Detroit City FC (DCFC) is an American professional soccer club based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, that competes in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. The club played in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

from 2012 to 2019 and the

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

in 2020 and 2021. Detroit City plays its home matches at

Keyworth Stadium Keyworth Stadium is a 7,933 seat multi-purpose stadium located in Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. It was opened by former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt on October 15, 1936, during his second campaign for president. Keyworth ...

Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...

, an enclave of Detroit. The club is managed by

Trevor James Trevor James was the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, New Zealand, from March 17, 2009 until June 3, 2018. James was educated at King's College London. He has taught at universities in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand. He was Dean of ...

, a former Ipswich Town F.C. player who later was an assistant coach and scout under

Bobby Robson Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich ...

. The team's nickname is ''Le Rouge'', derived from Detroit's French roots and the River Rouge that flows through Detroit and many of its suburbs. As well as fielding a men's professional team, Detroit City also fields a women's senior side in the

USL W League The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It was announced on June 8, 2021 by the United Soccer League with eight founding clubs. It follows the USL W-League, a sim ...

, a development academy, and various youth teams throughout

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the a ...

History

Detroit City FC was started by a group of five Detroit residents who wanted a club of their own that would promote the city and help build community through soccer. In their first season in the

(NPSL), Detroit City FC finished second in the five team Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region. Le Rouge went on to lose 2–1 to AFC Cleveland in the Great Lakes Conference Semi-finals, ending their season with a 5–2–5 record. In December 2012, it was announced that head coach Kylie Stannard and associate coach

Cale Wassermann Cale Wassermann (born October 24, 1983) is the head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team. Youth ''Sources:'' As a high school student in his native Southfield, Michigan, Wasserman was twice named to the Michigan All-State ...

would not be returning for a second season with the team due to other obligations. The following month, Ben Pirmann took over as head coach and Adil Salmoni was hired as associate head coach. In 2013, Detroit City finished first in the Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region and was ranked #1 in the NPSL following an undefeated regular season and a Rust Belt Derby Championship. After beating rival AFC Cleveland for the third time that season in the semi-finals 3–1, DCFC lost to the Erie Admirals, ending the season with a 12–1–1 record. Keyworth renovations 3

The club went 8–3–3 in all competitions in 2014 and finished in second place in a newly aligned Great Lakes West Conference of the Midwest Region of the

, which is one of two fourth-division soccer leagues in the United States. Detroit City FC made its

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

debut on May 7, losing to RWB Adria in penalty kicks after a 2–2 draw. In the NPSL regular season, the club claimed the Rust Belt Derby trophy for its second-straight year. Additionally, the team extended its home winning streak to 15 games, with its last home loss being in July 2013. In attendance, the club reached its Cass Tech record of 3,884 supporters for its 3–1 win against the Michigan Stars on July 11, 2015. The 2016 pre-season began with the Keyworth investment drive, which raised $741,250 for restorations and renovations on Keyworth Stadium. On March 10, Detroit City began roster announcements confirming the return of the 2015 Black Arrow MVP Dave Edwardson. Detroit City played its first home game in Keyworth on May 20, 2016, drawing 1–1 against

AFC Ann Arbor AFC Ann Arbor is an American soccer club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that currently plays in USL League Two. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2016 to 2019. History AFC Ann Arbor was started by a group of Ann Arbor ...

in front of a then-record 7,410 supporters. Detroit City also saw success in the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

beating the Michigan Bucks on penalties before falling to

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

, a professional USL side, also on penalties. The 2016 NPSL season proved less successful, failing to make it to the play-offs and finishing with a 4–4–4 record. In August 2016, Detroit City confirmed Ben Pirmann would return for a fifth season with the club. After the launch of the 2017 season tickets, the club announced from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

that the club would face off against Glentoran F.C. in May to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Detroit Cougars. Glentoran FC played in the

United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association was a professional soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American S ...

as the Detroit Cougars in the 1967 season when they went 3–6–3. Detroit City also had an international friendly against

Venezia FC Venezia Football Club, commonly referred to as Venezia, is a professional football club based in Venice, Italy, that currently plays in Serie B. Originally founded as Venezia Foot Ball Club in 1907, the club have spent a large part of their hi ...

