DETROIT – In just a decade, they’ve gone from small-time start-up to the toast of the town. And after Tuesday (April 19) night’s win over an MLS team, it’s safe to say the Detroit City Football Club has really arrived.
DCFC, as a franchise, we’re already winning, and then during the season, the franchise moved up in competition to the USL Championship, where they continued their winning ways.
“The last 12 hours have just been buzzing ever since the final whistle,” said DCFC Co-Owner Sean Mann. “I lost track of over 100 text messages, WhatsApp messages, emails from people in American soccer and national soccer. So congratulations. It’s been pretty awesome.”
The feedback has been validating for Mann. It’s not that Mann wanted validation, but the victory over the Columbus Crew is an incredible moment for everyone who questioned why Detroit should care about a lower division soccer team.
“So this is our 10th anniversary this year,” Mann said. “So I think we’ve been doing a lot of like reflecting on where we started from at Cass Tech 10 years ago just a group of friends started an amateur team so like, this year was a big leap for us going up to the USL Championship and the second level, the second division of American soccer. So it was already historic here. So for us to have an open cup match against an MLS team and the stadium that, like you know, we’ve rehabbed with our community. That was gonna be big anyways. But then to actually like win that match. Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of a dream scenario, and the exciting thing is just getting going right! There’s bigger things.”
READ: Detroit City Football Club wins first-ever matchup with MLS team
There are bigger things for Le Rouge and for Metro Detroit. You don’t have to look far to find the city’s impact on youth soccer, with more than 2000 kids now playing for DCFC teams.
Maybe in a few years, one of those kids will be scoring the clinching goal in a U.S. Open Cup match.
“We’re creating memories like very, very exciting memories,” Mann said. “Everyone who’s in that stadium last night is going to remember that night for a long time to come, and we got more nights like it ahead.”
DCFC now moves to the round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup. The team will find out who their next opponent is Friday, which could be against another MLS team.
