A Decade of Cup Clashes: Michigan's Most Compelling Open Cup Rivalry
USL Detroit City FC

A Decade of Cup Clashes: Michigan's Most Compelling Open Cup Rivalry

Published on March 31, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Detroit City FC News Release


Detroit City FC vs. the Flint City Bucks
Detroit City FC vs. the Flint City Bucks
(Detroit City FC)

DETROIT - Detroit City FC's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup story with the Michigan/Flint City Bucks has unfolded over a decade, turning early-round ties into one of U.S. soccer's most compelling cup rivalries.

It began in 2015, when Le Rouge made only their second Open Cup appearance and drew a road trip to perennial cup giant Michigan Bucks at Pontiac's Ultimate Soccer Arenas. In front of a national streaming audience, the Bucks showed their quality, rolling to a 3-0 win that announced a new Motor City matchup to the wider American soccer world. For Detroit's young club and its traveling support, it was a harsh lesson: In Michigan, cup pedigree still belonged to the Bucks.

The rematch a year later flipped the script. Drawn away again in 2016, Detroit City arrived in Pontiac determined to prove it had closed the gap. Over 120 tense minutes, the sides canceled each other out before City goalkeeper Evan Louro delivered a defining performance in the shootout, setting up Bret Nason to bury the clinching penalty for a 4-3 win on kicks. For the first time, Le Rouge had gone into the Bucks' house and walked out with the cup ticket.

By 2018, the rivalry had outgrown neutral descriptions. This time, City hosted, welcoming the then-Michigan Bucks to a packed Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck for another first-round tilt. Shawn-Claud Lawson's opener and a late Bucks penalty pushed the game to extra time and, again, to penalties. Reduced to 10 men, Detroit still found a way, with Roddy Green slotting home the decisive kick for a second straight shootout triumph. The roar that greeted Green's winner cemented Bucks-City as must-watch Open Cup theater.

In the years since, both clubs have evolved. The Bucks rebranded as Flint City Bucks, moved to Atwood Stadium in Flint, and this spring returned to the national stage by knocking off USL League One side Forward Madison 2-0 for their 11th all-time professional upset. Detroit, meanwhile, has climbed the pyramid to the USL Championship and opened its 2026 Open Cup campaign with a 5-1 dismantling of Michigan Rangers FC, featuring five unanswered goals and a showcase of attacking depth.

Now comes Chapter Four. U.S. Soccer has awarded Flint City hosting rights for the second round, meaning Le Rouge will head to Don Batchelor Field in Grand Blanc for a winner-take-all cup night under the lights. On one side stands a decorated pre-professional club that has made a habit of giant-killing. On the other hand, a battle-tested USL Championship side is eyeing another deep run.

The series stands with the Bucks' emphatic 2015 win answered by Detroit's back-to-back shootout victories in 2016 and 2018. On paper, 2026's fixture may be a second-round matchup, but for those in the know, it's something more: a decade-long argument over who truly owns the Open Cup crown in Michigan.

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

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Detroit City FC vs. the Flint City Bucks
Detroit City FC vs. the Flint City Bucks
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 31, 2026


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