MLS team in Detroit? No thank you. DCFC is about soccer community, not money.
A visibly intimidated Sacramento Republic team walked out into Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck last Saturday, greeted by a haze of colored smoke and “come and get it” chants from Detroit City Football Club fans.
Even a passing train seemed to blow its horn to the tune of the “DC-FC!” chant.
DCFC players entered to roaring applause after the introduction of honorary captain Patrick Rose, director of Black Star, an organization focused on elevating soccer culture in Black communities.
The incredible visuals, and commitment to supporting the local community, are routine at 3201 Roosevelt St. But I don't believe you'll find anything like this in Major League Soccer, the nation’s top-tier professional soccer league.
Community-minded
Founded in 2012 as a neighborhood team, DCFC joined the United Soccer League Championship, just below MLS in the hierarchy of U.S. professional leagues, in 2022.
The smoke and chants, courtesy of the rabidly supportive fan group Northern Guard, make Hamtramck one of the most raucous gameday locales in the nation.
Defender Matt Sheldon, who has played professional soccer across the country, said there’s nowhere else with as colorful an atmosphere.
Keyworth Stadium isn’t large enough to qualify Detroit City Football Club to be an MLS team. But the owners are committed to growth, with plans to build a new arena in Detroit, set 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 U.S. Open Cup, a nationwide tournament.
More:How Detroit City FC achieved 'storybook ending' in historic win over MLS' Houston Dynamo
But there are other, trickier reasons standing in the way of an MLS bid, most notably a fee of half a billion dollars.
“This market is ripe for first-division soccer,” says team co-owner Alex Wright. “A team will thrive when it’s founded as a grassroots organization. The money is just not something we can control.”
Others have tried and failed to land a Detroit MLS team. But here's the twist: Had they succeeded, it might have spelled an end to DCFC as we know it.
The San Diego Loyal was a team with homegrown roots like DCFC, but while in the process of building a new stadium, MLS decided to bring an expansion team to San Diego — and the Loyal crumbled. A similar situation is happening in Indianapolis, where the mayor is pushing for an MLS team that could supplant the Indy Eleven team of the USL.
In the world’s best soccer leagues, this survival system isn’t how they operate. In places like England and Spain, there’s a merit-based promotion/relegation system. Teams that finish at the top of England’s ESL Championship will play the next season in the Premier League, while PL teams at the bottom of the table move down a league.
The lack of an ability to move between divisions in U.S. Soccer means that without money and resources, it can be difficult for a team to gain popularity and recruit players.
U.S. soccer is growing rapidly, especially among young people, 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 exorbitant costs that come with getting involved in the game.
Trevor James, DCFC’s sporting director, doesn’t think it should be about who can afford to play. That’s why DCFC currently provides financial aid for players in its City Youth team and their affiliates across Michigan, and they have plans to expand their reach.
“We’re rolling out an academy program over the next two or three years, before we go into our new stadium,” said James. “We want to give kids the chance to stay in Michigan and play for their hometown club.”
Detroit City FC'snew stadium aims to be 'forever home of soccer in Detroit'
Tyler McManus, DCFC’s director of youth development, understands that players want the best shot at having a soccer career. But he said players with MLS aspirations, without an MLS team nearby, are “being sold a pipe dream.”
For McManus, who left MLS team Sporting Kansas City for DCFC, the club is about giving Detroit kids the opportunities they deserve. “What led me to DCFC is that they’re community-minded, they value their neighbors, and they value their city,” said McManus.
A neighborhood approach
MLS is built in a structure where the league owns every team, while DCFC is built on a neighborhood approach.
Wright and other co-owners are Detroit-area natives, and through their partnership with Black Star, they work on giving back to the community in a way that MLS teams can’t replicate. With DCFC’s support, Black Star has built a mini pitch on Detroit’s east side, where they provide free clinics for kids to learn the game and give young athletes a platform to be scouted by DCFC, colleges and the U.S. youth national team.
If an MLS team came to Detroit, all of that could go away. And DCFC fans, who pay $20-30 for most tickets, sure aren’t clamoring for an MLS presence — longtime fan Alex Seder replied, “No chance,” when asked if he would support a Detroit MLS team.
An expansion team in Detroit would ultimately make soccer here about money instead of merit.
And that’s not the Detroit way.
Even when Detroit went down with two minutes remaining against Sacramento last Saturday, the chants from the Northern Guard faithful only increased in volume.
That’s because DCFC is much like the city itself — willing to overcome any challenge it’s presented.
Adam Hernandez, spokesman for the Northern Guard, had one thing to say to MLS:
“Bring it on. We’ve beat them before, and we’ll beat them again.”
National television
DCFC will return to action Saturday, 4 p.m., at home against Rhode Island FC, live on CBS.
Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph is a Detroit Free Press high school apprentice with plans to study journalism and political science. He's from West Bloomfield and plays soccer at Nationals SC.