June 23, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Detroit City FC News Release
Detroit City FC congratulates Abdi Salim on his goal against Pumas UNAM
(Detroit City FC)
DETROIT – Detroit City FC ended a memorable night at Keyworth Stadium with a 1-0 victory over Liga MX side Pumas UNAM. An Abdi Salim goal on his debut in the 55th minute lifted Detroit City to a win over the historic Mexican side.
Head Coach Danny Dichio mixed up the starting XI for this international friendly match. Nate Steinwascher would return as the starter in goal. Alex Villanueva, Abdi Salim, Stephen Carroll, and Matt Sheldon would be the defensive backline. Dominic Gasso, Ryan Williams, and Daniel Espeleta would be the midfielders. The three attackers up front were Connor Rutz, Elvis Amoh, and Yazeed Matthews.
Pumas controlled the tempo from the opening kick. Off a Pumas attack in the 7th minute, Nate Steinwascher made two key saves to keep the game scoreless in the opening minutes; a diving save on the second shot would be another Nate Steinwascher moment.
Detroit City was awarded a corner kick in the 14th minute, and after the ball was thrown around in the box, it came out to Daniel Espeleta, who took a shot. It hit the post, ending Detroit’s first significant opportunity of the night.
Detroit made the first change of the night in the 31st minute, bringing on Maxi Rodriguez for Stephen Carroll.
A curler of a shot from Pumas outside the box in the 36th minute forced Steinwascher into another leaping save, deflecting the ball out of play.
Off a fast break in the 39th minute, Yazeed Matthews broke into the box and fed the ball to Rodriguez, who passed it to Amoh, who was just outside the box. The pass created a shot opportunity that almost provided some magic for Le Rouge, but Amoh’s shot went just above the bar.
The teams went into the half, still knotted up at 0-0. The match had been even throughout the half, with both teams having a few opportunities.
Coming out of the half, Detroit made one substitution, bringing on Ben Morris for Connor Rutz.
In the 53rd minute, off of a free kick and a beautiful cross, Ryan Williams finds Abdi Salim in the box, and he heads the ball into the near post, giving Detroit City a 1-0 lead over the Liga MX side.
Pumas defender Pablo Bennevendo would pick up the first yellow card of the game in the 58th.
Detroit made two changes in the 63rd minute, bringing on James Murphy and Brett Levis for Maxi Rodriguez and Abdi Salim.
Detroit would make…
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