A return to Keyworth Stadium for Detroit City FC ended in a 2-1 defeat against Hartford Athletic on Saturday evening. Defensive errors led to two early goals for Hartford, but Ates Diouf’s goal in the 38th minute brought Detroit back into contention. Despite several opportunities in the second half, Le Rouge could not equalize.
Head Coach Danny Dichio made changes to the lineup from their previous game against Oakland. Carlos Saldaña started as goalkeeper with defenders Devon Amoo-Mensah, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant, and Matt Sheldon. The midfield included Ryan Williams, Abdoulaye Diop, Alex Villanueva, Ates Diouf, and Haruki Yamazaki. Darren Smith was at the forefront of the attack.
Hartford Athletic scored first in the fifth minute through Jonathan Jiménez. Despite having more possession initially, Detroit struggled offensively. Michee Ngalina assisted Mamadou Dieng’s header for Hartford’s second goal in the 23rd minute.
Detroit City came close to scoring off a free kick shortly after but were denied by Hartford’s keeper. However, a turnover led to Diouf reducing Hartford’s lead with a well-executed counterattack involving Darren Smith.
In the second half, Detroit conceded a penalty that Michee Ngalina took for Hartford; however, Carlos Saldaña saved it keeping hope alive for Detroit City.
Substitutions saw Jeciel Cedeño and Connor Rutz enter in place of Matt Sheldon and Abdoulaye Diop at 58 minutes. Cedeño nearly made an immediate impact with a shot saved by Hartford’s keeper.
Sebastián Guenzatti replaced Darren Smith at 73 minutes as Detroit pushed for an equalizer during eight minutes of stoppage time but failed to convert their chances.
This match marked Hartford’s first away win this season while Detroit faced its fourth loss out of five recent USL Championship games.
Detroit City will host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC next Friday at Keyworth Stadium with tickets available online. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
For further information about Detroit City FC visit detcityfc.com or follow them on social media platforms like X and Facebook under @DetroitCityFC or Instagram under @detroitcityfootballclub.
Carlos Saldaña started alongside Devon Amoo-Mensah among others including substitutes like Sebastián Guenzatti who appeared later during gameplay.
