DETROIT – When the leaves start falling, we’re reaching peak football season.
That’s the case at Ford Field, but also on the pitch for Detroit City Football Club as they enter playoff mode this week.
“It’s a great time to be playing your best soccer, and momentum is with our group at the moment,” DCFC head coach Danny Dichio told Local 4. “There’s not many teams that are going to fancy coming to Detroit.”
DCFC is wrapping up its best season in the USL. The team reached 15 wins and 56 points in 2024, its most since joining the league in 2022.
Those numbers helped them earn their first home postseason game on Saturday (Nov. 2) night at 7 p.m. at Keyworth Stadium.
“We’re not worried about a week from now or two weeks from now; we’re just worried about Saturday,” DCFC midfielder Maxi Rodriguez said. “We’re trying to win that one, and it’s just one game at a time.”
DCFC started the USL season 5-0, but that run of success ran dry midway through the year due to injuries
Since late August, Le Rouge has let it rip. Detroit City FC is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak entering the playoffs.
“We weren’t really thinking about going on a streak or anything like that,” DCFC defender Stephen Carroll said. “We’re just trying to keep our best form going into the playoffs.”
All of this success happened under the leadership of first-year head coach Danny Dichio.
“We’ve squeezed a lot more out of players that maybe didn’t think they were as good as they were,” Dichio said. “They’ve shown this year that they can play against the top, top teams.”
“He’s been great for us,” Carroll said of his head coach. “It’s been a different look this year for us, but we’ve taken it in stride, and we’ve enjoyed it ever since.”
This DCFC team is confident and staying calm ahead of what is one of the biggest matches yet at Keyworth Stadium. One sure to bring the energy on Saturday.
“To do it in front of (our crowd) and make history as a club, it’s the first time we have homefield advantage in playoffs, it’s going to be a joy,” Rodriguez said.