WHEN: 5 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Fitzpatrick Stadium
TELEVISION: NESN/ESPN+
OUTLOOK: This will be both the second game for both teams in the Jagermeister Cup, an in-season tournament that includes all of USL Championship (24 teams) and USL League One (14) squads, divided into six regional groups of six or seven teams. Each team plays four matches in its group — two at home and two away. The six group winners and the two second-place teams with the best records advance to the knockout stage. The eventual championship earns $100,000. Portland is currently 11th in the third-tier USL League One standings at 1-1-5, and has an overall record of 3-3-5. The Hearts lost their Jagermeister Cup opener at Hartford Athletic and are essentially in a must-win situation to have any hope of advancing beyond group play. Detroit City, currently fifth in the Eastern Conference of the second-tier USL Championship, won its Jagermeister opener against a league foe, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Nicknamed Le Rouge in honor of Detroit’s French heritage and the River Rouge that runs through Detroit and surrounding areas, Detroit City FC is 4-2-5 in league play and 6-3-5 overall, and is 0-1-3 in its last four matches. Unlike regular-season USL games, if this match is tied after regulation, it will go immediately to a penalty kick shootout to determine a winner. Teams earn three points for a regulation win, two for a PK win, and one for a PK loss. Entering Saturday, 15 games in the Jagermeister Cup have pitted League One teams versus a Championship team. The Championship squads have a 10-3 edge in regulation, and each league has a PK win. … Portland is coming off another tie on the road — its fourth in five games — a 1-1 draw at Forward Madison. Nathan Messer scored the equalizer, his first goal in USL1 play, in the first half. Messer is third in the league in crossing passes with 48 and was named to the USL League One team of the week, his second such honor. Two other potential Hearts goals were disallowed by offsides calls, erasing strikes by pro rookies Titus Washington and Mickey Reilly. Reilly, a high-energy performer who can play in multiple spots, has started the last two games. Since Portland last played at home, earning its first league win, it signed defender Mo Mohamed to a 25-day contract. Mohamed had appeared in two games this season for the Portland Timbers 2 in the MLS Next Pro league and saw limited minutes in Madison. … Detroit City’s offense features Darren Smith (seven goals), a native of Cape Town, South Africa, who played the past two seasons in Finland (28 goals, 72 matches) before signing a two-year contract with DCFC, and Ben Morris (10 goals in 2024). Devon Amoo-Mensah is a defensive standout and second-team all-league player in 2024. He has played in 99 matches for Le Rouge. … After Saturday’s game, expected to be a third-straight sellout at Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland will return to USL League One play at the fourth-place Chattanooga Red Wolves on June 7. Its next home match is June 15 against Union Omaha.