that they won 2–0. Despite starting the 2017 NPSL campaign with two points from three games, Detroit City went on a nine-game winning streak to finish second over-all in the Great Lakes Conference. The post-season included three wins, including a 3–2 win over first place Ann Arbor to win the Midwest Championship. Detroit ended its season in the NPSL national semi-finals with a loss on penalties against Midland-Odessa FC, from Texas, in front of a record crowd of 7,533. Early in 2018, original founder Ben Steffans left the ownership group and was replaced by Mike Lasinski and Joe Richert, who was not outwardly announced or involved with running the club. Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, the club opened the Detroit City Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan. The Fieldhouse included a "clubhouse" bar as well as two indoor soccer fields for fans and the local residents of Detroit. It also houses the club's front office and training facilities. It was also announced that head coach, Ben Pirmann, was stepping down to join

Memphis 901 FC Memphis 901 FC is an American professional soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. Stadium The club currently plays on the grounds of AutoZone Park, a baseball stadiu ...

as an assistant coach. His successor,

, was announced January 4, 2019. Detroit City finished first in the Midwest-Great Lakes conference for the 2019 season and was knocked out in the region finals by

Cleveland SC Cleveland SC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio region. Cleveland competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as part of the Midwest Region's Rust Belt Conference. The club was established ...

on penalties. On August 15, 2019, the

announced that Detroit City FC would join the NISA for the 2020 season. On September 28, 2019, Detroit City FC announced that they would be adding a women's side in 2020, participating in

United Women's Soccer United Women's Soccer (UWS, also commonly abbreviated UWS) is a second-division pro-am women's soccer league in the United States. The league was founded in 2015 as a response to the dual problems of disorganization in the WPSL and of the fold ...

(UWS). In the inaugural

NPSL Members Cup The 2019 National Premier Soccer League season is part of the 107th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 17th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, formerly "Miami FC 2," are the defending champi ...

, Detroit City came in first with an overall record of 8–1–1. The 2020 seasons were complicated by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The NISA 2019–20 Spring season was canceled after Detroit City had only played a single match and the 2020 UWS season was canceled in the months before kickoff. On June 19, 2020, Detroit City announced that they would host a UWS Stadium Showcase at the end of July. In the showcase, the Detroit City women would compete against Lansing United, Midwest United, and Livonia FC. Detroit won their first-ever home match 2–1 against Lansing, but lost to Midwest United 1–3 in the final. NISA announced on July 1, 2020, of an Independent Cup involving 15 teams in 4 regions. Detroit City FC would compete in the Great Lakes Division with former NPSL rivals

FC Buffalo FC Buffalo is an American soccer club based in Buffalo, New York, United States, with teams in men's and women's soccer. Founded in 2009, the men's team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the four ...

and

. On July 30, 2020, the front office announced the sale of non-share "units" to fans and the public at large, allowing fan investment in the club, while the newly created Board of Managers would remain in control of decisions through Class A Membership. Originally announced to run through November 20, more than 2,000 supporters pledged over $1,000,000 in five days, putting the club at the limit for investment. On November 13, 2021, it was announced that Detroit City would join the

for the 2022 season, becoming the third NISA team to join the league after

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

and

Oakland Roots SC Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

Club culture

In the community

Since its beginning in 2012, Detroit City FC has been dedicated to supporting the city of Detroit and building community through its own partnerships and philanthropic missions, as noted in the club's motto, "Passion for our city. Passion for the game." The club operates the Detroit City Futbol League, a recreational, community-driven adult soccer league in the summer. In 2014, the team announced its first fall recreational adult league, Soktoberfest. Detroit City FC also works with Think Detroit PAL to operate free youth soccer clinics and provide free admission to Detroit PAL participants. Detroit City FC supporters stands

Each season, one regular-season home game is dedicated as a fundraiser for a Detroit-area charity. On May 26, 2013, the club's match against Zanesville Athletic benefited the

Wounded Warrior Project Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is an American charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001. It operates as a nonprofit ...

and Hooligans for Heroes, a nonprofit started by members of the Northern Guard Supporters. On June 6, 2014, the club became the first American sports team to wear a uniform in support of LGBTQ inclusion in a regulation match. Le Rouge dedicated the June 6 match versus Erie Admirals S.C. to inclusivity in sports, auctioning off the commemorative jerseys to benefit the

Ruth Ellis Center The Ruth Ellis Center is a Detroit area social services agency that serves the needs of runaway, homeless and at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Among their services are a drop-in center, Street Outreach Program, fo ...

