DETROIT (WXYZ) — Weeks after announcing they would be going pro, Detroit City FC has joined several other teams in splitting the inaugural National Premier League Soccer (NPSL) Founders Cup.
DCFC was one of 11 clubs from across the United States that will be part of the NPSL Founders Cup competition, which will run from August - November 2019.
Le Rouge will be part of the East Region, which will also consist of teams from Chattanooga, Tenn., Miami, Milwaukee and New York. In the West Region, there are teams from Arizona and California.
The clubs will play both hom eand away matches in their respective regions for the Founders Cup, and that will lead to a full league schedule in the fall of 2020.
DCFC is also looking for a new coach after parting ways with Ben Pirmann after six years. The club has formed an advisory group to look over a portfolio of candidates to manage a professional roster in 2019, and there is no immediate timeline.
“We are actively searching for the right coaching staff to lead DCFC during this new chapter for our club and soccer in Detroit," DCFC CEO Sean Mann said in a release. "This is not a process that is being taken lightly, with our focus on finding the right candidate who understands our club and community and is going to be best positioned to field a championship team.”
Last month, DCFC announced it would be one of the founding clubs in the NPSL Founders Cup, which meant fielding players with professional contracts and playing longer seasons.
"We are very excited about this new chapter for Detroit City FC – DCFC owners have been working hard to ensure a longer season for our supporters, our team and for our community, and we are thrilled that this is now a reality," DCFC Media Director Lindsey Pehrson said in a release.
According to the NPSL, the format, player roster information, schedule and other details will be released at a later date.
DCFC has continued to grow since it was established in 2012. Two years ago, they moved to a new home at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, and last year, the team had its first match ever broadcast on television, a friendly against FC St. Pauli from Hamburg, Germany. The team also took on finished last year's season against Serie A club Frosinone Calcio.
Earlier this fall, the team also opened the Detroit City Fieldhouse in the former home of the City Sports Center ice rink on Detroit's east side.
