Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against San Antonio FC may not be remembered as the Battle of Keyworth, but over 6,200 fans packed into the old building poured plenty of venom into the visitors as they tried to get the better of Le Rouge on the scoreboard and in physical confrontations. With the calendar turning over from August to September, teams are battling to make the playoffs and set themselves up for a potential run at the title. The combatants at Keyworth found themselves in roughly the same spot going into the game and little changed coming out of it.
That is not to say nothing was gained or lost. Detroit City fans finally got their captain back. After a disjointed first half in which the hosts conceded a penalty kick and looked out of sorts in defense, Stephen Carroll came out to a warm welcome for the second half. Matt Sheldon deputized manfully in Carroll’s absence, even winning recognition from the league when the Team of the Week has been published. But the team performs better when the key parts are in their proper places.
Unfortunately, news came out during the week that Rhys Williams has joined Ben Morris with a season-ending injury. To replace Williams, DCFC acquired midfielder Isaiah LeFlore from the Philadelphia Union of MLS on loan. LeFlore made his club debut in the second half and added a spark to the left wing.
Carroll’s arrival to start the second half inspired the crowd and the team. Trailing 0-1, they could not afford to lose and assumed control of the game. While DCFC targeted an equalizer, the fans targeted whoever was closest to the East Stand. As the chippiness on the field increased, so did the volume from the Northern Guard and everyone near them. It built up to a crescendo as Kobe Hernandez-Foster lined up a free kick just outside the San Antonio penalty area. He struck a fierce left-footed drive into the top corner of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Daniel Namani staring in disbelief. That brought about an explosion of joy from the home support.
With Keyworth rocking, DCFC piled on the pressure. Haruki Yamazaki had a shot when he cut in from the right wing. Several corners produced near misses. Ates Diouf whiffed on the clearest opportunity when presented with a perfect ball on the penalty spot.
The visitors had trouble containing DCFC’s attack, something that hasn’t happened often over the last three months. They resorted to fouling, accumulating a total of 22 during the game. Some of those fouls riled up the DCFC players, who objected to the rough housing tactics. Several scuffles ensued; one battle in front of the DCFC bench brought almost all 22 players together and resulted in several yellow cards, including DCFC Academy player Bilal Obeid who was on the bench. Even after the final whistle, the teams continued their disagreements. It took several minutes for the players to be separated on the way to the dressing rooms. San Antonio earned no fewer than seven yellow cards.
Now that Stephen Carroll has returned to the field from his two-month absence, the team is as strong as it will be for the rest of the season. However, they dropped a lot of points while his knee recuperated, including the two left on the field last Saturday. To move up the USL Eastern Conference table, they have to win games. Orange County will be at Keyworth on Saturday as DCFC completes their three game homestand. The draw with San Antonio kept DCFC in 6th place, five points behind 3rd place Loudoun United as the race for home field tightens. Hartford, with four wins and a draw in their last five game are just ahead of DCFC with a game in hand. Pittsburgh is right behind Le Rouge. Every game for the rest of the season will be crucial.
