Detroit City FC's Abdi Salim celebrates his 53rd-minute goal against Pumas UNAM, which proved the winner in Le Rouge's international exhibition against the Liga MX side on Saturday night at Keyworth Stadium. | Photo courtesy Jon DeBoer / Detroit City FC
Hosting its first international exhibition in five years, Detroit City FC made sure it was a night to remember at Keyworth Stadium.
A second-half goal by Abdi Salim on his debut for Le Rouge earned the hosts a 1-0 victory against historic Liga MX side Pumas UNAM before a festive crowd of more than 7,000 fans that included a good contingent of fans for the visitors.
Pumas had the early initiative and forced DCFC goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher into a pair of early saves before the hosts created their first good look of the game. In the 14th minute, a corner kick was cycled around the top of the penalty area opening up a chance for Daniel Espeleta, whose shot rattled the post.
On a night in which the hosts used all of its available squad, the trio of Yazeed Matthews, Maxi Rodriguez and Elvis Amoh combined six minutes before halftime to create an opportunity for Amoh which went just over the crossbar.
Eight minutes into the second half, however, an angled free kick by Ryan Williams from the right channel found Salim in the left side of the penalty area for a headed finish that tucked inside the left post.
Both sides continued to rotate their lineups as Pumas continued its preparation for the upcoming 2024 Liga MX which kicks off on July, with a trio of USL Academy signings seeing action for Le Rouge in Louis Sala, Khaled Jamoukha, and Bennett Quijand, but Steinwascher closed out the shutout to give Le Rouge another boost in confidence ahead of Wednesday night’s return to league action as Birmingham Legion FC visits for a 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.