Michael Kitchen's Blog, page 17
February 21, 2016
February 18, 2016
May 29, 2015: Minnesota Twinstars
May 29, 2015
Detroit City FC 6, Minnesota Twinstars 1
Cass Tech Stadium
DCFC Tyler Channell (Cyrus Saydee) 6′
DCFC Latif Alashe (Zach Schewee) 29′
DCFC Will Mellors-Blair 45′
DCFC Jeff Adkins (Kevin Taylor) 45+’
DCFC James Murphy (Jeff Adkins) 54′
MINN Brian Chapman 81′
DCFC Will Mellors-Blair (James Murphy) 83′
Attendance: 3,210
Usually, watching my team win by a blowout is great joy. This one, not so much. Of course, goal differential is an important tie-breaker in the standings.
After taking a 2-0 lead, Le Rouge’s Colin McAtee and the Minnesota keeper, Matt Elder, went sliding in on a loose ball, resulting in a major collision. The Twinstars’ keeper suffered the worst of the blow, breaking his leg. The visitors brought a small amount of players, with no back-up keeper among them. A small, outfield player had to fill in the rest of the game, and that’s when the rout began. Going into half time, the kid gave up two more goals, giving Detroit a commanding 4-0 lead. It was smooth sailing from there.
February 17, 2016
February 12, 2016
May 15, 2015: AFC Cleveland
May 15, 2015
Cass Tech Stadium
Detroit City FC 3, AFC Cleveland 2
DCFC Colin McAtee (Javier Bautista) 19′
CLEV Sergio Manesio 35′
DCFC Will Mellors-Blair (Tommy Catalano) 43′
CLEV Tom Beck (Mike Derezic) 48′
DCFC Seb Harris (Cyrus Saydee) 85′
Attendance: 3,012
The much anticipated season home opener on the first day of the Motor City Comic Con…
…but I digress.
The beginning of a new season and the introduction of a new camera. Actually, it was not so new. After the water damage from the Muskegon game and the downpour of two seasons before, I decided to look at the world’s largest garage sale to replace my camera. And there it was. The very same camera in almost new condition. “Used only indoors on a tripod,” the description read. I placed a bid, and this Sony digital camera which was damn expensive in 2006 when I bought it new, cost me a total of $33 to replace ($21 to win the auction, $12 shipping).
Purchased – 2006 Retired – 2015Prior to the match, NGS unfurled a tifo on the family-friendly side, to kick-off the season:
It was a back-and-forth match, but in the end, Seb Harris won it late with this great header and celebration:
Pre-Game:
Action:
February 11, 2016
May 13, 2015: at Michigan Bucks (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
May 13, 2015
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
Detroit City FC 0 at Michigan Bucks 3
BUCKS David Goldsmith 7′
BUCKS Peri Marosevic 9′
BUCKS Brad Ruhaak 30′
Ultimate Soccer Arenas, Pontiac, MI
Attendance: 1,845
Le Rouge’s first foray into the historic, nation-wide Lamar Hunt US Open Cup occurred last season against RWB Adria. Their second adventure would come against a local lower-league soccer team, the Michigan Bucks.
The Michigan Bucks are in the Premier Development League (PDL) for their 20th season. On the pitch, they’ve had their successes which include 17 playoff appearances, 3 regular season titles, 4 PDL final appearances, and 2 PDL Championships. They’ve also defeated Major League Soccer teams in US Open Cup competition. In 2000, as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, they defeated the New England Revolution by a score of 1-0. Then, in 2012, they earned a victory against the Chicago Fire by a score of 3-2.
The first season of Detroit City FC was 2012, and I went to seven Michigan Bucks’ games, including the win against the Fire, that season. Though the Bucks may claim a long history of developing players, they’ve done zilch in developing a fan base. They play their home games within a tin can, and with so few fans (the US Open Cup match an exception to the rule of the handfuls of attendees at the other matches), there is no atmosphere. Needless to say, I became a DCFC season ticket holder in 2013, and this was my first match back in the hangar since 2012.
Going into the match, I felt this was a no-lose situation, though I so deeply wanted to see Le Rouge advance to the next round. The Bucks had the years and performed well in a league higher than us. They were expected to win. A City victory, however, would be an upset like the 2012 Bucks win over the Chicago Fire.
And of course, there was the off-pitch rivalry. Though management from both organizations won’t declare it, the Northern Guard Supporters stated it loud and clear. Prior to the match, a new chant was passed around, to which Michigan Bucks owner, Dan Duggan, could not ignore. Sung to the tune of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Part Two:
We don’t need no Daniel Duggan
We don’t need no USL Pro
You’re just a club set in a tin can
Duggan leave Detroit alone
HEY!
DUGGAN!
LEAVED DETROIT ALONE!
