Detroit City Wire

Detroit City FC advanced to the Round of 32 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after a 3-1 victory over Westchester SC at Keyworth Stadium. The match was characterized by a quiet first half, followed by a four-goal second half with contributions from Morey Doner, Jeciel Cedeño, and Darren Smith for the winning team.

Danny Dichio, the head coach of Detroit City, started the game with a lineup that was largely different from their previous match against Phoenix. Carlos Saldaña took his place in the net, while the defense was made up of Matt Sheldon, Shane Wiedt, Michael Bryant, and Morey Doner. The midfield trio consisted of Marcello Polisi, Dominic Gasso, and Haruki Yamazaki. Up front, Ben Morris, Ates Diouf, and Sebastián Guenzatti were chosen as the attackers.

Michael Bryant was given the captain's armband for Detroit City FC for the first time. While Detroit City appeared stronger on paper, Westchester SC posed a challenge early on, with Detroit having difficulty penetrating the defense.

Yellow cards were a common occurrence in the match, with Westchester's Kurowsky Pierre receiving the first in the 13th minute. Detroit's Haruki Yamazaki created the team's first significant chance in the 26th minute, followed by Marcello Polisi receiving Detroit's first yellow card in the 39th minute.

During halftime, a change was made when Devon Amoo-Mensah replaced Michael Bryant. In the 54th minute, Sebastián Guenzatti's bicycle kick narrowly missed the target, marking the closest attempt from Detroit until that point.

A decisive triple substitution in the 67th minute saw Jay Chapman, Darren Smith, and Jeciel Cedeño replace Marcello Polisi, Ben Morris, and Sebastián Guenzatti. This change quickly paid off when Morey Doner scored off a Chapman cross in the 71st minute, making it 1-0.

Westchester SC's Juan Obregon responded with a powerful shot in the 76th minute to equalize. However, a penalty awarded for a foul on Ates Diouf allowed Jeciel Cedeño to restore Detroit's lead in the 85th minute.

A final substitution brought Jordan Adebayo-Smith on for Ates Diouf. In stoppage time, a defensive error from Westchester allowed Darren Smith to secure the victory with a third goal for Detroit.

This win marks Detroit City FC's third appearance in the Round of 32 in the past four seasons. The team is set to return to league play against Rhode Island FC this Saturday at Keyworth Stadium with a 4 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available on their official website.