, a Highland Park, MI., shelter for at-risk, runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth. For the 2015 season, City donned their alternate kits to support Think Detroit PAL, auctioning the game-worn kits to support youth league soccer in the city. On June 9, 2016, it was announced that the June 25 game against Dayton Dynamo would be their annual charity match, supporting Freedom House Detroit, a non-profit supporting refugees seeking asylum in the United States and Canada. In 2014, the club announced its partnership with United Way of Southeastern Michigan to support its "Michigan No Kid Hungry" initiative and promote healthy lifestyles for youth in Detroit. On September 7, 2014, City hosted its inaugural Detroit Public Schools Showcase, which featured a friendly match for City followed by a regulation match between Cass Tech High School and Detroit Renaissance High School, with proceeds from the night going toward the boys soccer programs. The club has strong ties with Cass Tech High School, investing thousands of dollars into improving the Cass Tech field, a benefit to both the soccer and football programs. City also presented the Cass Tech girls soccer program with new uniforms early in the 2014 season.

Supporters

Detroit City has several supporter groups, with the largest and most notable being the Northern Guard Supporters. The supporter culture among all groups is very politically

left-leaning Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

. Banners and flags supporting various traditionally left-wing causes/issues can be seen throughout the stadium. Supporters support various social causes in the community such as LGBTQ+ issues, access to water resources, as well as other causes.

Rivalries

Prior to the break-up of the NPSL Midwest-Great Lakes conference, supporters of Detroit City FC,

, and AFC Cleveland formed the '

Rust Belt Derby The Rust Belt Derby was a soccer derby played between Detroit City FC, FC Buffalo, and AFC Cleveland in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of American soccer. The derby was named for the Rust Belt region of the United States. T ...

'. The winner of the Derby was based on the head-to-head record of the clubs during regular season NPSL matches. These were typically high pressure games and particular fan favorites, especially by Detroit City FC supporter groups who have been known to greatly antagonize DCFC's opponents. Cleveland won the inaugural Rust Belt Derby on June 23, 2012, following a 1–1 draw with Detroit. Detroit City FC would come back and win the 2013 Rust Belt Derby trophy after beating FC Buffalo 2–1. The 2014 trophy went to Detroit on goal differential after all three teams finished with a win and a loss in Derby play, and Detroit would win again in 2015 after a 1–1 draw in the FC Buffalo-AFC Cleveland Derby match that Buffalo needed to win by more than a goal to take the trophy. The last Derby was in 2016 after the Great Lakes conference was split into East and West. FC Buffalo and Detroit City FC contested the derby without AFC Cleveland through home and away friendlies.

was another rival of Detroit City prior to the two clubs leaving the NPSL and joining the

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

and NISA respectively. The history and proximity of the two cities cause their clashes to be important to supporters. In 2017, Ann Arbor won the Midwest Conference Regular Season title over City, who finished in second. Both teams qualified for the NPSL playoffs. The two teams faced each other again in the playoffs, with the Midwest Region title on the line. City defeated 10-man Ann Arbor 3–2 to ensure their passage into the NPSL Semifinals. A cross-league rivalry has developed with the

Flint City Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, pla ...

(formerly the Michigan Bucks), the other major 4th Division team in Metro-Detroit. The two faced off in the Opening Round of the U.S. Open Cup in 2015,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, with the Bucks winning the first meeting 3–0 and City taking the second two meetings in penalties (0–0, 4–3 PK) in 2016 and (1–1, 5–4 PK) in 2018. The two sides met for a friendly on May 4, 2019. Flint City won the match 1–0. In addition, Detroit City supporters have demonstrated a proud and passionate antipathy for the U.S. professional soccer system, particularly Major League Soccer, who has long targeted Detroit for expansion. City have generally played well against MLS opposition, including a 2−0 victory over

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

in the

2022 U.S. Open Cup The 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. After the 2020 and 2021 competitions were suspended and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United St ...

