News & Notes - Podcasts/Audio/Interviews

DCFCFC Episode #15 + Bonus News & Notes

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Click here to listen to the latest episode of the DCFC Fancast, which I guest-hosted as we spoke to head coach Ben Pirmann and co-owner Alex Wright. A few items of interest that didn’t make the recording:

I asked Alex about the Keyworth construction timetable, specifically how long it would take for the stadium to be considered a “finished product.” He said that, following this year’s renovations, the next big project is obviously replacing the field. While many people perfer a natural grass surface, the cost of maintenance and upkeep is much more than fieldturf. With kids playing on the field virtually every day, the installation of a new artificial surface is something that will be considered. Once that decision is made and the installation is complete (ideally some time before next season), Keyworth should be just about finished.

Second, there will be new kits for this upcoming season. Alex said that they’d be a simpler design because of the availability issues they’ve had with the more customized kits (2013 and 2015 in particular). Jerseys sold out at several of last year’s matches, so the move to a more basic model should help to ensure that supply matches demand.

Third, when we were talking about the possibility of some local Hamtramck talent making the team, he brought up a roster rule that I was unaware of. Since Ben Pirmann is a college coach, there is an NCAA stipulation that he cannot coach uncommitted prospects. This means that if there is a college-aged player not in school but with eligibility remaining, he can’t play for City. Even if he’s never attended college and has zero intention of doing so, he is still ineligible until he reaches a certain age threshold. (I’ve tried to do a little research and figure out what that age is, but I’ve come up empty so far.)

One final note, Ben told us a story about a recent phone call he received. It was from a woman in England who was calling because Charlie MacInnes had asked Ben if he could use him as a reference. After Ben answered her questions and praised Charlie’s punctuality, teamwork skills, attention to detail, etc., he asked her what the job was. She replied: kindergarten teacher.

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News & Notes - Stats & Analysis

2016 Schedule Analysis

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After many cold, dark weeks devoid of news (save for the occasional Keyworth funding update), some real information pertaining to the 2016 season finally dropped this past Friday. Detroit City released its complete league schedule in the morning, and in the afternoon, completely out of the blue, learned that it would be competing in the U.S. Open Cup for the third straight year.

According to the official release from U.S. Soccer, the Open Cup match will take place Wednesday, May 11th. As the matchups for the first rounds of the tournament are determined by regional proximity and teams are paired up with opponents from outside their league, City will likely find itself in a rematch against the Michigan Bucks, but the Dayton Dutch Lions are also a strong possibility. The date of the first round draw is April 6th.

As for the league schedule, it was also confirmed that Fort Pitt Regiment are no more, unbalancing the Midwest Region’s East Division, which had existed in its new form for about a month and a half. Good ol’ NPSL. A quick refresher: the top two teams from each division make the four-team single-elimination playoffs; the winner goes to the national final four. The new, slightly altered divisions are as follows:

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City’s division remains unchanged. For now…

The full slate of matches, minus the probable preseason college friendlies, looks like this (home matches bolded, friendlies in blue):

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  • The first thing that jumps out is that 4 of the first 5 league matches are on the road. One plus is that City gets its longest road trip of the year – Dayton – out of the way on the very first weekend.
  • The upside of having so many road matches frontloaded is the payoff in the second half of the season. 5 of the final 7 league matches are at home, and City will go almost an entire month (June 10th – July 3rd) without playing away.
  • The toughest stretch may very well be the opening week of the season – 3 competitive matches in the span of 5 days, possibly all of them away from home. Playing the Bucks and Stars in Pontiac wouldn’t be too bad as far as travel goes, but the Sunday match at Dayton looks extremely difficult considering the circumstances. For reference, last year’s USOC match was on a Wednesday, it was followed up on Friday with the home opening win over Cleveland, and there was no match on Sunday. A slow start would be disappointing, but understandable.
  • As of this writing, the Rust Belt Derby is on hiatus for at least 2016. The home-and-home friendlies with Buffalo are a nice midseason break, but it remains to be seen if Cleveland can be bothered to pull their weight and help preserve the rivalry.
  • The marquee event of the year, the friendly against FC United of Manchester, gets a weekend all to itself, as it should.
  • It should be a banner year for Rouge Rovers. The farthest trip is to Dayton, which is little more than a three hour drive. Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo are both two hours and change, and Lansing and Ann Arbor are quick jaunts up I-96 and I-94, respectively. I expect triple-digit supporters at each and every “away” match and I wouldn’t be surprised if we outdrew the home crowds at half of those.

