Detroit City FC has now had its final weekend without a game before the end of the regular season. It’s just as well they had a weekend off. After crushing Orange County 4-1 in their last appearance at Keyworth Stadium, they threw away their trip to New Mexico last Wednesday with an equally abysmal 4-0 loss.
That game almost got off to the perfect start. Straight from the kick-off, Jay Chapman sent Jordan Adebayo-Smith through on goal. Unfortunately, as the clock hit eleven seconds, the New Mexico goalkeeper spread himself big enough to make
a crucial save. Less than five minutes later, Carlos Herrera, deputizing for Carlos Saldana, was beaten from beyond midfield. That set the tone
for the remaining eighty-five minutes.
Danny Dichio opted to rest several players and left his first choice strikers at home. Darrin Smith, the leading goal-scorer, nursed a shoulder injury. Ates Diouf, his reliable partner, tended to family matters. That left Le Rouge with no offense. Saldana, Alex Villanueva, and Haruki Yamazaki all started on the bench. DCFC could not overcome the changes. By the time, Dichio brought in Villanueva and Yamazaki at halftime, the game was already gone. DCFC will rue the points given away so easily.
Detroit City starts off four home games in a row on Saturday night against Lexington SC. The expansion team has given a decent account of themselves this year. They are in the running for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Weirdly, they have the exact same record as DCFC, eight wins, eight draws, and eight losses. They also find themselves in sixth spot, but unlike DCFC could finish as high as second with a decent run to end the season.
Lexington represents the weakest of the four teams lined up to visit Keyworth. Louisville, North Carolina, and Loudoun United will be coming after that. All three of them are above DCFC in the Eastern Conference. Louisville is out of reach, but the other two could be caught if a full strength DCFC gives full effort in the remaining home games.
USA RESTORES SOME PRIDE
Mauricio Pochettino’s first year in charge of the US men’s national team has been tough. Key players have been injured. Performances have varied from mediocre to terrible. A number of big stars missed the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the last competitive tournament before the World Cup. The team has failed to play as more than the sum of its parts. Less than a year from hosting the World Cup, this is not what supporters want to see.
The supporters have made it clear that they don’t like what they see, too. For most of the games this year, the visiting team has had the upper hand in the stands. Nowhere was that more evident that during the September international window. Given the general apathy surrounding the team, it wasn’t a surprise to see South Korean supporters fill Sports Illustrated Stadium (formerly known as Red Bull Arena) in Harrison, New Jersey. There was less surprise when those Korean supporters rose as one to salute a goal by national hero Son Heung-Min. The LAFC forward has achieved unsurpassed status in South Korea. His move to MLS lifted Los Angeles’ thriving Korean community.
South Korea added a second goal before halftime and even though the USA improved during the second half, the result was never
in doubt. Immediately afterward the daggers came out for Pochettino and the team. Listless, passionless, unskilled, and many more negative assessments cascaded through message boards and much of the media.
Something had to happen. Japan came to Columbus on the heels of a dire 0-0 draw with Mexico. They switched out their entire starting eleven for the game against the USA. Once again, Columbus gave the Americans just the tonic they needed. With a new three-man back line formation and two fast wingers, the USA finally gave a performance with some promise.
Goals from Folarin Balogun and Alejandro Zendejas provided the familiar 2-0 margin of victory for games in Columbus. Balogun appeared under Pochettino for the first time and gained the most in this camp. He clearly outplayed fellow striker Josh Sargent, who started against South Korea. His pace and ability to hold the ball give him a huge edge over Sargent. Only Ricardo Pepi can challenge Balogun for the striker position in the national team barring injuries. Pepi started for his club last weekend and scored twice to announce his intent to compete.
Zendejas has been on the fringes of the national team for some time. He provided what many MLS observers hoped Diego Luna would give to the team: a passionate, energetic wide player who can score at the top level. Luna did not offer much in his appearance this window and didn’t deliver against Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final over the summer. Zendejas has been on a roll for Club America in Liga MX. He showed the aggressiveness Pochettino wants in his players.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese played all of both games.
He wasn’t at fault for the goals conceded against South Korea and made six saves against Japan. He looks like the starting goalkeeper at the moment, but competition from Matt Turner and Zach Steffen will keep him on his toes.
Other winners in September include Chris Richards. He has cemented his place as
a starting center back in either a back three or back four. Young defender Alex Freeman had a solid camp, too. He played as both a full back in a back four and a wing back when the USA switched to three central defenders. The national team welcomed Sergino Dest back after a long injury absence. He showed his versatility by playing on both wings. Christian Pulisic looked like his usual self against Japan after an indifferent display against South Korea.
The players have now returned to their clubs for the remainder of the month. The team will gather in early October for games against Ecuador in Austin and Australia in Denver. Both teams have qualified for the World Cup, so this will be another solid pair of games. Pochettino has said that he is now done experimenting and will be picking a group much closer to the squad he intends to use next summer. That makes the October internationals interesting viewing to see what his plan is and how it has evolved over the course of the last year.
