Michael Kitchen's Blog, page 4

October 8, 2019: Michigan Stars FC (NPSL Members Cup)

October 8, 2019

NPSL Members Cup

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 2, Michigan Stars 0

Attendance:  3,307

DCFC Ryan Peterson (PK) 65′

DCFC Richard Bryan (Ryan Peterson) 85′

Record: 6-1-0 = 19 points, 2nd Place

Really?  The Michigan Stars in the NPSL Members Cup?  I thought we were done with this pretender back in June.

This was a new adjustment.  Playing in October, on a school night.  The mid-week match brought an attendance that was stadium-filling, back at Cass Tech.

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On the plus side, the limited edition print was a cool one.  It’s the one hanging on the left, celebrating our radical edge.

 

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Unfortunately, due to the low turnout, we didn’t have a pre-march speech.

 

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A dominating first half, Detroit City FC did just about everything but score.

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In the 65th minute, one of the Stars’ defenders played the ball with his hand inside the box, giving City a penalty kick.  Up to the spot stepped Ryan Peterson.

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Then, with five minutes remaining in the match, Richard Bryan cemented the victory with this left-footed shot.

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With this victory, and third shutout in a row, City’s record raised to six wins and a draw.  The New York Cosmos held first place wit a six-win, two-draw record.  In four days, City and Cosmos would meet head-to-head in New York, after which City would have two remaining matches and New York with one.  The winner of Saturday’s match would almost certainly be crowned the NPSL Members Cup tournament champion at the conclusion of the competition.

 

October 5, 2019: at Chattanooga FC (NPSL Members Cup)

October 5, 2019

NPSL Members Cup match

Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga FC 0, Detroit City FC 1

Attendance:  3,307

DCFC Jalen Crisler (James Vaughan)

Record:  5-1-0 16 points, 2nd Place

Y’know, this Chattanooga road trip, though a long Friday ride (10 hours, 46 minutes from home to the hotel, one-way), is becoming my favorite.  On this trip, I discovered a warehouse-like used book store (McKay), Winder Binder (books, records, and Chattanooga FC merch), and a to-die-for creole crab benny (deviled crab cakes and fried eggs over grilled cornbread topped with creole hollandaise) brunch at Beast and Barrel.  I also stretched the legs at the Chattanooga Zoo.  A smaller zoo than most, it had some cool exhibits.  My favorite the Himalayan Pavilion that included two snow leopards and a bonded pair of white-cheeked gibbons (the female, Mason, below).

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So chill in the Tennessee sun.

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It’s not often I need sunscreen in Detroit in October, but on this Saturday I used up the rest of my supply.

Prior to the match, we met up with our Chattahooligan friends, and mingled prior to our short, ninety-minute period of taunting.

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The match was huge.  This is Chattanooga’s ninth match of the ten in the Members Cup, and would need to win this and their last for any hope of winning the cup.  City, on the other hand, still had five games, including this one, and were breathing down the necks of the New York Cosmos for the top spot.

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It was a scoreless first half.  Neither team gave an inch because neither team wanted to give up any points.

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In the 77th minute, City earned a corner kick.  James Vaughn set it up, and, well, let the video reveal the rest.

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City took home the three-points.  However, the Cosmos defeated Milwaukee by a 2-1 score, still holding a four-point lead in first place.  These three points, and two games in hand, City’s match next Saturday in New York would be huge in deciding the NPSL Members Cup championship.

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September 28, 2019: Napa Valley 1839 FC (NPSL Members Cup)

September 28, 2019

NPSL Members Cup

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 3, Napa Valley 1839 FC 0

Attendance:  5,414

DCFC Ryan Peterson (Cyrus Saydee) 13′

DCFC Yazeed Matthews (PK) 28′

DCFC Shawn Lawson (Danny Deakin) 67′

Record:  4-1-0 = 13 points, 2nd place

Late September, and it’s getting chilly.  But with Napa Valley 1839 FC in town, there would be plenty of smoke to warm us.

Napa Valley 1839 FC was formed by four guys in 2016 as an NPSL team (sound familiar?).  During the classic NPSL season, they earned a record of three wins, six losses, and two draws, finishing 6th in the 8-team Golden Gate Conference.  They stepped in to participate in the Members Cup after all the other California teams disappeared, and are the only West Coast team in this competition.  And it hasn’t been easy.  They come in with a win and six losses in seven matches, including our 4-0 victory in their wine country.

 

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A functioning new lens finally arrived, and this was the first night to test it.  I scored a few more shots with it as I gave it a good work-out on its opening night.

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Ryan Peterson got us off to a quick start again, scoring in the 13th minute.

