro Neto in the 85th minute. The Bucks have not scored a goal on City from the run of play in three years.
Five minutes into extra time, Janicki was given a straight red card for a high boot.
“The red card was obviously not a red card. It just wasn’t, it was a bad call,” Pirmann said. “There was a big need in holding midfield, we put him in with fifteen minutes left to see out the game and then the call went against us.
“It probably would have been the right decision had the penalty not worked against us, but I got that one wrong, and that was my fault putting those guys in bad spots. He’s an experienced player, he knows how to see things out and that’s why we had him in the team.”
Six minutes later, the Bucks took the last quality chance of the match. A forward got loose inside the box and fired a shot that was surely going to sink City. Steinwascher had other plans, making a save with his right boot, deflecting the ball over the net.
The save allowed City the opportunity to force a penalty kick shootout despite being a man down.
“He didn’t have a ton to do, but then was obviously huge for us. That being said, the guys went nuts for Nate [Steinwascher] in the locker room,” Pirmann said. “He is without a doubt the most selfless citizen that we have. He cares about this club more than anything, so for him to do that and win it like that, it was great for him.”
Jimmy Hague started out hot for the Bucks, stopping attempts by both Deakin and Brandon Bartel. Finally, Brad Centala converted his attempt, followed by a Bucks miss.
Needing a save or a miss to stay alive, Steinwascher stepped up once again, saving a kick by Jake Rufe to open the door for a City victory. The tide changed when Sinclair made his way to the spot with a swag I have never seen in my entire life, making eye contact with Hague the entire walk up, and not breaking it.
After converting his chance, it was up to Green to put a bullet into the Bucks. Green stepped up, aware of his responsibility of lifting his club to such great heights, then calmly slid the ball past Hague, turned towards the crowd, and took off his jersey off to reveal a shirt reading: Detroit vs. Everybody.
For the second consecutive meeting, the Boys In Rouge once again made history by achieving what seemed impossible and reminded us all of why we love and support this club and these players.
Detroit City FC is back in action on Sunday against AFC Ann Arbor in its NPSL opener, then will make the trip to take on FC Cincinnati in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.
