Detroit City FC set to bring passion, fans, history to Major Arena Soccer League Women

DETROIT, Michigan – Today, Detroit City FC announced that the club will be joining the newly Major Arena Soccer League Women for the 2024-25 season.

Last season, the club made its arena soccer debut, appearing in the Premier Arena Soccer League where they would fall in the national semifinal to Snohomish Sky of Washington.

MASL W was created with the summer unification of the PASL and Major Arena Soccer League 3 to create an expanded men's division of 27 teams for 2024-25, and the creation of MASL W which will feature 20 teams in action over the winter.

Detroit City FC sold out all of its home matches at the Detroit City Fieldhouse in its first season in arena soccer and played to an 8-2 regular season record, scoring 80 goals while only conceding 30.

Familiar faces from the USL W League outdoor team in Kayla Addison, Gabby Schriver, Hannah Crum, Tatiana Mason, and Amanda Britain to name a few, played key parts in the success of the arena side last year, before helping the women’s outdoor team achieve new heights in the 2024 USL W League season.

“Le Rouge”, as they are affectionately known by their enthusiastic fan base, came from behind to defeat Indy Eleven to claim the first-ever trophy on the women’s side, winning the 2024 USL W League Central Conference Final at Keyworth Stadium, 3-1, this summer.

Addison and Detroit' City's Shannon McCarthy were also part of the United States team for the 2024 Minifootball World Cup held in October in Croatia, where the U.S. successfully defended the title they also won in 2021. Addison led the team in PASL play last season with 20 goals while McCarthy led the team in assists with 13.

“Detroit City's quality speaks for itself. They are a top notch organization, both on the men's and women's side. They are all about quality and putting together a great program  both on the field and in the community,” MASL W Commissioner Chris Economides said. “They will represent the sport and league with professionalism, pride and enthusiasm and will be one of the team's to beat t his year I believe.”

Founded in 2012, Detroit City FC has established itself as one of the most talked about soccer teams in North America.  Their club motto, Passion for Our City, Passion for the Game, evokes the three ideas the grassroots organization was built upon: to satisfy the demand for soccer in downtown Detroit, represent the city in a positive light, and build community through “the beautiful game.”

Head Coach Dani Evans said the club  learned plenty in the PASL last season, and is excited to be playing under the MASL brand, which now features some 80 men's and women's teams in four different leagues.

"In our inaugural year of arena soccer, we learned so much about the game. The dynamics are drastically different from 11v11 soccer, requiring us to adjust our tactics significantly to be successful on a boarded field,” Evans noted. “This year in the MASL, we aim to apply those lessons. The team is excited to get back on the field - after a brief break between the outdoor season and the start of indoor play, they’re eager to jump back into action. The energy from our fans is exhilarating, and we’re committed to giving our all to those who support us. It’s non-stop action, and we can’t wait to bring our best to the arena".

The team will play in the four-team Great Lakes North Division along with Kalamazoo United FC, the West Shore Ambition and Indiana United. Detroit  is scheduled to open its 2024-25 season Dec. 21 at Kalamazoo, with the highly-anticipated home opener on January 4, also against Kalamazoo.

For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.

Fore more information on the league, visit www.maslw.com.