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Then, Yazeed Matthews doubled the lead with a penalty kick conversion after being taken down in the box at the 28-minute mark.

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At half time, one of Detroit City FC’s biggest announcements was made.  In 2020, Detroit City FC would have a women’s team!

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Shawn Lawson concluded the scoring in the 67th minute.

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You know, when your opponent is a team that had its roots similar to your own, and they appreciate the atmosphere you create, you can’t help but like them.  In snapping these photos of the Napa Valley 1839 FC players appreciating the Northern Guard Supporters, I heard a few calls over my shoulder, encouraging them to join NISA, too.

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About a month later, Napa Valley released a limited-edition kit which took a stand against gun violence, the proceeds of which went to Alaina’s Voice Foundation.

 

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September 21, 2019: New York Cosmos (NPSL Members Cup)

September 21, 2019

NPLS Members Cup

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 1, New York Cosmos 1

Attendance: 6,297

DCFC Stephen Carroll (Danny Deakin) 47′

Cosmos Darwin Espinal 56′

Red Card – Cosmos Issac Acuna 71′

Record 3-1-0 10 points, 3rd Place

The New York Cosmos.  Once, a legendary North American Soccer League titan, with the game’s greatest player, Pele, on its roster.

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Unfortunately, I did not get to see (live) the team play against the Detroit Express.  However, there was an epic friendly held between the Cosmos and Express at the Silverdome, where Trevor Francis scored not one, but two hat tricks (6 goals) against the mighty Cosmos.  The final goal in the 8-2 win was Francis’ favorite.

It was something I’d always wanted to do…I ran with the ball from the centre circle, passed a couple of players, and as I came to the 18-yard box, a Cosmos player shouted shoot!  It was (Franz) Beckenbauer…and I remember the look of astonishment on his face as I let one go with the right foot and it hit the roof of the net.  (Trevor Francis: anatomy of a £1 million player by Rob Hughes with Trevor Francis, World’s Work Ltd, 1980)

However, that was an era ago, and now the Cosmos struggle to find a league for its brand.  Having played two more games than us, they held the top spot with 13 points to our 9, making tonight’s match huge.

 

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Cosmos supporters brought smoke, too.

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After rain and lightning delayed the opening of the match, the teams came out and played a quality game.  The Cosmos were dominant, but the fantastic goaltending of Nate Steinwascher kept us in it.

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Scoreless at the half, it took just two minutes for Stephen Carroll to give City the lead.

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Nine minutes later, Darwin Espinal equalized.  And though City created some opportunities toward the end, the teams each walked away with a goal and a point.

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September 14, 2019: at Milwaukee Torrent (NPSL Members Cup)

September 14, 2019

NPSL Members Cup

Hart Park, Wauwautosa, WI

Milwaukee Torrent 0, Detroit City FC 1

Attendance: Light

DCFC Own Goal (Steffan Boehm) 53′

Red Card: Milwaukee Sebastian Ciccheri 73′

Record: 3-0, 2nd Place.

Indulge me a moment:  On the way to Milwaukee, I had to stop in Chicago to visit the American Writers Museum.  There was an exhibit of typewriters, specifically typewriters used by American writers.

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My personal favorite was Orson Wells’ 1926 Underwood 4-Bank.  Portable and earthy with its faux wood grain finish.

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If you’d like to see more of the exhibit and the museum, I wrote about it in the Typewritten Pages section of my website.

I went to the Milwaukee Zoo on Saturday morning, to stretch my legs for the match.

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Milwaukee Torrent visits have been fun in the past.  Our first was a chartered bus trip, which was a hoot, and the second was a Friday night game, making it more difficult for Supporters to spend the day traveling.  However, I took the time off to take the long route around last year – driving north and through the Upper Peninsula for an overnight stay, then south to Milwaukee, completing the circle by returning home the conventional way through Chicago and eastbound I-94.

With the sun setting earlier, the night-time shots are getting harder.  On this night I was to have in my hand a new lens that would (hopefully) make matters better, however after an adventure with UPS delaying its arrival, the lens that was shipped did not work and needed to be shipped back.

At the stadium, the atmosphere was subdued.  The home side was sparsely populated, and not many Rouge Rovers made the trip.  We’re now playing in months we hadn’t had to before, and in some cases in distances requiring flights, not long drives.  That does give me a thought.  Last year, I had never driven through the UP in Michigan until the Milwaukee game.  I’ve never driven cross country either.  Maybe blocking out a couple weeks to do so might be worth considering.

It’s not that I don’t like flying.  I love flying.  I hate airports.

Sorry.  I’ve digressed.  On to images.

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Kudos to The Flood and for their support of the Iron Front and inclusive community.

