Hamtramck — Referees were booed off the field by a sold-out stadium of 7,239 fans after they called the end of the match for a 0-0 draw between Detroit City FC and Loudoun United FC on Saturday evening. This match marks DCFC head Coach Danny Dichio’s 100th game coaching and managing the team, and defender Callum Montgomery was named the “Man of the Match” at the close of it.
“I thought it was a game we could have won if we showed a little bit more quality in the final actions,” Dichio said. “We felt that we had enough of the ball to create an opportunity to score, so probably that's the most disappointing aspect because we haven't done enough to put the ball in the back of the net and to win games, especially at home, you wanna do that.” In honor of Saturday’s “Youth Night” themed game, the Detroit City 2010 Youth Team was recognized before the game and had a row of fans in the stands waiting to high five them while exiting the field. The crowd didn’t have too many moments to make noise in the beginning of the match, but the fans' frustration echoed across the stadium when a yellow card was issued to DCFC midfielder Abdoulaye Diop at the 25th minute. They woke up with their signature call and response chant “DC-FC” as the game was approaching the end of the first half with 10-minutes remaining. Detroit City FC’s women’s team made an appearance during halftime to announce their women’s Black Arrow Award winner, goalkeeper Allison LaPoint. The award is a DCFC tradition that honors a player that is voted on as most valuable by coaches, owners, and supporters. “It was a team effort tonight defensively, and to be honest it wasn’t many chances for both teams,” Montgomery said. “We probably have to do a bit of a better job as a group creating a couple more chances at home.” Two minutes into the second half, DCFC captain and defender Devon Amoo-Mensah received the second yellow card of the night. He later drew a yellow card on Loudoun United FC defender Pacifique Niyongabire at the 81st minute for their first of the match. The sun went down, stadium lights came on, and flashlights from the crowd filled the stadium as fans were eager for the first goal. An additional four minutes were added to the game, which triggered the fans to set off yellow and pink smoke bombs, but the goal never came from either side. DCFC had 57% of ball possession and 25 touches in the opposition box. Goalkeeper Carlos Herrera had two saves and 11 recoveries, and Montgomery led the match with 85 touches and passed the ball with 88% accuracy (61-for-69). Next up for the team is another home match on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who sit top in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship. “It's a privilege to manage and coach this club. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here, but I want to win — 100 games is great, it’s great on the resume, but I want to win,” Dichio said. “I feel the support of the club and the fans here have been fantastic for me, and if I'm here for another 100 or another 200, so be it, but I want to win, and I'm aiming to do that before I call it quits.” amarable@detroitnews.com This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit City FC settles for 0-0 draw with Loudoun United FC