by Article and Photos by Robert Sherman
Stephen Carroll, Shawn Lawson, Rafa Mentzingen, Seb Harris, Trevor Amann (twice), Brogan Shrimpton and Dave Edwardson all scored Friday night at Keyworth Stadium as Detroit City picked up three points in an 8-0 rout of last place FC Indiana.
Five of the above contingent (Carroll, Lawson, Mentzingen, Amann, Shrimpton) also got on the scoresheet in the 11-0 dismantling of FC Indiana just five days earlier.
After taking the full six points from the season series, Le Rouge currently sits at the second spot in the table, 4 points behind undefeated AFC Ann Arbor, with one third of the season down.
“There’s not a lot of positives that come out of games like this,” head coach Ben Pirmann said, “The good thing is that all of our injured players get to rest. You still have to take these things seriously. They [FC Indiana] tied teams last year, you still have to go through and win.
“I think the bigger thing is, because it wasn’t a very good opponent in the last two games, the next weekend is huge. We have a tough road game Friday [against FC Columbus] and then we turn around with a huge game on Sunday at home [against AFC Ann Arbor].
“To me, with eight games left, those eight games have to be one game at a time. We can’t think about Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids or whatever. We have to think about beating Columbus on Friday night.”
If I went through every goal that was scored on Friday and told you about them, we would be here all night. So, instead let’s look at the highlights:
(1) Stephen Carroll is a rock in central defense, and this season he has combined well with both Seb Harris and Jimmy Fiscus to lead the back line, but recently he’s shown he can contribute on the offensive end, as well. His free kick goal in the fourth minute of the match showed how dangerous he can be on set pieces.
(2) Both times that they have visited Keyworth Stadium, FC Indiana has seen their starting goalkeeper sent off with a straight red card. Despite this, neither ejection has had much of an impact on the games, especially this one. They really stood no chance either way, and ended Friday on a -38 goal differential.
(3) Shawn Lawson continues to be the primary threat up top for the Boys In Rouge. He has nowhere near the same impact in the offensive third when he plays on the wing as he does in the number 9 position. I’ve also noticed how he looks much more comfortable and confident on the pitch so far this season, and I doubt that will change going forward.
(4) I can’t speak anymore positives about Mentzingen than I already have. He’s versatile, able to play in the number 9 position, on the wings, and as we saw for a little on Friday, in the roaming number 10 midfield role. Not to mention, his fitness is out of this world. Continuing to impress everyone, he struck a beautiful outside of the foot curler to give City a 3-0 lead right before halftime.
That finish from @rafaduizit. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/K6rRfeeTri
— Detroit City FC (@DetroitCityFC) June 2, 2018
(5) Having barely played last season due to a lack of fitness, quite likely related to the birth of his child, co-captain Seb Harris has proven himself as a viable third choice center back for Pirmann. Harris, looking refreshed and passionate, stepped up and played a full 90 minutes on Friday in the absence of Fiscus. He also brought back the patented windmill celebration after burying a penalty in the 54th minute.
(6) Trevor Amann and Brogan Shrimpton have cemented themselves as weapons of mass destruction off the bench. Add Roddy Green into the mix, and it’s easy to say that DCFC have the most stacked attacking contingent in the region.
(7) Dave Edwardson marked his proper return to Keyworth with a one-time goal from outside of the box – an absolute screamer beat the FCI goalkeeper to make it 7-0. It’s good to see Edwardson back on the pitch, and even if he is not first choice on the team sheet with a loaded midfield full of talent, he should continue to be an asset off the bench for Pirmann.
The captain. #DCTID pic.twitter.com/dG7UgAQT3I
— Detroit City FC (@DetroitCityFC) June 2, 2018
(8) Finally, the Northern Guard Supporters raised an astounding $5,752 dollars off of the eight goals in Friday’s match as the Prideraiser campaign kicked off in the month of June.
With the high profle friendlies, the U.S. Open Cup, and FC Indiana out of the way, City looks to continue closing the gap on AFC Ann Arbor with a road match to FC Columbus on Friday. The boys could potentially take the top spot next Sunday with a win over AFCAA at Keyworth, but need to continue working forward.
“Our fitness is still very poor for being this far into it. We’re not a fit team, which isn’t good,” Pirmann said about lingering issues for City.
“The way I view, we want to peak next weekend on Sunday. We’re kind of halfway through the cycle. The first cycle was the first time we played Ann Arbor, the friendlies and the Bucks. We have four days of training coming up. We have thirty guys, and spots are hard to come by, the best will play.
“At the end of the day we’re looking for six points but we need them three at a time.”
