A drab affair in Madison, Wisconsin only came to life late on when a thunderbolt from Haruki Yamazaki ended a yearlong winless run on the road for Detroit City. It may have only been a Prinx Tires USL Cup game against a League One team, but Detroit City needed a road win of any kind. That the goal came from an unlikely source mattered little.
Home cooking has been good to Le Rouge in 2026. They have four wins in four tries in the USL Championship, only conceding one goal so far. However, away from the friendly atmosphere at Keyworth Stadium, they have struggled mightily for a long time. This narrow win keeps them in contention for the USL Cup, a tournament that includes all the teams in the two professionals leagues of the USL.
Last year, DCFC also played a USL League One team on the road during the Cup. That was a disastrous blowout loss in Portland, Maine to the Hearts of Pine. Coach Danny Dichio rotated the team, giving minutes to players who hadn’t featured much. This time, he didn’t take any chances, starting a first choice team with a full week to prepare. Forward Ben Morris played the first forty-five minutes in what was certainly a plan to step up his return to full match fitness. He didn’t affect the match much, but neither did any other DCFC players.
The game looked to be heading for a frustrating 0-0 draw when Yamazaki stepped up. He has been a stalwart at right back in the absence of Michael Bryant but was asked to move into midfield during the second half in Wisconsin. This suits his attacking instincts much better. Yamazaki has been a dogged defender, full of energy, and never shying away from physical play. As a result, he has been frequently floored by hard fouls but never complains. That is to say he earned his moment.
The Forward Madison defense stood back as he approached their penalty area, inexplicably watching without reacting. Once he was within about twenty years, Yamazaki let fly with a sliced shot off the outside of his right foot that flew into the upper corner to the goalkeeper’s left. All that was left for DCFC was to see out the final few minutes.
Winning the opening game in the Prinx Tires USL Cup will keep DCFC’s interest in the competition. The USL teams are divided into seven groups with only the group winners and one wild card advancing to the quarterfinals. It’s important to win every game and understand that scoring goals, a struggle at times for DCFC, is an important tie-breaker. There will be three more group games later in the summer that will determine how DCFC finishes.
Back to back league games this week will now that the teams’ attention. Miami FC comes to town on Wednesday night boasting two selections for Curacao’s World Cup team: goalkeeper Eloy Room and forward Jurgen Locadia. There will be a quick turnaround as DCFC travels to Loudon, Virginia for a second Eastern Conference match in four days. Six points would come in handy. Miami is level with DCFC on 13 points and Loudon is three points ahead of them on 16. There are seven teams within four points chasing the table topping Tampa Bay Rowdies. Weeks like this with two games can boost or crush the hopes of DCFC and their followers.