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Milwaukee has been a tough opponent during the NPSL years, despite our 3-win, 1-draw record against them.  Tonight, they were a challenge once again.  In this sequence, it was luck on their side as we found the goal post, then scored only to be called back on an offside.

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Finally, the only goal of the match was scored in the 53rd minute, thanks to this Milwaukee’s Steffen Boehm tipping in Yazeed Matthews’ shot.

A bit of bad behavior on the part of Milwaukee’s Sebastian Ciaccheri earned him a red card in the 73rd minute.

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After the match, we learned via a tweet from Cyrus Saydee that he was subjected to racist vitriol throughout the match by Milwaukee’s Francisco Filippi.  Two days later, Milwaukee released Filippi.

 

 

September 7, 2019: Atlas FC (International Friendly)

September 7, 2019

International Friendly

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 2, Atlas FC 1

Attendance:  7,478

DCFC  Ryan Peterson 3′

Atlas  Facundo Barcelo 18′

DCFC  Yazeed Matthews (Ryan Peterson) 58′

 

Atlas Futbol Club was founded in 1916.  The team’s home base is Estadia Jalisco, a 56,713-seat stadium in Guadalajara.  And they visit us this evening as the third Liga MX team to play Detroit City FC in two seasons.

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City didn’t wait for the opening smoke to dissipate to grab a lead when Ryan Peterson scored in the 3rd minute.

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Atlas FC equalized a quarter-of-an-hour later on a goal by Facundo Barcelo.  The teams went into halftime in a 1-1 deadlock.

The pace of the game was good, and the back-and-forth play created intensity.  Then, in the 58th minute, Yazeed Matthews gave City the lead.

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I think he’s asking for a player’s jersey.

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City hung on for the amazing victory.  MLS teams struggle against Liga MX teams.  City’s record is now a win and two losses.  Unfortunately, the Atlas players didn’t come over and share in the international friendly atmosphere.

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August 31, 2019: Philadelphia Fury (Friendly)

August 31, 2019

Friendly

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 1, Philadelphia Fury 0

Attendance:  5,859

DCFC Ryan Peterson (PK) 63′

Prior to this match, on August 24, 2019, City played their second NPSL Members Cup match on the road.  Held at Dodd Stadium in Napa, California, Detroit City FC defeated Napa Valley 1839 FC by a 4-0 score.  Le Rouge needed only nine minutes to generate the four goals.  Yazeed Matthews scored twice (12′, 17′), Danny Deakin added another (15′), and Cyrus Saydee converted a penalty kick (21′).

When I hear “Philadelphia Fury,” I recall the second professional soccer match I ever attended.  On August 8, 1978, the Detroit Express of the North American Soccer League (NASL) played the Philadelphia Fury in the first round of the playoffs.  Going into my junior year of high school, I took the Pentax ME I got for Christmas to the game.  The Express won 1-0 on a Trevor Francis goal (the photo captured in the upper left).

 

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But today’s Philadelphia Fury was joining NISA, along with us.

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The day after our friendly against Indy Eleven, a soccer pundit tweeted photos of a couple of NGS banners – the United Front and the Fuck ICE banners – to try to chill the displays by suggesting they might provoke confrontation which could lead to people getting hurt.  It led to an explosion of chatter which lead to this new banner, and a continuance of the others (and I like the Coney Dog version of the United Front).

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You see, Detroit City FC’s origins are community-based.  This is a club building community through the sport of soccer.  As supporters, we find that fascism, racism, and detaining refugees to be contrary to the building of community.

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It took until the 63rd minute for Ryan Peterson to be fouled in the box, then score on the PK.

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Six minutes later, a PK was awarded to the Fury.  Armando Quezeda made the save.

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This was to be a home-and-home friendly, with City concluding its season with an October 26th game in Philly.  However, on September 18th, the Fury suspended operations, cancelling the match.

 

 

August 17, 2019: Chattanooga FC (NPSL Members Cup)

August 17, 2019

NPSL Members Cup

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 2, Chattanooga FC 1

Attendance:  6,752

DCFC  Marcello Borges (Cyrus Saydee) 23′

DCFC  Danny Deakin (Ryan Peterson) 60′

CFC  Alun Webb 64′

Record:  1-0-0 3 points, 3rd Place.

We open the NPSL Members Cup with a visit from our frenemies from the south – Chattanooga FC.  We’ve played three friendlies against them, enjoying each others’ company over those weekends, minus the 90 minutes of match play.  The Chattahooligans, like the Northern Guard, are great people.

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The beginning of a new competition means a new tifo!

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In the three friendlies, each team has won a game, and there was a draw.  A single goal was the margin of victory in both wins.  This promised to be another close match, and both teams delivered.