The Bucks owner has been hoping to bring a Major League Soccer club to Detroit. His brother, Mike Duggan, was elected as Mayor of the City of Detroit in November, 2013. Where Duggan might have the two-decade experience, the money, and now a little clout in Detroit’s city hall to secure land for a soccer-specific stadium, he lacks the fan base. As Northern Guard Supporter Nick Kendell told Detroit News reporter, Terry Foster, “I don’t care what league we play in, we are not going to a Duggan-supported game. This is a real team with real supporters who are the heart and soul of the city. “
Because the lighting inside this inflated mobile home is terrible, there are few photos, offset by more video.
Giving up two goals in the first ten minutes, and a third by the half hour mark, the match was pretty much over for Le Rouge. However, this video is at the conclusion of the game. Do these fans look like their team lost 3-0? It is because we are not fans. We are SUPPORTERS!
City Til I Die!
February 9, 2016
2015 Season Summary
2015 Season
The Conclusion of the Prologue
The season began with a cover story in the weekly Metro Times, a harbinger of the growth which continued during this fourth season at Cass Tech.
After three pre-season friendlies, Le Rouge was once again a participant in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Our opponent was another local team for which there is little to no respect for in the Supporter community – the Michigan Bucks.
Limited to 1,500 tickets, we bought them, used them, and echoed our voices within the tin can dome.
During the season, we filled our stadium with 3,000+ fans at every home game, with all sorts of fun like unfurling the traditional opening day tifo…
wearing special jerseys which were auctioned off to raise money for Detroit Police Athletic League…
and taking down the only undefeated team with a single shot.
On the road, we took over the bars of our hosts…
we scored…
we shouted…
and then we smoked them out (so much so the fire department was called!)
Making the playoffs took us to Madison, Wisconsin, where fear of a potential mob of Detroiters filling their stadium inspired the powers-that-be to schedule our semi-final match against AFC Cleveland at 3:00 on a Friday afternoon. Still, there were as many of us as there were neutrals and Cleveland fans in the stands.
The growth of Detroit City FC since 2012 has been phenomenal. Outside the realm of the Northern Guard Supporters, this was inconceivable. And by season’s end, changes were on the horizon. A proposal was submitted by the team to renovate Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck; a venue which holds 6,000.
And, our captain of four years – Josh Rogers – would retire at season’s end.
This season marks the end of the prologue in the story of Detroit City FC, with many more chapters to be written.
CITY TIL WE DIE!
April 18, 2015: Saginaw Valley State University (friendly).
April 25, 2015: Michigan State University (friendly).
May 9, 2015: Muskegon Risers (friendly).
May 13, 2015: at Michigan Bucks (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup).
May 15, 2015: AFC Cleveland.
May 29, 2015: Minnesota Twinstars.
May 31, 2015: at Lansing United.
June 6, 2015: Madison 56ers.
June 17, 2015: Columbus Crew College Program (friendly).
June 20, 2015: at Cincinnati Saints.
June 28, 2015: Lansing United.
July 11, 2015: Michigan Stars
July 17, 2015: Erie Commodores FC.
July 19, 2015: at Michigan Stars.
July 22, 2015: Windsor Stars (friendly).
July 25, 2015: AFC Cleveland in Madison, WI, NPSL Midwest Regional Playoffs Semi-Finals
September 19, 2015: Ann Arbor FC (friendly).
February 5, 2016
May 9, 2015 – Muskegon Risers (friendly)
May 9, 2015
Friendly
Cass Tech High School
Detroit City FC 3, Muskegon Risers 1
DCFC Javier Ramirez (Tommy Catalano) 2o’
DCFC Javier Ramirez (Alex Isaevski) 35′
MUSK Jeff McClure (Diego Bobadillo) 58′
DCFC Will Mellors-Blair 87′
Attendance: 2,487
The final pre-season friendly before the much-anticipated grudge match against the Michigan Bucks in the US Open Cup, Le Rouge faced the Muskegon Risers. While on the family-friendly side of the pitch, I spoke with a couple who were up from Muskegon to watch the match. They told me that the team was not in any league, but only played friendlies to help boost the local economy.
A good showing for the boys in rouge, as they handled Muskegon with ease. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for my camera. Once again, rain fell upon the pitch, and as I took the photo during the national anthem, the camera shut itself down for the rest of the night.
February 4, 2016
April 25, 2015: Michigan State University (friendly)
April 25, 2015
Friendly
Detroit City FC 0, Michigan State Spartans 1
Hurley Field, Berkley, MI
Attendance: 1,108
Another pre-season friendly to warm up the team, the supporters, and the photographers.
