Over the last couple of months, La Liga’s Villarreal CF became darlings of the UEFA Champions League.
But while they were running through Juventus and Bayern Munich on their way to the competition’s semifinal against Liverpool, the club owners of Detroit City FC were secretly watching, wincing.
DCFC's men's side and Villarreal had verbally agreed to a Memorial Day weekend friendly.
As the Spanish club’s run continued, the odds of them making the trip to Detroit became increasingly unlikely. “As of like two weeks ago, they finally pulled the plug on the May tournament.
We tried to organize a July tour with them, and they pulled the plug on that, as well,” DCFC co-owner Sean Mann said at a recent owners meeting. “It felt weird rooting against them, but we were, because we wanted them to come here.” These international friendlies are important for big and small clubs alike.
For DCFC, a visit from Villarreal, which Fivethirtyeight.com has ranked as the 17th-best club in the world (DCFC is ranked No. 597, for reference), is one heck of a promotional tool , ‘Come out and see one of the world’s best soccer teams play in your backyard , and get hooked on your local club in the process!’ For Villarreal, it’s a chance to improve brand awareness across the globe , ‘Remember that one time when you watched your favorite club play Villarreal?
Let us be your favorite European team!’ And yet, the odds of DCFC landing one of these matches are, for the third season in a row, nearing zero.
COVID and its associated costs, plus the 2022 World Cup, are proving to be some tough hurdles.
More: Detroit City FC plans to form advisory panel to maintain lines of communication with fans DCFC is still trying to schedule a friendly against a Liga MX side, Mann said, but some shuffling in the schedule is presenting difficulties.
DCFC defeated Liga MX side Club Atlas, 2-1, in 2019. “Liga MX, because of the World Cup, moved their schedule.
You’ll see we have an October date off; that was originally going to be Liga MX’s fall break, but they shifted after our schedule got announced,” Mann said. “Their only break, really, is in June, which we already have every date (filled). … And then the September frame time window they’re available, we already have games scheduled. “I’m not going to say it’s dead dead, but this year with the World Cup, COVID costs going up, nothing’s lined up, unfortunately.” With the exception of Villarreal’s magical Champions League run, Mann added that DCFC is not in a unique situation.
Most clubs in the United States are running into the same problems. “The landscape, I’ll just be frank, is going to get tougher.
With MLS and Liga MX doing their big Leagues Cup next year, Liga MX teams are going to be pretty booked, schedule-wise,” Mann said. “And European teams, unless airfare gets lower, there’s just not really a way to do it without a really motivated corporate partner to underwrite it.” By the time that DCFC holds its next owner’s meeting, Mann said, the club plans to have formally announced the opening of a new retail space in downtown Detroit.
The club currently has a retail shop at the Detroit City Clubhouse (the upstairs bar and restaurant area of the Detroit City Fieldhouse, where the club trains).
But with limited hours and exposure to the general public, Mann said, the club was looking to build out something a little more stable.
Mann said that it cannot yet reveal the retail space’s location, but it will be "downtown, downtown." It will be open six days a week and it will also serve as a ticket office, where tickets can be purchased without paying any fees, Mann said. “It helps our exposure, but it’s also a good business move.
We have a lot of foot traffic in Hamtramck; this space will be even bigger and better,” Mann said. source