Do Haeng Michael Kitchen

June 9, 2019
NPSL Regular Season
Houseman Field, Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids FC 0, Detroit City FC 0
Attendance: a few of them, a good number of us

Record 4-2-1 = 14 points
Prideraiser Goal Total = 8

 

This was eerie.  It was like making a hotel reservation only to arrive on a gray and misty day to find an old, empty building in a once bustling location.

Our visits to Grand Rapids FC have been…unique.  In 2016, Detroit City FC suffered its worst ever league defeat at a crowded Houseman Field.  Then, in 2017, we shut them down while playing in the West Michigan Whitecaps baseball stadium.  Last year, it was a wild, 4-4 draw, still before a pretty decent turnout of Grand Rapids fans.

2016

2017

2018

But on this dreary, drizzly, Sunday matinee, there was barely anyone on the home-side of the field.

The other oddity of these trips to Grand Rapids has centered on the keeper.  In 2016, Cody Lang played his first City match after flying in from the State of Washington.  In 2017, Nate Steinwascher stopped a key PK in the first half, when the match was scoreless.  Last year, again we had keeper Damon Favero play his first match for City.  In the two matches where we had first-time starters in net, we leaked 9 goals.

Coming into the match, City was riding a four-game undefeated streak, and four straight clean sheets with University of Michigan keeper Owen Finnerty in goal.  I’ll confess.  Due to our history here, I was concerned about Michigan State University keeper Hunter Morse making his City debut.

 

In the 29th minute, Hunter Morse came up with a huge PK save.

 

This was a tight affair, with Morse’s PK save the highlight.  Despite being a competitive team, the empty feeling of the field this afternoon gave me a wee bit of sadness for the absence of foes in the stands.