It all comes down to one last game. Win, and Detroit City will be in the USL Championship playoffs. Lose or draw and Le Rouge will have to rely on other teams for help. Given the streaky nature of the 2025 season, it’s hard to predict how Saturday’s game in Tampa will go. Detroit City started hot, finishing April near the top of the Eastern Conference. Then, the club went through May, June, July, and much of August in a prolonged slump that dropped them from third to sixth. A brief unbeaten run that lasted into mid-September consolidated the club’s position in a playoff spot. Now, they have won just one of the last six games and have slipped into the eighth and final playoff spot.
Their hold on that final playoff spot is tenuous at best. They have a one point lead over Indy XI. The Hoosier state club plays their final game late Saturday night at Orange County, another team fighting for a playoff spot. All the jockeying for playoff positioning will make for a tense night of scoreboard watching. DCFC has the advantage of playing early. They can end the suspense and even put pressure on seventh place Rhode Island. If DCFC can jump over Rhode Island, they will be rewarded with a return trip to Charleston instead of either a trip to Louisville or an early end to the season.
DCFC went into Charleston last weekend and earned a 1-1 draw. While a win would certainly have been better, the Charleston Battery went into the game with an 11-1-1 home record at Patriots Point. They also have the top scoring forward tandem in the league with Cal Jennings and Matt Myers combining for 30 goals. Myers scored Charleston’s only goal, finishing off a loose ball in the penalty area after DCFC failed to clear a corner kick.
That goal could have deflated DCFC, but they came right back to equalize within two minutes. Ates Diouf cut in from the left side and wrapped his right foot around the ball, curling it inside the far post. Other than the two goals, neither team created much of an attack. Most of the shots taken went well off the mark. DCFC looked content to let the Battery pass the ball around without penetrating the penalty area. As a result, the hosts had over 75% possession, but just three shots on goal.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies now stand between DCFC and the playoffs. Le Rouge won the match at Keyworth 2-0. It was a comfortable win against a struggling team. Now, if the Rowdies manage to beat DCFC and Indy XI lose to Orange County, they could make the playoffs, depending on tiebreakers with DCFC. The Rowdies really have nothing to lose, though. They were written off early in the season, spending a lot of time battling Miami FC for the worst record. Their late season bounce has given them an unexpected opportunity to sneak into the playoffs. That makes them dangerous. For DCFC, missing the playoffs after such a promising start would be tough to accept. Jobs are probably on the line. They have had made chances to take advantage of teams beneath them in the table this year and just haven’t seized the opportunity.
