June 24, 2023
Keyworth Stadium (Capacity: 7,933)
Hamtramck, MI
Detroit City FC vs Orange County SC
Final Score: 0 – 1
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While vacationing in Michigan, this would be the last of our four stadium stops and it was the one I was looking forward to the most. Detroit City is a rarity in sports as the club was founded in 2012 with local, initially part-time owners who grew the club from the ground up. The team started in the NPSL, a semi-pro fourth division league. Success on the pitch, popularity in the community and fan investment in the club all helped to move Detroit City up to the USL Championship (2nd division) in 2022. After starting out at Cass Technical High School, the team raised over $700,000 for renovations to Keyworth Stadium, a WPA facility that opened with FDR cutting the ribbon in 1936. The old stadium was ready for professional soccer 80 years later as the team arrived in Hamtramck, a tiny city of just 2 square miles. It is completely surrounded by Detroit and downtown is just 5 miles to the south. Both cities of course were heavily influenced by the auto industry, but Hamtramck is much like a neighborhood and the 30,000 diverse people that call it home very much has it’s own identity. The setting, stadium and fan base all combine to make Detroit City the most authentic soccer experience in the United States.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
There are a couple small museums on Joseph Campau Avenue that highlight Hamtramck History and Ukrainian-American life. Hours are quite limited, so the best way to experience Hamtramck is through food. Polish Village Café or the Yemen Café are a couple of great choices. Restaurants aren’t really near the stadium, which sits close to the tightly clustered homes on local side streets and that makes for a very unique arrival to the stadium (the closest English experience that you’ll get on this side of the pond). Keyworth Stadium is also near the school board building, other ballfields and railroad tracks. If you are looking for some bigger attractions, things in Detroit are 10-25 minutes away and that includes The Henry Ford, the Motown Museum and all of the parks, plazas and architecture of downtown.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Detroit is accessible via a multitude of highways and I-75’s Exit 55 is the simplest way to reach Hamtramck. There are only a few more roads needed after that to get around Keyworth. In terms of where to go, there really isn’t any stadium parking. Thankfully, local businesses offer up their lots. This includes an industrial warehouse and the Town Center Shopping Center, which was our choice and it seemed to be the easiest option. It’s about a half mile walk to the stadium. There may be an aura of unsafe for those not used to this urban setting, however you’ll be with plenty of fans walking down Roosevelt Street before and after the game. Traffic afterwards is congested through town, however stoplights were efficient enough that we made it out of the shopping center and onto the highway in only 10 minutes.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6 out of 8
Exterior
House, House, House, Stadium. The building practically comes up out of nowhere as the unassuming concrete top is nearly at the height of nearby homes. Not much has changed from the 1930s as archways cut into the concrete give a peak into the brick base of the stands. On the other side, it’s the same look, though artwork spruces things up a bit.
Exterior Ranking: 1.5 out of 10
Concourse
The south stands features a narrow covered walkway between the brick and a chain link fence. There’s little here besides a food stand and a bathroom (the only permanent fixture in the place). For the real action, head to the open end behind one of the goals. This is essentially a parking lot that is converted into Food Truck City. There’s plenty of space to roam behind the goal, you just won’t be able to see the game from here. Lines get very, very long, so you might want to get here pretty early to avoid a lengthy wait. Stands for getting beer are just as popular, but with little to no wait thanks to the speed of the transaction. You’ll also find some picnic tables in this area. Behind the other stands, things are pretty open with a line of porta potties for those not wanting to visit the other sideline. Comfort is a rare find at Detroit City.
Concourse Ranking: 1 out of 5
Food
The variety that comes to Keyworth is phenomenal and I had to do a circle and think for awhile before deciding what I wanted. There are trucks that are regulars and trucks that come on occasion, all of them unique and fulfilling. Srodek’s is a popular choice with Polish food including kielbasa and pierogis. The Balkan House features German-style sandwiches. There’s plenty more, even an East African truck on the day I was there (I had to google what Chapati was). Alcohol was equally diverse and there were a lot of people consuming it. Stroh’s was the most popular choice, no surprise given that it is an iconic Detroit brand.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8
Interior
With all of the praise for atmosphere and authenticity, let’s be honest, this is not a comfortable place to watch a match. That’s not a knock on the team as remember that they started playing here in the stadium as an NPSL squad (a palace compared to some of the “fields” in that league). Plus, fans raised nearly a million dollars to spruce Keyworth up and the supporters did a lot of the renovation work themselves. That is amazing.
