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Detroit doesn’t need Major League Soccer. DCFC is about community

Detroit doesn’t need Major League Soccer. DCFC is about community

Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph
| Guest columnist

When the visibly frightened Sacramento Republic team entered Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck last Saturday, they were greeted by a cloud of colored smoke and chants of “come and take it” from Detroit City Football Club fans.

Even a passing train was honking its horn to the chant “DC-FC!”

After being introduced by honorary captain Patrick Rose, the director of Black Star, an organization focused on elevating the culture of football in black communities, the DCFC players entered the arena to a standing ovation.

Incredible visuals and a commitment to supporting the local community are routine at 3201 Roosevelt St. But I don’t believe you’ll find anything like it in Major League Soccer, the nation’s top-tier professional soccer league.

Community oriented

Founded in 2012 as a neighborhood team, DCFC joined the United Soccer League Championship, which ranks just below MLS in the hierarchy of U.S. professional leagues, in 2022.

The smoke and chants of the Northern Guard support group make Hamtramck one of the loudest game-day venues in the country.

Defender Matt Sheldon, who has played professional football across the country, said there is no other place with such a colorful atmosphere.

Keyworth Stadium isn’t big enough for Detroit City Football Club to be an MLS team, but the owners are determined to expand, and there are plans to build a new arena in Detroit that’s scheduled to be completed in 2027. And they’ve certainly proven themselves on the field: On May 7, Detroit defeated MLS team Houston Dynamo in the US Open Cup, a nationwide tournament.

More: How Detroit City FC achieved ‘fairytale ending’ with historic win over MLS’ Houston Dynamo

But there are other, more complicated reasons why a bid to MLS might be an obstacle, the most notable of which is a half-billion-dollar fee.

“This market is ripe for major league football,” says team co-owner Alex Wright. “A team thrives when it’s built as a grassroots organization. Money is not something we can control.”

Others have tried to buy a Detroit MLS team and failed, but here’s the thing: If they had been successful, it would have been the end of DCFC as we know it.

The San Diego Loyal, like DCFC, was a team with local roots, but while they were in the process of building a new stadium, MLS decided to bring an expansion team to San Diego and the Loyal were disbanded. A similar situation is occurring in Indianapolis, where the mayor is pushing for an MLS team to replace the USL’s Indy Eleven.

In the world’s top football leagues, this survival system isn’t how it works. In places like England and Spain, there’s a merit-based promotion/relegation system. Teams that finish top of England’s ESL Championship will play in the Premier League the following season, while PL teams at the bottom of the table will be demoted one division.

The lack of interleague transfers in U.S. soccer means that without money and resources, it can be difficult for a team to gain popularity and sign players.

U.S. soccer is growing rapidly, especially among youth, but we still have a lot of catching up to do. And fans deserve local teams that are accessible to everyone in the community, not just those who can afford the prohibitive costs of getting involved in the game.

DCFC athletic director Trevor James doesn’t think it should be about who can play, which is why DCFC currently provides financial assistance to players on City Youth and affiliates across Michigan and has plans to expand their reach.

“We’re starting an academy program in the next two or three years before we get into our new stadium,” James said. “We want to give kids a chance to stay in Michigan and play for their hometown club.”

Detroit City FC New stadium aims to be ‘forever home of soccer in Detroit’

DCFC’s director of youth development, Tyler McManus, understands that players want the best chance at a career in football, but he said that without an MLS team nearby, players with MLS aspirations are being sold a “pipe dream.”

For McManus, who joined DCFC from MLS team Sporting Kansas City, the club is about giving Detroit kids the opportunities they deserve. “What brought me to DCFC was their focus on community, caring about their neighbors, caring about their city,” McManus said.

Neighborhood approach

While MLS is built on a structure where the league owns each team, DCFC is built on a neighborhood approach.

Wright and his co-owners are Detroit-area natives, and through their partnership with Black Star, they work to give back to the community in a way that MLS teams can’t replicate. With DCFC’s support, Black Star built a mini-field on Detroit’s east side where they provide free clinics for kids to learn the game and provide a platform for young athletes to be scouted by DCFC, colleges and the U.S. national youth team.

If an MLS team comes to Detroit, all of that could disappear. And DCFC fans, many of whom pay $20 to $30 for tickets, certainly aren’t clamoring for an MLS presence — “I don’t have a chance,” longtime fan Alex Seder replied when asked if he would support a Detroit MLS team.

An expansion team in Detroit would focus football here on money rather than merit.

And that’s not Detroit’s style.

Even though Detroit was down two minutes from time in the game against Sacramento last Saturday, the Northern Guard fans’ chants grew louder.

Because DCFC, like the city itself, is prepared to meet whatever challenges come its way.

Northern Guard spokesman Adam Hernandez had this to say to MLS:

“Come on. We’ve beaten them before and we’ll beat them again.”

National television

DCFC will return to action on Saturday at home against Rhode Island FC at 4 p.m. ET, live on CBS.

Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph is a Detroit Free Press high school senior who plans to study journalism and political science. He is from West Bloomfield and plays football for Nationals SC.