June 18, 2022
USL Championship League Match
Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI

The Nation Views American Club Football

This afternoon is a first. The USL has been around since the 2011 season. It has grown to where its matches have been televised by ESPN+ and their championship final broadcast on the flagship ESPN. But today will be the first ESPN nationally televised regular season match. And which venue was chosen to introduce the USL Championship to the national audience?

Keyworth, of course.

Our opponent, El Paso Locomotive FC, made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. They have made the playoffs in each of their three seasons, eliminated in the Conference finals twice. Locomotive’s Eder Borelli had visited Keyworth in the past, playing for FC Juarez and scoring their first goal on July 19, 2019. Goalkeeper Evan Newton and defender Matt Bahner played for FC Cincinnati in our US Open Cup visit on May 16, 2018.

And for the hardcore City supporters, the Women’s Team would be playing in Kalamazoo this evening. So with this Noon start at Keyworth, many would head west on I-94 to support the Women’s Team.against Kalamazoo FC at 7 PM.

For the Prideraiser campaign, this is the fourth match where City’s goals scored at Keyworth increase the money raised for the Ruth Ellis Center. So far, four goals have been tallied – all by the Women’s Team.

EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
Starting XI

Evan Newton – Goalkeeper
Matt Bahner – Defender
Yuma Monsalvez – Defender
Andrew Fox – Defender
Eder Borelli – Defender
Eric Calvillo – Midfielder
Richie Ryan – Midfielder
Dylan Mares – Midfielder
Ricardo Zacarias – Forward
Aaron Gomez – Forward
Nicholas Hinds – Forward

DETROIT CITY FC
Starting XI

Front Row, Left to Right

Deklan Wynne – Defender
Pato Botello Faz – Forward
Aboudlaye Diop – Midfielder
Antoine Hoppenot – Forward

Back Row, Left to Right

Michael Bryant – Defender
Maxi Rodriguez – Midfielder
Devon Amoo-Mensah – Defender
Karl Ouimette – Defender
Connor Rutz – Forward
Nate Steinwascher – Goalkeeper
Stephen Carroll – Defender/Captain

Today’s head referee was Matthew Conger. Conger has professional experience dating back to the 2007/2008 season in the New Zealand Football Championship where he officiated 70 matches over 9 years. His international duties have included the Oceania Football Confederation Champions League, the A-League in Japan, the Saudi Arabia Premier League, the Indian Super League and more. In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he was the head referee in the Group D match between Nigeria and Iceland. This year in the USL Championship, Conger was the head referee in three matches, most recently the June 5th Tampa Bay Rowdies/Louisville City FC match. His assistants today were Nick Balcer and James Duling.

The two evenly matched teams (City with a 7-4-3 record for 25 points vs El Paso’s 7-3-6 record for 24 points) opened the match with a test of each other’s form. El Paso controlled the play but City kept them on the outside and attacked on the counter. It was Pato who scored in the 23rd minute to give us and the national audience a reason to cheer.

With the ball on the left side, Michael Bryant flicked a back-heel pass to Deklan Wynne. Deklan crossed the ball into the box where Steve Carroll headed it down. It dropped to Connor Rutz who headed it toward goal, but an El Paso defender headed it out. The clearance landed for Pato who protected the ball by shrugging off a defender, then zipped a shot, bulging the twine of the far lower corner of the goal.

The goal sparked El Paso to shovel more coals into their engine. A minute after the goal, Nick Hinds fired a shot that soared wide of the post. In the 31st minute, El Paso leveled when Ricardo Zacharias slotted the ball through to Eric Calvillo. Calvillo’s shot stayed on track, hitting the roof of the goal, beyond Nate’s valiant reach. The half ended with a goal each.

In the second half it was much the same with El Paso controlling the ball, but City created chances when possession was theirs. Antoine Hoppenot struck the crossbar with a shot in the 59th minute. In the 74th minute, Deklan Wynne streaking down the left channel delivered a pass to Antoine in the center of the box. After collecting it with his back to goal, Antoine spun and fired it on target, but Evan Newton blocked it, sending it high in the air where the keeper then gathered it in. Trevor James made his first change in the 79th minute, bringing on Francis Atuahene for Pato. Minutes later Antoine Hoppenot on a cross from a corner kick found Connor Rutz in the box, but his header sailed just off target. In the 86th minute, Maxi Rodriguez sent through a pass to Francis Atuahene. Alone on goal, Francis’ shot was blocked by Newton’s shin while sliding into it.

Trevor put Rhys Williams in for Maxi a minute later. When the final sand of the three-minutes of added time hour-glass fell, the teams would have to settle for a draw. It was an entertaining match for the national viewers under the bright sun in Hamtramck.

Player of the Match: Pato Botello Faz

Steve Carroll earned USL Championship Team of the Week honors for his performance in this match. Steve made 26 passes, had two shots with one on target, and created two chances. On the defensive side, he made 3 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 blocked shot and 6 interceptions.

Several supporters left Keyworth and hopped in our cars to make the two-hour trip down I-94 to watch the Women’s Team play Kalamazoo FC.

STATS

Detroit City FC 1, El Paso Locomotive FC 1
DCFC Pato Botello Faz 23′
EPLFC Eric Calvillo (Ricardo Zacarias) 32′

REFEREE: Matthew Conger
ATTENDANCE: 7,267

Possession: DCFC 36.5%, EP 63.5%
Offsides: DCFC 4. EP 1
Corners: DCFC 8, EP 2
Passes: DCFC 282, EP 521
Passing Accuracy: DCFC 59.2%, EP 79.3%
Shots: DCFC 17, EP 13
Shots on Target: DCFC 5. EP 7
Blocked Shots: DCFC 5, EP 2
Fouls: DCFC 11, EP 12
Yellow Cards: DCFC 3 (Devon Amoo-Mensah, Abdoulaye Diop, Karl Ouimette), EP 1 (Yuma Monsaivez)
Red Cards: DCFC 0, SR 0

KEEPER KIT RECORD (Both USL Championship and Open Cup)

Yellow still undefeated.

Purple Kit: 3 draws
Yellow Kit: 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 clean sheets
Blue Kit: 5 wins, 1 draw, 4 loss, 2 clean sheets

TODAY’S ATTENDANCE HITS TOP 10

Tonight’s attendance of 7,267 ranks 6th in match attendance. Of course, this does not include those watching on ESPN.

7,887 [July 31, 2018 vs Frosinone Calcio friendly]
7,533 [August 5, 2017 vs Midland-Odessa NPSL Semi-Final]
7,478 [September 7, 2019 vs Club Atlas friendly]
7,449 [July 10, 2018 vs Club Necaxa friendly]
7,410 [May 20, 2017 vs AFC Ann Arbor NSPL Regular Season match and first match at Keyworth Stadium]
7,267 [June 18, 2022 vs El Paso Locomotive FC USL Championship regular season match]
7,264 [May 19, 2018 vs FC St. Pauli friendly]
7,231 [July 3, 2021 vs LA Force NISA Championship Final]
7,097 [July 24, 2018 vs Windsor TFC friendly]
7,011 [June 11, 2022 vs Sacramento Republic FC USL Championship regular season match]

IN OTHER USL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES TODAY:

Loudoun United 4, Phoenix Rising 3
Tampa Bay Rowdies 1, Charleston Battery 1
Atlanta United II 0, Hartford Athletic 3
Louisville City 3, Orange County 1
Rio Grande Valley 1, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0
Colorado Springs Switchbacks 4, Indy Eleven 3
San Antonio FC 1, Oakland Roots 1
Sacramento Republic 2, Los Angeles Galaxy II 0