Detroit's minor league soccer team won its first playoff match Saturday evening, beating Cleveland 3-1 at Cass Tech High School before a near-capacity crowd.
The Detroit City Football Club is back on that field at 3 p.m. Sunday for a Great Lakes Division final playoff game against Buffalo Football Club or the Erie (Pa.) Admirals, who played here Saturday night.
The semifinal victory was extra-sweet for Detroit -- nicknamed Le Rouge -- because a June 21 game at Cleveland ended in a 1-1 tie. Detroit record this year currently is 12-0-1.
Sunday's winner will play July 20 at one team's home field for the MIdwest Conference championship in the National Premier Soccer League.
Pregame article:
Just in time for the start of Great Lakes Division semi-pro soccer playoffs here, a local online culture site showcases the home team and its hard-core cheering section -- known as the Northern Guard Supporters.
At 4:15 p.m. today, members will parade, noisly, from Harry's Bar on Cass to the nearby field at Cass Tech. "Bring your loudness," says a Saturday morning post on the group's Facebook page.
Game time for a semifinal division playoff between Detroit and Cleveland is 5 p.m., and a near-capacity or sellout crowd is likely. Adult tickets are $10 while they last.
The game, as well as a second playoff match between the Buffalo Football Club and the Erie (Pa.) Admirals around 7:30 p.m., will be livestreamed here by a Buffalo company.
In an elegant, magazine-style presentation at the new Le Detroit publication, writer Marguerite Adragna and photographer Chris Arace capture the dedication that bonds fans and players of the scrappy Detroit City Football Club, nicknamed Le Rouge. (By the way, "elegant" isn't a word typically associated with the Northern Guard.)
If pressed to describe the experience of attending a DCFC game in one word, what comes to mind is indeed passion. From the players on the field to the supporters in the stands. . . .
It’s a grassroots success story for which any marketer would pay millions. But it can’t possibly be duplicated, because this is born from true passion for the game and the community.
“Fans were starved for a team to follow and support here. As soon as DCFC arose, you just saw how big soccer is in the area,” says team captain Josh Rogers. . . .
Scarf-wearing Northern Guard members -- who bring banners, drums and colorful smoke bombs -- describe themselves on Facebook as "lifelong players, fans, fanatics and coaches." For evidence, see the one-minute video below.
Here's how Adragna puts it in her article:
Whether they’re leading the crowd in songs or cheers, waving enormous hand-painted flags or lighting smoke tubes, the Northern Guard makes sure the supporter section (located in the away stands) is a party. . . .
"This is the hottest club in the Midwest, and if you miss out you will regret it,” says Gene Butcher, founding member.
The Great Lakes Division final playoff Sunday at 3 p.m., also at Cass, will determine what National Premier Soccer League team reaches the Midwest Championship game July 20.
