Groundhopping: AFC Cleveland vs. Detroit City FC

$5.00 ticket, plain and simple.

This match was on my checklist not only because I could make it (due to yet another weekend off from MLS action), but because it was a regional rivalry with first place on the line. Two teams vying for first place usually bodes well for an epic match and there will be more on that later.

Before the match, I was not sure if anything pub-wise was close to the stadium. Because of my arriving to the area during rush hour, traffic led me to Skyline Chili for my pre-match meal. Now for those not familiar with this place, it is one of the things well-known about my hometown in Cincinnati. So I would have the standard habanero cheese coneys. Heavenly goodness!

Finding the stadium was not too much of a hassle, but I did have to make a turnabout in a high school. I witnessed a motorcycle training accident there involving a beefy 6 foot 1 sized woman that slide along, but stood up like it was nothing. Rush hour traffic had me worried that I would be a bit late, but I arrived 20 minutes before the kick-off

AFC Cleveland play their first four home matches at Byers Field, a ground located in Parma, Ohio actually which is the largest suburb of Cleveland.  The capacity is listed at 11,423. This stadium seemed massive, too massive for a fourth division club, but it was a stadium built for American high school football. I was told that four high schools share the ground. Because of this fact, the surface was the dreaded plastic fieldturf surface and to add more to visual misery included the lines and numbers for American football. Like the majority of high school stadia, seating was on two sides with a running track around the field. The grandstands were concrete and the main stand's steps were quite tall.  Because this match started at twilight, the sunset blasted the main stand  for the majority of the first half. 

                                      

As far as the game itself first place was on the line between the two rivals in what is known as the Rust Belt Cup. Even though this cup involves three teams to include Buffalo, Detroit vs. Cleveland is the more "intense"  of matches. This was evident on the match tonight as the first half both teams were going all out in play and on the scoreboard. There was even a skirmish after some harsh challenges close to the benches. After exchanging goals in the first half, AFC Cleveland would pull the match winner in the second half to win 3-2.

As far as atmosphere goes maybe it was due to the location of the stadium, suburbia, this was the type of supporter culture catered towards. Evidence of this was during the second half I heard a bunch of screaming kids reacting to some type of give away from a person in mascot garb running up and down the main stand. This was happening during the run of play. Also, Detroit City supporters were chanting/singing too many vulgarities for the liking of whoever else was sitting around them. A couple of AFC Cleveland staff and a Parma police officer came by and warned them about the language. AFC Cleveland had a band of fanatics  that were drumming during the whole match. They didn't have many vocals though although they did have more chants going during the second half. Detroit City outnumbered the Cleveland  fanatics in terms of people actively showing and sounding out.

Leaving the ground was easy, but in the larger city and with it being a weekend night, traffic was moving, but there was slight congestion on the way back to the highway. Overall, mercifully the match made the night decent, overcoming the gridiron lines and the glaring sun and quite frankly I expected this in a regional rivalry match.