The elements conspired against DCFC in a 2-1 defeat against Hartford Athletic last weekend. A chilly wind and continuous rain kept attendance to a hardy 1,148 Trinity Health Stadium. The poor conditions didn’t help Detroit City, who have now gone more than a year without a road win.
The two teams exchanged own goals before Hartford found a late winner. All three goals came from corner kicks as the two teams produced little from the run of play. The first half played out as a lifeless 0-0 draw. Neither goalkeeper could claim to have been overworked as the shooting accuracy sunk well below 50% for both teams. Each team had 15 fouls, but the match could hardly be described as ill-tempered. They committed mostly niggly fouls to break up play.
Now that Jeciel Cedeno has joined the injured list, Connor Rutz to his spot to start. Coming off his excellent substitute appearance in the 2-1 win over Louisville, Rutz kept his place. However, he was no more effective than any of his teammates in Connecticut. Ben Morris continued his return from injury with nearly a half hour of play. As his return moves forward, he will have to contribute more. He had few touches during his stint as he rebuilds his match fitness.
For Danny Dichio, this match was worrying. Most significantly, this team struggles on the road. No road wins in the league for more than a full year is not championship material. They did beat Louisville City on the road in the first round of the playoffs, but that was an anomaly. Against Hartford, they didn’t show the ability to break down their opponents’ defense. Cedeno typically has that role, but Ates Diouf usually has more of an impact. Darren Smith looked starved for service up front. He cut a frustrated figure much of the game.
DCFC’s loss in Hartford brought the Eastern Conference standings much closer together. There are now five teams tied on 13 points. DCFC has the best goal difference of the group due to being perfect at home so far. If Keyworth Stadium becomes anything other than impregnable, this team will be in real trouble. The chasing pack of five received a little luck with the top two, Tampa Bay and Louisville, dropping points over the weekend. It gives all the teams who think they can make a playoff run some confidence seeing that none of their competitors is invincible.
Much of the USL will get a brief break from chasing playoff spots this weekend as they play the second match day of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. The competition pools together the USL Championship and USL League One in a tournament with a group phase before the group winners enter a final phase of single elimination games. DCFC will be playing Forward Madison in Wisconsin on Saturday night. The USL League One team is in the middle of the seventeen-team league, having played six games with three wins and two draws. Dichio may rotate a few players this weekend. Carlos Saldana has been the Cup goalkeeper this year, so he should get a game. Some of the reserves and players returning from injury might look to get major minutes, too.
Some of the other USL Championship teams will no doubt play their reserves against the lower division teams. It would be a mistake to think that they don’t take these games seriously though. DCFC will have to be prepared. There is a quick turnaround, though, because they come back to play Miami FC at Keyworth on Wednesday May 20 in a league match, with a trip to Loudon for Memorial Day weekend. Three games in eight days will stretch the roster and force Dichio to look at a few different players. He will have to decide whether the Prinx Tires USL Cup is going to be a priority or not.
