June 5, 2021
NISA 2021 Spring Season
Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI
Detroit City FC 0, Stumptown AC 0
A busy three-match day for Detroit City FC teams. The first match was the Men’s U-23 team at Keyworth prior to this match. The reserves defeated the West Michigan Bearings 3-0.
The second half of today’s doubleheader featured City’s Men’s First Team against Stumptown AC. The Women’s First Team would travel to Muskegon to play the Risers.
COVID restrictions in the state had been lifted for outdoor sporting events on June 1st, allowing Keyworth Stadium to fill.
We have met Stumptown once before, in the 2021 Legends Cup in Chattanooga during the group stage. It was Stumptown’s first NISA match, and goals by Yazeed Matthews and Patricio Botello Faz provided City with the 2-0 win.
Stumptown brought a two-win, one-loss record with them into Keyworth, and had not played a match since their 1-0 win in New Amsterdam on May 14th. By contrast, City was playing its second match in three days, after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Los Angeles.
STUMPTOWN AC
Starting XI
Kevin Gonzalez – GK
Robert Hines – D
Travis Ward – D
Giovani Bejarno Navia – D
Jake Crim – D
Franky Martinez – D
Rhys Williams – D
Agwie Chunga – M
Alex McGrath – M
Luis Garcia Sosa – M
Molley Karpeh – F
DETROIT CITY FC
Starting XI
Nate Steinwascher – GK
Matt Lewis – D
Steve Carroll – D
Anthony Manning – D
Jimmy Filerman – M
Kevin Venegas – M
Maxi Rodriguez – M
Connor Rutz – M
Cyrus Saydee – M
Patricio Botello Faz – F
Max Todd – F
The Northern Guard Supporters set off the Trans-Smoke this evening, as they hoped to raise the donations of their Prideraiser Campaign with some City goals tonight.
With all the defenders and midfielders in Stumptown’s starting eleven, it was no surprise that this would be a box-to-box battle. But Stumptown almost nabbed an early lead when Alex McGrath, left wide open, took a shot at goal in the fifth minute, but Nate Steinwascher made the point-blank save. Stumptown would see another golden opportunity in the 43rd minute when Rhys Williams delivered the ball across the goal to Luis Garcia Sosa, who fired it onto the crossbar.
City was not without its chances. The most disappointing was in the 25th minute when Kevin Venegas delivered a free kick into the box. It fell for Anthony Manning who headed it high. It dropped for Max Todd who headed it across goal to Maxi Rodriguez. His shot hit Stumptown defender Jake Crim’s arm as Crim turned away, swinging his left arm out, deflecting the ball. The ball pinballed off the players in the box until Stumptown keeper Kevin Gonzalez punched it out.
The game temperature was in the high-80’s, and the match was chippy. Anthony Manning drew a yellow card for a tug of the kit of one of the Stumptown players in the 7th minute, and Robert Hines found himself in the book in the 40th minute, earning a yellow card for taking out Patricio Botello Faz as City was breaking out of their end on a rush up field.
There was no score at the end of the first half.
The second half was much the same. Defensive, chippy, and another missed call.
In the 50th minute, Stumptown’s Travis Ward was yellow carded for knocking the ball out of the hands of Nate Steinwascher after Nate had made a save and was looking for a player to outlet it to.
Jake Crim benefited from another missed call. As Pato was breaking in on goal, Crim held him up and pulled Pato’s shirt to dispossess the City forward and send him to the floor in the 59th minute. The ref’s whistle remained mute.
Things really heated up in the 71st minute. As Detroit moved forward in the Stumptown end, Kevin Venegas tracked the ball on the right side, sending it forward while Luis Garcia Sosa flopped to the ground. As play continued, Yazeed Matthews sent it across field to Jimmy Filerman. As Yazeed moved to the top of the Stumptown box, he gave Giovani Bejarno a slight push. Bejarno took a step then flopped to the ground. Stumptown’s Franky Martinez took exception to the perceived contact, and went after Yazeed with a push as Filerman sent the ball Connor Rutz. Rutz fired a shot at the net, which Gonzalez palmed away. Martinez then went after Yazeed with another push, which brought everyone into the conversation. When the dust settled, Martinez was given a yellow card.
Player of the Match: Nate Steinwascher.
This would give City a five-win, two-draw record, for 17 points, with a single match to play in the Spring Season. The final match would be against Chattanooga FC at Keyworth in three weeks. It would remain to be seen if anyone could catch City in the interim.
The Women’s First Team made it a 7-point day with a 10-0 trouncing of the Muskegon Risers in Muskegon.
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