NISA Fall Championship: Subs come through for Detroit City FC in final

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Oct 3, 2020

Host Detroit City FC won the first NISA championship when it rallied for two goals to defeat the Oakland Roots, 2-1, in Friday's final.



The Roots, who will play in the USL Championship in 2021, appeared to headed to the fall championship title thanks to a first-half goal from Johnny Rodriguez. But Shawn-Claud Lawson and Ryan Peterson came off the bench to score late goals for Le Rouge, which beat the Roots, 2-1, in similar fashion in the group stage.

Three minutes after entering the match, Lawson, who scored the winner in the first meeting, tied the score with his fourth goal of the tournament. In the 84th minute, Peterson scored the winner when he latched on to a long ball from goalkeeper Jean Antoine and chipped the charging Roots keeper Christian Herrera.

The Roots piled on the pressure in stoppage time, but Jack McInerney hit the crossbar, and two other Detroit subs, Evans Frimpong and Connor Rutz, saved balls off the line.

2020 Detroit City FC fall champions
Goalkeeper
Jean Antoine (Haiti, 27), first season
Defenders
Stephen Carroll (Ireland, 26), fourth season
Tendai Jirira (Zimbabwe, 28), second season
Kevin Venegas (USA, 31), first season (1 goal)
Sebastian Capozucchi (Chile, 24), first season
Midfielders
James Filerman (USA, 24), first season
Douglas Goodman (USA, 25), second season
Michael Kafari (Ghana, 28), first season (1 goal)
Cyrus Saydee (Liberia, 28), ninth season
Ibrahim Conteh (Sierra Leone, 23), first season
Evans Frimpong (Ghana, 31), second season
Connor Rutz (USA, 23), first season (2 goals)
Forwards
Yazeed Matthews (South Africa, 24), second season (1 goal)
Max Todd (Scotland, 24), first season (1 goal)
Ryan Peterson (USA, 24), first season (1 goal)
Shawn-Claud Lawson (Canada, 26), fourth season (5 goals)
Note: In parentheses are goals for Fall Season and Fall Championship.