Birmingham Grasps Late 1-1 Draw

Detroit City Football Club wrapped up a four-match road trip with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Birmingham Legion FC on Sunday evening. Alex Villanueva’s 47th-minute goal gave Le Rouge an early second-half lead, but Birmingham answered off a corner kick in the 81st minute through Phanuel Kavita to salvage a point.

Head coach Danny Dichio made two lineup changes from last weekend’s game, bringing in Connor Rutz and Jay Chapman, while Sebastián Guenzatti and Ryan Williams were absent from the squad.

The first half saw a slow start with limited chances for both sides. Birmingham held a slight edge in possession early on, but Detroit grew into the game, nearly scoring before halftime as Devon Amoo-Mensah’s shot narrowly missed.

Detroit came out stronger after halftime, and Villanueva’s strike from just inside the box put Le Rouge ahead. It marked Villanueva’s first goal of the season and sparked hope for a road victory.

Birmingham responded quickly with a fast break, only to be denied by a spectacular save from Detroit keeper Carlos Herrera. The match intensified, with both teams picking up multiple yellow cards in a physical contest.

Despite Detroit’s late push and a substitution to add fresh legs, Birmingham capitalized on a corner kick scramble to level the score with ten minutes remaining. Neither team could break the deadlock in stoppage time, as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The result marks Detroit City FC’s third consecutive draw on the road and concludes their challenging four-match trip. The only loss during this stretch came in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, where Detroit fell 4-0 to Chicago Fire.

Detroit City now looks ahead to their next match, eager to turn draws into wins at home.