As we ramp up to the new season, we should start to see player announcements for both returners and newcomers very soon. Additionally, now that the Keyworth minimum has been met, it will be interesting to see the construction progress photos that begin to trickle out. Speaking to Alex Wright at tryouts, he confirmed that demolition and other preliminary jobs have been ongoing. With the home opening date now set for May 20th, just over 14 weeks remain for the bulk of the work to be completed.

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News & Notes

Keyworth: Funded

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Just over three months since its launch, DCFC’s Keyworth investment campaign has reached blown past its minimum goal of $400k. As 7 PM on 2/3/16 the current tally stands at:

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The heavy duty renovations of Keyworth Stadium can now begin, with three solid months remaining until the start of the 2016 season. We’ll probably get one last year of preseason games at Hurley Field, after all.

Looking ahead, $500k seems within reach, but the maximum target goal of $750k may be asking a little too much at this point. What that means:

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To sum up, unless a massive investment push happens in the next week and a half, major construction on the east grandstand – the future supporters’ section – will likely be put on hold for the time being. I would imagine that project, along with the installation of a grass field, would be at the top of the agenda for 2017, but everything will obviously depend on the funds available.

For now, it’s time to celebrate this milestone. We’ve achieved something most other clubs would never even consider attempting, and our actions as supporters are going to have tangible, long-lasting, positive effects on a piece of our local community. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Story of the Club

My Addiction

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I’d never gotten into drugs before – one of my most vivid childhood memories was of a school assembly in first grade in which some guy used the “scare the absolute shit out of you” tactic to discourage all of us wee little would-be junkies from ever trying anything not officially sanctioned by our parents, our teachers, the United States Federal Government, or the Roman Catholic Church.* While recounting the tale of a grisly emergency room experience (I guess he was a paramedic or something) involving an unresponsive teen, he gave his money quote, one that I still remember verbatim:

“And they got him into the operating room, they cut him open, and they found a bunch of DRUGS inside!”

Approximately ten years later, in the same auditorium, a militant feminist speaker informed me and 250 of my fellow male high-schoolers that half of us would commit rape at one point in our lives. This has nothing to do with anything, it was just something that popped into my head while reminiscing my school years that made me laugh.**

Back to the matter at hand. That one shocking E.R. tale and the way its young subject was portrayed as a veritable drug piñata did its job, inspiring me to stay on the straight and narrow all throughout grade school and high school. Well, actually, it probably had more to do with good parenting and a fulfilling family life, but why let that get in the way of a good story?

It wasn’t until a few years into college that I found something that truly tickled my fancy. I never really sought it out, it just kind of plopped itself down into my life. I was aware of its existence, but for some reason I’d never given it a second thought.

I only really dabbled at first, learning indirectly from others who were involved and watching from afar, but once the opportunity to participate presented itself, there was just no way I could pass it up.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I wasn’t sure I was feeling anything at first, but by the end of the first night, I knew that I’d be back for more.

2012 was the year I got hooked. That summer, whenever I got the chance, I’d drive downtown for my next fix. I usually went alone, but each time I noticed more and more people were coming to my spot. The secret was getting out.

At the end of that first magical summer, our supply dried up. The next ten months were absolute hell. You’d get a rumor here, a tease there, but never anything of real substance. Copycats and imitators popped up left and right, but we all knew that nothing would be able to duplicate that feeling we got from our substance of choice. One group even changed their brand name like ten times trying to push their junk on us. Bunch of posers.

The next few years followed a similar pattern: a couple months of ecstasy followed by nine or ten of shakes, jonesing, and generally feeling like a chubby kid for whom Halloween would never come. Before long, I was going wherever the action happened to be that day – Berkley, Livonia, Lansing, Pontiac, hell – even Ohio! Seriously, this stuff is that strong; it can literally make a grown man in complete control of his mental faculties willingly go to freaking Ohio to get it.

Recently, there have been some rumblings that the guys who make the stuff will be expanding their operation. It may be a few years before it actually happens, but if it does, there is a greater than zero chance that I will, in the spirit of a true junkie, spend at least part of that day running around with no pants on.

As for now, this is where I’m at. I’m completely and hopelessly addicted, and I have no intention of stopping. I won’t stop, I literally CAN’T stop. This is my drug and I’m never giving it up.

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Photo by Dion Degennaro

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*That’s not just for dramatic effect; I actually went to Catholic school.

**Long story short, she was jeered and booed off stage, much to the chagrin of the faculty members present. Later in the day, in a moment of candor, one said member commented, “You guys were terrible and shouldn’t have acted like that, but she did kind of ask for it.”

