Things were looking grim for Detroit City FC.

After Hope Avayevu’s goal with 19 minutes to go gave Phoenix Rising FC a two-goal lead on home turf April 12, Le Rouge faced an uphill fight to get anything out of its trip to Arizona as it sought to stay in touch with the leaders in the Eastern Conference.

Enter Darren Smith.

The South African forward hadn’t made a big impact since being brought on with half-an-hour to play, recording the fewest touches on the team since his entrance. In the blink of an eye, that all changed. With three minutes to go, Smith drifted off his marker inside the penalty area and knocked home a feathery volley off Rhys Williams’ cross to halve the deficit.

Two minutes later, the combination struck again. Williams’ low cross from the left got jammed initially as Smith tried to sweep home a finish at the top of the six-yard area, but staying with the play he fired home at the second attempt to level.

A minute later, Jeciel Cedeño capped one of the most remarkable comebacks in the USL Championship’s history with a curling winner, giving Detroit a 3-2 victory to maintain its push to be among the Eastern Conference’s early contenders this season.

“It’s something special for me to come on and make such an impact off the bench,” said Smith. “But in truth, I am just delighted that we were able to come back and get the win for the team.”

For his standout performance, Smith is April’s Prinx Impact Sub of the Month, a new series highlighting key substitutions that have changed the course of a game for a side.

Smith has been a key arrival for Detroit City since his offseason signing. The 29-year-old followed up his two-goal performance in Phoenix with another against Rhode Island FC, making him the first player to score a brace in consecutive games since Le Rouge joined the Championship in 2022.

Now leading in the USL Championship’s Golden Boot race with seven tallies – while also adding the game-winner in the club’s USL Jägermeister Cup opener against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on April 26, Smith is helping push Detroit to new heights so far this season.

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