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In the 25th minute, Marcello Borges breaks the ice upon receiving a beautiful pass from Cyrus Saydee.

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In the second half, Danny Deakin made this run to score at the 60th minute mark to double the lead.

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Even though they’re our friends, for these 90 minutes they’re the opponent.

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This evening, City recognized bike awareness night.  Ryan Peterson (#3) made us aware of his bicycle skills.

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Chattanooga’s Alun Webb scored four minutes after Danny Deakin, to bring it back to a one-goal game.  City’s outstanding defense prevented the comeback.

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August 13, 2019: Indy Eleven (Friendly)

August 13, 2019

Friendly

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 0, Indy Eleven 1

Attendance: 4,350

IND Eugene Starikov 71′

Behind the scenes, the transition from the classic NPSL season to the NPSL Members Cup was a bit bumpy.  When the season began, it was to be called the NPSL Founders Cup, as the NPSL was going to grow a professional league for the 2020 season.  Eleven teams were slated to be in the tournament, divided into two regions.

East Region:

Chattanooga FC

Detroit City FC

Miami FC

Miami United FC

Milwaukee Torrent

New York Cosmos

West Region:

ASC San Diego

Cal FC

California United Strikers FC

FC Arizona

Oakland Roots SC

On March 2, 2019, California United Strikers FC withdrew from the Founders Cup.  Three months later, they were accepted into the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).

On June 27, 2019, Oakland Roots SC withdrew from the NPSL Founders Cup.

On July 24, 2019, Miami FC joined the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).  This forced the NPSL to rebrand the tournament from the Founders Cup to the NPSL Members Cup, and realign with the removal of some teams and the addition of others.  The tournament became a six-team, home-and-home competition, best record take-all format featuring:

Chattanooga FC

Detroit City FC

Michigan Stars FC

Milwaukee Torrent

Napa Valley 1839 FC

New York Cosmos

Two days after this friendly, Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, and Oakland Roots SC were accepted as members of NISA.

Indy Eleven is a USL Championship team with ties to Coach Trevor James.  James was their assistant coach and scout for two seasons prior to the team’s transition to the USL in 2018.

The USL Championship is the league just below MLS.

 

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The limited edition print for tonight’s game was the bad-ass print hanging on the far right of the three that I purchased during the year.

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The Iron Front symbol – dating back to an anti-Nazi paramilitary organization formed in Germany in the 1930s – represents opposition to fascism and persecution.

Earlier this week, the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders of MLS banned the symbol from flags and banners, claiming that it has become appropriated by some in the loosely structured antifa movement, at times in the context of violence.  Needless to say, the Northern Guard Supporters stand with the Timbers Army and Emerald City Supporters against the ban.

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The match, as a whole, was a good barometer for the team.  Indy Eleven was tough, and City held their own against this USL Championship team.

 

 

August 6, 2019: Windsor TFC (Friendly)

August 6, 2019

Friendly

Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

Detroit City FC 6, Windsor TFC 1

Attendance: 6,083

DCFC Ryan Peterson (Cyrus Saydee) 10′

WTFC Tyrone Mulder 24′

DCFC Dave Edwardson (Rich Bryan) 41′

DCFC Ryan Peterson 44′

DCFC Shawn Lawson 72′

DCFC Shawn Lawson 74′

DCFC Shawn Lawson 85′

The annual friendly against Windsor.  Normally a call to the conclusion of the season, a final gathering before the nine-month break.

Not this year.  Instead of awarding the Black Arrow Award, this match became a tune-up for the NPSL Members Cup competition.  And City lit them up.

However, the Windsor match tends to be firsts for me.  The 2012 match was the first time I went to Harry’s, marched with NGS, and hung out in the Supporters Section.  The 2016 match was the first time I asked and received a media pass to shoot City from field level.  Tonight, my plan was to photograph the first half, then hang out in the Supporters Section and pop my first smoke bomb.

 

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Dave Edwardson’s goal in the 41st minute put City ahead, 2-1, and was the game-winner.

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Three minutes later, Ryan Peterson added a third goal as City ended the half with a 3-1 lead.

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Before I could settle into the Supporters Section, I was informed that a special call-out would be made for Seb Harris and Dave Edwardson, as they were making their final appearances.  I dashed over to the other side of the field.  In the 56th minute, Sebby got his curtain call…

then, at the 72nd minute…

(I’m not crying, you’re crying).

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I did get to pop off that smoke during the 85th minute smoke-storm.

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On Saturday, August 3, 2019, a gunman killed 22 people and injured 24 in an El Paso Walmart.  Then, on Monday, August 5, 2019, another shooting occurred which killed 9 people and injured 17 in Dayton, Ohio.  City supporters had something to say.

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