Watch Live: Detroit City FC vs. North Carolina FC
Detroit City Football Club is back in action this Saturday afternoon in an Eastern Conference battle against North Carolina FC. It's a match with significant Eastern Conference playoff implications that will kick off at 4 p.m. from Keyworth Stadium, which will be broadcast locally on CW Detroit 50 (WKBD-TV). For Michigan residents, the match is free to stream on CBSDetroit.com.
Le Rouge enters this matchup coming off a 1-0 defeat to East leaders Louisville City FC last Saturday. A goal from Louisville in the sixth minute saw Detroit fall behind early, but Le Rouge grew into the match, having multiple opportunities to equalize. Still, they couldn't find the back of the net with the stellar play of the Louisville back line.
Four matches remain in the 2025 USL Championship season, and the run in for the playoff race keeps getting tighter for Detroit City. Currently sitting in seventh place with 32 points, Le Rouge is level with eighth-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, ahead only on the tiebreaker. Rhode Island FC, who currently sit in ninth place, are on 31 points and are on a three-match unbeaten streak.
North Carolina FC comes into this game off a 1-1 draw against Birmingham Legion on Wednesday evening. Jahlane Forbes opened the scoring in the 32nd minute for North Carolina with a stunning shot, hitting the top corner of the net. North Carolina appeared to have secured the three points, but a fifth-minute second-half stoppage-time goal from Birmingham equalized the game, resulting in a shared point.
With the draw, North Carolina still holds the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings with four matches still to play. On 41 points, they will not catch second-place Charleston Battery, but they still have to hold off fourth-place Loudoun United, on 39 points, and fifth-place Hartford Athletic, on 38 points.
DCFC and NCFC have only faced off three times since North Carolina rejoined the USL Championship last season. Back in August, they played to a 1-1 draw. North Carolina dominated the first 30 minutes, during which they took the lead in the 23rd minute. But afterward, Detroit City took control of the match, and it would be a Darren Smith goal in the 63rd minute that would equalize the game and break his scoring drought, as he picked up his first goal since May. Detroit City picked up a 1-0 victory, the only time North Carolina visited Keyworth Stadium in April 2024. A North Carolina own goal in the 9th minute was the only goal of the match, allowing Detroit to secure the three points.
Detroit City concludes its 4-match homestand and the regular season home schedule next weekend, hosting another crucial Eastern Conference battle against Loudoun United. The kickoff from Keyworth on October 11th is at 4 p.m. Tickets for all Detroit City FC games are available at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
CBS News Detroit is the official broadcast partner of Detroit City FC. This story is reprinted with permission from Detroit City FC.