January 28, 2016
April 18, 2015: Saginaw Valley State University (friendly)
April 18, 2015
Detroit City FC 3, Saginaw Valley State University 3
Friendly at Hurley Field, Berkley, MI
A new season. This was the first of three friendlies played prior to the much anticipated U.S. Open Cup match against the Michigan Bucks.
I didn’t jot down the goal scorers, as I focused on getting back into the pace of shooting the game, and chatted with fellow NGS members after the 188 days since last we saw each other at Cass. There were 1,012 fans in attendance, and four of the Saginaw Valley State University players in this match, found themselves wearing the Rouge and Gold during the 2015 season (Alexander Bouillennec, Troy Watson, Alex Isaevski, and Tyler Channell).
January 25, 2016
Book Review: Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
In July, 2014, I visited New York City for the first time. One day we spent book store shopping, during which we discovered Three Lives and Company in Greenwich Village. The small, well-stocked book store had a table upon which back issues of literary magazines were for sale for a couple bucks a piece. I picked up a copy of the Fall, 2012 edition of The Paris Review. This was my first exposure to the legendary literary journal founded in 1953 by a group of American writers including George Plimpton, Peter Matthiessen, Harold L. Humes, Thomas Guinzburg, and Donald Hall.
One of the stories within the 202’nd edition was Disgust by Ottessa Moshfegh. It opened with a 134-word paragraph which was a single sentence. I thought that was rather unconventional. No speakers or instructors at the writers conferences and workshops I’ve attended ever suggested that starting a short story with a 134-word sentence was a sure-fire way to get published. I suppose you can get away with being unconventional if your writing is strong, which Ms. Moshfegh’s certainly is. The protagonist in Disgust is the quirky, socially awkward Mr. Wu who has a crush on the woman who worked at the video game arcade, and his introverted schemes to make contact with her.
Upon returning home, I picked up the newest issue of The Paris Review, which was the 210’th edition – Fall, 2014. I’ve been hooked ever since.
The Winter, 2014, 211’th edition included another story by Ottessa Moshfegh. Slumming featured another quirky character, a high school English teacher who owned a summer home in Alna, a small town away from the city. She tells of her interaction with the residents, like Clark who she paid to maintain and watch the house during the school year, the zombies (vagrant townsfolk) who sold meth and heroin at the bus station, and the very pregnant girl who Clark paid to clean the narrator’s house. Again, the unusual characters drew me into the story.
In the September, 2015 Indie Next List flyer, Moshfegh’s debut novel, Eileen was promoted. I purchased it at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, but I didn’t get a chance to read it until recently. In the interim, The Paris Review‘s 214’th, Fall, 2015 edition contained Moshfegh’s short story, Dancing in the Moonlight. The narrator, Nick, a Yale grad, falls for a woman selling her refurbished furniture in a pop-up market on the Lower East Side of New York, named Britt Wendt. “That’s not a name, that’s the beginning of a sentence,” his oldest friend, Mark Lasky said when he told him. Again, it was a well-crafted story involving unusual and engaging characters.
So here we are. My name was Eileen Dunlop. Now you know me. I was twenty-four years old and had a job that paid fifty-seven dollars a week as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teenage boys. I think of it now as what it really was for all intents and purposes – a prison for children. I will call it Moorehead. Delvin Moorehead was a terrible landlord I had years later, and so to use his name for such a place feels appropriate.
In a week, I would run away from home and never go back. This is the story of how I disappeared.
Eileen is a novel-length exploration inside the head of yet another unusual character, in a reflection of the event fifty years prior, in 1964, that caused her to run away from home. As a result of her disappearance, Moshfegh’s narrator changed her identity , and masks the details of the New England town in which she was born, raised, and fled from.
Darkly funny and sad, Eileen lives with her father – a retired police officer – whose reputation keeps him from finding himself in jail from his drunken antics when he wanders from home. Her mother had recently died, and her older sister, Joanie, lived with another man a few towns over, leaving Eileen to care for her unappreciative, intoxicated father.
Eileen was a social outcast, and the inner workings of her mind are creepily realistic. The reader is placed in a position of feeling both uncomfortable and pity for the girl. She thinks about leaving, about how her father, her sister, her co-workers, might feel if she were suddenly gone, but nothing moves her. Until the correctional facility hired a new counselor – Rebecca St. John.
Rebecca is an educated, classier woman who is new to town and becomes friendly with Eileen. This sparks a glimmer of hope for the narrator, a companion and friend. Rebecca becomes the catalyst for Eileen’s disappearance.
Throughout the novel, the reader knows that something is going to happen to cause Eileen to leave town. The ‘why’ she leaves, well, I did not see coming.
Like her three previously published short stories, Ottessa Moshfegh pulled me into the company of an unusual character, the kind of character I prefer to read about, and weaved a satisfying story within a gloomy environment in Eileen.
On Goodreads, I rated this novel a 4 out of 5. I really liked it.