. With the announcement of a women's team joining the

in 2020, Detroit City would be rejoining previous rivals AFC Ann Arbor and Lansing United.

Team image

Kit

Detroit City FC home kits are predominantly a dark shade of red or maroon, referred to as "rouge" as a reference to the club's nickname. Away kits are most often white, though

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

kits have also been worn, most recently in 2021. In 2019 Detroit issued its first set of third kits, which were black. Starting in 2013 and each season afterwards, the club releases an extra kit design as a "charity kit". These kits are then auctioned off at the end of a specified match to raise funds for a local Detroit charity. In 2020 there was no charity kit given the much shorter schedule due to the

Sponsorship

Players and staff

Current roster

Head coaches

* Men's:

* Women's: David Dwaihy

Board of Managers

* Sean Mann – CEO * Todd Kropp – COO * Alex Wright * David Dwaihy * Mike Lasinski

MVP recipients

At the conclusion of each season fans get to vote for the team's most valuable players, the Black Arrow Award. The title of the trophy is taken from the nickname of

Gil Heron Gilbert Saint Elmo Heron (9 April 1922 – 27 November 2008) was a Jamaican professional footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic and was the father of poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. Career Born Gilbert Her ...

, a Jamaican born footballer who lived in Detroit and who later became the first-ever black player for

Celtic F.C. The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

Black Arrow Award (Men's)

*2012: Keith Lough and Josh Rogers *2013: Zach Myers *2014: Cyrus Saydee *2015: David Edwardson *2016: Tommy Catalano *2017: Tyrone Mondi *2018: Stephen Carroll *2019: Shawn Lawson *2020: Tendai Jirira *2021: Connor Rutz *2022: Nate Steinwascher

Black Arrow Award (Women's)

*2020: Sydney Blomquist *2021: Madison Duncan *2022: Shannon McCarthy

Honors

Domestic

*Season Championship **Champions (2): 2020–21,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

*Fall Championship **Champions (1):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

*Legends Cup **Champions (1):

*NISA Indepenent Cup **Great Lakes Region ***Champions (2):

*Midwest Region **Champions (1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

*Great Lakes Conferences **Champions (2): 2013, 2019 *Members Cup **Champions (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Rivalries *

**Champions (6): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021

Statistics

Year-by-year

Tournaments

Yearly attendance

Source

Record attendances

* Cass Technical High School Stadium: 3,884 (July 11, 2015, vs. Michigan Stars) * Keyworth Stadium: 7,887 (July 31, 2018, vs. Frosinone Calcio)

International exhibition

Starting in 2016, after the move to Keyworth, Detroit City began a yearly tradition to invite at least one international club for a friendly per year. This excludes

Windsor TFC Windsor TFC is a Canadian association football, soccer team based in Windsor, Ontario, that was founded in 2004. They have competed in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (1998-2005), Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) and Canadian So ...

, which is based just miles away in neighboring

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

and has been played yearly since the club's first season. These invitations are often extended to a club that has a similar ethos to Detroit City, or holds historical significance to the city of Detroit. The 2018 match against

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

side Frosinone Calcio set a new club attendance record of 7,887. In 2019, after announcing that the club was to play

Lobos BUAP Club de Fútbol Lobos de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla were a Mexican football club based in Puebla, Mexico. The club represented the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. The club's history goes back to the early 193 ...

of Mexico, Lobos faced financial trouble and was replaced both in the Liga MX and the friendly with

FC Juárez Fútbol Club Juárez, commonly referred to as ''Bravos de Juárez'', or simply as ''Juárez'', is a Mexican football club based in the city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua that currently competes in Liga MX. History Futbol Club Juárez was f ...

References

External links

* {{Michigan Sports C Soccer clubs in Michigan 2012 establishments in Michigan Association football clubs established in 2012 Hamtramck, Michigan USL Championship teams