DETROIT — Detroit City FC welcomes Liga MX side Club Universidad Nacional, better known as Pumas UNAM, to Keyworth Stadium on Saturday for an international friendly. The match will be Detroit’s first international friendly since the COVID pandemic. Kickoff is set for 7 pm EDT, and the only way to watch this match is at Keyworth Stadium.
Le Rouge comes into this friendly match off of a 2-0 victory against Charleston Battery last weekend. A defensive struggle was broken open with a penalty converted by Maxi Rodriguez in the 87th minute. Elvis Amoh doubled the Detroit lead in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time with a brilliant goal after juggling the ball around two Charleston defenders.
On Saturday, Detroit City will kick off their ninth international friendly in club history. The first-ever friendly in club history was in 2016 against then 6th-tier English club side FC United of Manchester, in which the teams played to a 3-3 draw.
In 2017, Le Rouge hosted two European opponents: Glentoran FC from the Northern Irish 1st tier and Venezia FC from the Italian 2nd tier. Detroit City won both matches, defeating Glentoran 1-0 and Venezia 2-0.
In 2018, Detroit welcomed three international opponents, FC St. Pauli from 2. Bundesliga, Club Necaxa from Liga MX, and Frosinone Calcio from Serie A. Despite being defeated in all three matches, the game against Frosinone saw Le Rouge set a new club attendance record of 7,887, which still stands today.
In the most recent season with friendlies, 2019, DCFC welcomed two Liga MX sides to Keyworth, FC Juarez and Club Atlas. Detroit fell to Juarez but defeated Club Atlas 2-1.
Pumas UNAM is one of the most historical clubs in Mexico. Founded in 1954, the club boasts seven Liga MX titles, three CONCACAF Champions Cups, one Copa MX trophy, two Campeón de Campeones cups, one Copa Interamericana championship, and one Segunda División de México title.
Los Pumas is also well known for its youth academy, which has produced many well-known international players, such as Hugo Sánchez, Luis Flores, Jorge Campos, and Jesús Gallardo.
Pumas come into this matchup as a warmup for their 2024 Apertura season. UNAM saw their 2024 Clausura season end in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Cruz Azul with an aggregate score of 4-2.
Detroit City returns to USL Championship play on Wednesday as they welcome Birmingham Legion FC to Keyworth Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for all Detroit City matches can be found at www.detcityfc.com/tickets.
For more information about Detroit City FC, visit detcityfc.com and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram.
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Primary Media Contact: Jarrett Maki (Sports Information Director, jarrett.maki@detcityfc.com)