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Season Reviews

2015 Year in Review

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Instead of doing a standard season wrap (like in 2014), I thought I’d take a look back at 2015 as a whole in order to mention some of the significant off-the-field events that involved Detroit City FC this year. Without further delay…

Preseason

– February/March – A pair of Q&A’s give us the chance to learn more about ownership’s plans for the club in the near future, as well as the history and philosophy of the Northern Guard. Among the things learned at the first session, it is announced that all 2015 league home matches will be streamed online.

– April – The first title sponsor in club history, Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, is unveiled, as are the kits for the upcoming season.

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Season

Head Coach: Ben Pirmann

Captain: Josh Rogers

NPSL Midwest Region: 2nd

NPSL Midwest Regional Playoffs: Semifinal

102nd Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup:  First Round

Rust Belt Derby:  Winner (3rd time)

Top Goalscorer (All Competitions): Will Mellors-Blair (10)

Black Arrow Award (Team MVP): Dave Edwardson

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Friendlies

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102nd Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

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Regular Season

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Playoffs

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Predictions Revisited

In which I pull up my preseason prognostications and hold myself accountable and/or break my arm patting myself on the back.

2015 NPSL Midwest Region

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In all honesty, I’m mainly concerned with figuring out where City will end up. In this regard, I think I did a pretty good job. If it wasn’t for Madison playing a super easy schedule in which they faced the worst team in the division three times, my prediction would’ve been spot-on.

Other than that, Cleveland and Buffalo exceeded my expectations, while Lansing and Minnesota Utd. underperformed.

5 Wild Guesses

 1. A newcomer will win the Black Arrow Award (Team MVP).

Verdict: Incorrect. The award went to long-serving midfielder Dave Edwardson.

2. City will score at least 6 goals in a game. 

Verdict: Correct. City set a new club record for goals in a game, scoring 6 against the Minnesota TwinStars on May 29th.

3. City will take at least 15 points from its final 6 matches (the second half of the season). 

Verdict: Correct. City took exactly 15 points from its final 6 matches. Only a loss to Erie prevented them from earning the #1 seed and hosting the playoffs.

4. Average home attendance will be over 3000 and all league matches will sell out. 

Verdict: 1/2 Correct. Average home attendance for the regular season came out to 3528, but not every single game was a sellout.

5. This will be the last season at Cass

Verdict: Correct. Keyworth awaits.

Goals of the Year

#3 Seb Harris saves the season opener.

#2 Will Mellors-Blair breaks Lansing for good.

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#1 Matt Ybarra calls in the Cincinnati Fire Department with his weak-footed volley into the upper 90.

BIR Player Awards

MVP: Will Mellors-Blair (ST) Consistently excellent from the beginning of the season to the very end. He basically WAS City’s attack throughout the course of the year, and his absence was painfully evident in the playoff loss to Cleveland.

Breakout Player: Will Mellors-Blair (ST) I have to give this one to WMB as well. He was a solid player in 2014, but he elevated his game to a completely different level this year. And, with preseason injuries to Zach Myers and Javi Bautista, things could’ve gotten ugly if he hadn’t.

Unsung Hero: Troy Watson (CM) By the end of the year, his play was garnering more and more attention, but for much of the season, he was just an anonymous guy that happened to be playing a lot and having a significant, if not easily noticeable, impact. His emergence as a strong defensive-minded central midfielder helped shield the back line and greatly contributed to the team resolving its early season struggles with allowing too many goals.

Detroit City FC All-time Best XI

Updates for 2015: WMB, Dave Edwardson, Alex Isaevski, and Bret Mollon bump Jeff Adkins, Kevin Taylor, Zeke Harris, and Jeremy Clark, respectively

2015bestXI

Subs (7): Knox Cameron (ST), Jeff Adkins (Wing/ST), Kevin Taylor (CM), Zeke Harris (RB), Seb Harris (CB/RB), Nick Lewin (CB/LB/RB), Jeremy Clark (GK)

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Postseason

During and after the season, a few notable fansites are launched: DCFC Fancast – the first podcast dedicated to all things City; Michael Kitchen’s game-by-game scrapbook project; the new NGS website (with the brilliant domain name: noonelikes.us).

– September – The end of two eras: Josh Rogers, City’s first and only captain, calls it a career; The 2015 DPS Showcase marks City’s final appearance at Cass Tech.

– October – To fund the renovations to City’s new home, Keyworth Stadium, an ambitions community investment program is announced.

As of today, less than two months from the deadline, around $150,000 still needs to be raised. Click here to learn more.

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This brings us to the end. 2015 was a year of tremendous growth, not only for the club, but for yours truly. Hopefully next year has more of the same in store. See you all in 2016!

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