Bleacher seating goes from one goal to the other down the sideline and there are 15-20 rows. These seats are made up of wooden bleachers on a concrete base and they are both scrunched and uncomfortable. The field is super close to the touchline and that leads to being close to the action in addition to some interesting interactions with opponents. Because rows don’t go up all that high, views towards the other end of the pitch aren’t great. The City Admission side (where the supporters are) faces into the sun. Opposite of that, there is a small press box and a unique tree that seems out of place over the stadium. Detroit City did a clever job crafting high-end seating and that includes a group setting in an upper corner of the bowl and ground level suites behind the north end that were made from old shipping containers. Genius. There’s also a good amount of maroon paint around the stadium, which helps to add character, as does the brick wall painted white that says “Keyworth Stadium” behind the south end. Beyond that is an industrial look with an occasional train passing by.
Interior Ranking: 5 out of 14
Scoreboard
A classic scoreboard designed for football (American Football) is in the left corner of the stadium. Time and score is all you are getting here and the red background doesn’t go well with red numbers, especially when the sun is beaming on it. At the top is a sign saying “Hamtramck”, a reminder that the school owns the stadium.
Scoreboard Ranking: 0.5 out of 4
Displays
Besides all of the visually striking fan-made banners along the side of the Northern Guard Supporters, the only displays on the stadium are in the form of rusted dedication plaques. There is no spot for team or player history around the field.
Displays Ranking: 1 out of 6
Cost
Parking can be had for free and the concessions are priced ok, especially a beer as they are $5 – $7 (most other sporting events will cost you more in 2023). A hot dog is $5 and many of the food truck items are worth their $8 – $15 price. In terms of tickets, they are $20, $30 and $35. It feels like a USL team should have an option five or ten bucks cheaper, but this isn’t far off from AHL prices (2nd division for hockey). Plus other nearby teams like Pittsburgh and Indy have tickets in this range too.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
The passion and the support of this fan base is impressive. Just look at this video from back in 2017…that is for an NPSL playoff game! Most NPSL teams play in front of a few hundred folks, mainly consisting of friends and family. As they’ve moved into the USL Championship, Detroit City’s average attendance is between 5,000 and 6,000…that’s good for around 10th in the league, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Those numbers of the teams above them are inflated by a much greater percentage just looking at game coverage and seeing the empty seats. Detroit has their share of empties early in the year, but for this warm June game that I attended, it was a packed house with space for extra seats quite limited. The official number of 6,669 seemed legit. U.S. Open Cup games against MLS sides draw a full crowd too. The Northern Guard Supporters (NGS) is one of the larger groups in the league and definitely the most polarizing.
Fan Support Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
I mentioned NGS is polarizing as they probably are the most hated within league circles (in fact, their website is “noonelikes.us”). While they can be brash and intimidating, the noise and atmosphere that they bring can’t be argued. They love Detroit and their City and they have numerous charitable efforts to go along with being strong advocates for fair causes. I sat with them for a bit and it’s a fun time as a neutral. They love their smoke bombs and they have plenty of songs and chants for the game. Many of them are profane and that was a focal point of a silly argument/statement last year as the league tried to get them to cut back. Their response didn’t go over well by followers of the USL. The team has made it clear not to be vulgar, but that certainly doesn’t silence the fans. For the rest of the crowd atmosphere…goal noise is awesome, close calls generate a big “oooo”, but everything else is surprisingly quiet against the background of the NGS. There was a lot more “the ref sucks” or boos towards the opponent than there was recognition for the home side. Good build-up play and corners generated some buzz, but not as much as I’ve seen in other places. Regardless, this is still one of the best atmospheres in the league and likely the most intimidating when it comes to a playoff game or an MLS team appearance in the Open Cup.
Atmosphere Ranking: 11.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Credit to Detroit City’s website, which has great info all around for first-time visitors (and it is a nice layout)…..The team is nicknamed “Le Rogue”, inspired by French roots in the city. I also love their crest as it is the The Spirit of Detroit monument…..”Passion for our City. Passion for the Game”. That’s their motto and it’s been about community since the beginning and they often put their money where their mouth is……Detroit City also fields a women’s squad in the W-League…..Why do they play the National Anthem 45 minutes before the start of the game? I’ve never seen that before….So my Dad, bless his heart, did his best Uncle Leo impression when I asked him to grab a seat as I got food. He plopped himself right in the middle of where the NGS would be and was taken aback when the smoke and chanting started. He was interested briefly and then we settled into a corner so he could sit and watch the game.
Game
DCFC has scored three times in six home matches this year. Make that seven. Their awful offense continued in this one as Le Rouge lost by a typical for them score line of 1-0 to Orange County. They took the lead in the 23rd minute thanks to a header from Milan Iloski and OC almost made it 2-0 after a spectacular looping attempt from midfield hit the crossbar. Detroit did put together some chances in the second half and they finished with six shots on target, including a close call in the dying moments of the game.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
