DETROIT — A defensive battle led to Detroit City Football Club and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to share the points on Friday evening with a 0-0 draw. Goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between, as both sides only registered two shots on goal each.
Head Coach Danny Dichio made a few alterations to the starting XI that took the field against Hartford Athletic last Saturday night. Carlos Saldaña once again got the start in net, and the four men in front of him were Haruki Yamazaki, Shane Wiedt, Devon Amoo-Mensah, and Michael Bryant. The midfield was composed of Ryan Williams, Jay Chapman, Alex Villanueva, Jeciel Cedeño, and Ates Diof. The lone striker on the evening was Darren Smith.
Le Rouge had the slight advantage in possession throughout the first 20 minutes, but both back lines made it difficult to get anything going on the attacking side of the pitch.
Detroit came close to the opener in the 17th minute, as on a counterattacking opportunity, Darren Smith drove into the box, crossed to Ates Diouf who was at the far end of the box, and his shot forced the Pittsburgh keeper into an incredible save.
As the tempo shifted in the half, Detroit City gained more and more possession in the attacking third, but nobody was breaking through the Riverhounds back five.
Jeciel Cedeño tested the keeper from long range in the 43rd minute, but the Pittsburgh goalkeeper safely collected the shot.
Both sides accumulated 18 fouls in the first half, but no yellow cards were shown throughout. That quickly changed, as just six minutes into the second half, Pittsburgh’s Bradley Sample was shown the first yellow card of the game for a late tackle.
The first two substitutions of the night for Detroit City came in the 67th minute, as Abdoulaye Diop and Rhys Williams entered the match for Jeciel Cedeño and Haruki Yamazaki.
The second half had a very similar feel to the first, as Detroit City held the bulk of possession but struggled to do anything of significance in the attacking third.
Riverhounds defender Perrin Barnes picked up the second yellow card of the evening in the 79th minute for a late tackle on Ates Diouf.
Four minutes of stoppage time would not be enough to find a goal in this matchup, as it finished 0-0. This is the third time in the series history that the game has ended in a scoreless draw, and it continues the eight-match streak of at least one team claiming a clean sheet.
For Carlos Saldaña, it’s his second clean sheet of the season, the first since the opening match at The Miami FC.
Detroit City concludes a three-game homestand and the Jägermeister Cup group stage next Saturday, July 26, in another nationally televised match against Westchester SC. Tickets for all Detroit City matches are available at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
Detroit City Starting XI – Carlos Saldaña, Haruki Yamazaki (67’), Shane Wiedt, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Michael Bryant, Ryan Williams, Jay Chapman, Alex Villanueva, Jeciel Cedeño (67’), Ates Diouf, Darren Smith
Detroit City Substitutes – Rhys Williams (67’), Abdoulaye Diop (67’), Connor Rutz, Matt Sheldon, Carlos Herrera, Sebastián Guenzatti, Marcello Polisi
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
