Match Preview: Lansing Common vs Inter Detroit
This weekend, Lansing Common FC has a chance to win the Midwest Premier League’s Eastern Conference title after jumping up to first place in the standings. Players and fans alike are anxiously waiting for Saturday’s showdown against second-place Inter Detroit at Eastern Stadium.
A win would see the Robins lift their first-ever trophy in front of their home fans in just their second season as an organization.
However, a win for Inter Detroit would give them an insurmountable point total that would see them take the trophy home. Should the game end in a draw, Inter would trail Lansing by two points and the result of their game against Michigan Stars U23s the following day would decide the title.
The stage was set for this pivotal showdown after the Robins navigated a turbulent start to their month of July.
Lansing Common began their final month of play at Eastern Stadium with a Grand River Open Cup clash against familiar foe Tulip City United SC on July 1. The Robins were led into the match by player-coach Julian Birge, who temporarily assumed coaching duties after the sudden departure of head coach Josh Oakley earlier in the week.
Birge rotated the roster for that Cup game and gave minutes to several players who had received little game action up to that point in the season. The Robins battled against a Tulip City team that would not break down easily. The game ended as a 0-1 defeat due to a late Tulip City goal scored in the 90th minute. It was Lansing’s second straight loss at home and solidified a third-place finish in Group A of the Grand River Open Cup.
Assistant coach Brent Sorg took over interim head coaching duties and led the Robins back to their winning ways in a Midwest Premier League weekend doubleheader. They earned all six points from back-to-back games against Livonia City and BiH Grand Rapids.
The following week, Lansing was again faced with another weekend doubleheader. However, this weekend split would take the team on the road for both games with a valuable experience to be had and valuable points on the line. The Robins would first take a six-hour trip to Wisconsin to take on Milwaukee Torrent in the NISA Independent Cup. With both teams having already been eliminated from the competition, the match was an opportunity for more players to get minutes heading into the final few weeks of the season. With a squad that had several players out of their regular positions, the Robins suffered a 4-0 loss on the other side of Lake Michigan.
In that weekend’s finale, Lansing would head to Washington, MI to face the Michigan Stars U23s in a game with title implications. The Robins needed a win to overtake Inter Detroit for first place in the Eastern Conference after Inter failed to pick up a point in their 3-1 loss to Cedars FC the night before. The Robins battled back after going down 1-0 early on to pull even with a Landon Hungerford goal in the 31st minute to send the two teams into the break tied 1-1.
After a heroic 12-save performance by Ethan Brandt in goal, the Robins would turn to their talisman, Guershom Sylvain, who went on a patented solo run past a few Stars defenders and calmly slotted the ball just inside the far post to give Lansing a 2-1 lead that they would see through to the final whistle.
The win over Stars put the Robins on top of the table for the first time this season and set up this weekend’s showdown against Inter Detroit with the Eastern Conference title on the line.
All eyes will be on Saturday’s matchup at Eastern Stadium when the Robins give it their all in the final game of their roller-coaster season. Tickets are available online or at the gate.
