Minnesota United announced that the club will face Detroit City FC of the USL Championship in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, April 25 at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan. Kick is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and will be streamed live for free on the Bleacher Report (B/R) app and B/R Football YouTube channel.
This is the first time Minnesota United have faced Detroit City. Detroit City FC was formed by a group of Detroit residents in 2012. Also known as ‘Le Rouge,’ Detroit City first played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) from 2012-2019, and in its inaugural season, DCFC reaching the NPSL conference semifinal. The club was consistently one of the top teams in their conference for seasons to follow. After eight years in NPSL, in 2020, Detroit joined the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), where the club then won the 2020-21 NISA Championship. Later that year, on November 12, 2021, Detroit City joined the USL Championship, only the third-ever NISA team to make the jump to the USL Championship level.
In their appearances in the U.S. Open Cup, DCFC has advanced as far as the Round of 32. In 2018, Le Rouge faced its first MLS side, FC Cincinnati, in the Second Round, but fell 4-1. Four years later in 2021, during their first season in the USL, Detroit beat the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the Third Round of the tournament and advanced to the Round of 32.
The U.S. Open Cup returned to action in 2022. The Loons advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s tournament, eventually falling to Union Omaha of the USL League One. Orlando City SC are the reigning U.S. Open Cup Champions.
