For a team with only one league win since April, it doesn’t matter how they win as long as they get three points. Detroit City lived up to that last weekend. It took a red card and a fortuitous own goal from Indy XI to get the job done, but nobody is complaining. Another defeat would have been disastrous.
Considering DCFC played the last hour of the game win an extra man, the 1-0 score will have disappointed people looking for a greater margin of victory. Le Rouge had already been in control of the game before Bruno Manuel Rendon was sent off for knocking Devon Amoo-Mensah down with a stiff arm at the half hour mark.
Newcomer Kobe Hernandez-Foster has had two influential games for DCFC since being acquired from Las Vegas. He forced Hunter Sulte into a superb save from a free kick while the teams were still at even strength and set the pace in midfield for much of the game. Ates Diouf forced another save before Rendon received his marching orders. However, chances dried up after that. Indy XI packed their defense and looked for the odd break to get out of their half of the field. Carlos Saldana had little to do in the DCFC goal, picking up another shutout.
Diouf inspired the goal. He seized the opportunity to take his man on and charged in on the left wing. He genuinely looked for a teammate with his cross, but could only bank it off James Musa in the 57th minute. That was it for offense. Even eleven against ten, DCFC didn’t really threaten much. They had a few corners, but couldn’t find the right ball.
Le Rouge is in the midst of four straight games against Eastern Conference opponents. It’s a stretch that could define the season. They opened the run with a poor 1-0 defeat against Rhode Island. Losing was bad enough, but former DCFC star Maxi Rodriguez scored the winning goal on a disputed penalty kick. Rodriguez didn’t celebrate, but that won’t erase any hard feelings or the pain of the loss. Coming back with an ugly win over Indy XI didn’t take the sting out of that defeat, but at least the club rebounded.
Friday night DCFC will once again be on national television. CBS Sports Network will carry Le Rouge’s away game against North Carolina FC. The hosts hold the third spot in the Eastern Conference with 29 points. Detroit City is just five points behind them. There is a tight race among nine teams for playoff spots three through eight in the Eastern Conference and it would be difficult to predict which team will finish where. The hottest team during the final portion of the season will get the third spot. Louisville City and Charleston have the top two seeds locked up and will battle for the number one position the rest of the summer. DCFC will close out this crucial four game run against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on August 23 at Keyworth. It will be the first home game since the club revealed its new stadium plan and name.
