Welcome to the Soccer Tavern, where we’re discussing the history, culture, and philosophy of the beautiful game. My name is Dave and in this video, we’re talking about the history of Club Internacional de Futbol Detroit, better known as Inter Detroit. Pull up a seat and let’s start the discussion.
Inter Detroit is located in Pontiac, Michigan. Pontiac is about 25 miles northwest of the city of Detroit, Michigan. Michigan is located in the central, northern part of the United States.
The club currently play in the Open Division of the Michigan Premier Soccer League or MPSL. The MPSL is Michigan’s top amateur league and is likely the 5th tier of the US soccer pyramid. I say likely because the United States doesn’t have a true soccer pyramid and there are technically no divisions below the 3 fully professional divisions. The Open Division is the 3rd tier of the MPSL, so Inter likely play in the 7th tier of US Soccer.
Inter splits its home matches between Oakland University Track & Field Stadium, which seats roughly 500 spectators, & Auburn Hills Civic Center, which seats close to 150 spectators.
Origin
The club was formed in 2017 as Coahuila FC by Edwin Jimenez. The name Coahuila was chosen because it paid homage to Edwin’s family roots in Coahuila, Mexico. The club was originally created as a way for Edwin to play indoors with his family & close friends. He soon realized that the club had potential as it provided young urban adults an opportunity to play under an organized club.
After success with Coahuila FC, Edwin decided to partner with Omar Trevizo. With the partnership, the club rebranded as Club Internacional de Futbol Detroit and created the ultimate platform to take the club to the next level.
Nicknames
The club’s three nicknames are very straightforward. They are Inter Detroit, ID, and simply Inter.
Inter is the shortened version of the Internacional portion of the club’s name. It is a commonly used nickname in world soccer for clubs with Internacional or International in their official name. Obviously Detroit comes from the club’s proximity to the city of Detroit and is included in the club’s official name.
ID is simply the initials for Inter Detroit.
And Inter is simply the first part of the first nickname we’ve already discussed.
See, very straightforward.
Crest
Let’s take a look at the club’s crest now.
The colors of green and black represent the club owner’s Mexican Roots.
The buildings represent the cities of Metro Detroit.
The fist symbolizes the Joe Louis Monument. The monument is a representation of strength and unity of the Metro Detroit area.
And the club’s name is around the outside of the crest. Internacional is Spanish for International, with Inter fielding players from all over the world.
Important Events
I’d like to mention 5 important events in the club’s history in this section.
On February 23, 2019, Inter Detroit held its first ever try out with more than 75 trialists attending. That set a record for an amateur club in the region.
About 3 months later, Inter opened its inaugural season on May 5, 2019 against Sporting Detroit SC. Though Inter lost on the day, over 100 fans attended the match, creating an outstanding atmosphere for an MPSL club.
One week later, on May 12, 2019, Inter played LK St. Clair in the MPSL League Cup. LK St. Clair was two divisions ahead of Inter at the time. The match ended 0-0 with Inter prevailing 5-4 in penalties to advance in the competition.
The next event I want to highlight is the weekend of May 18 & 19, 2019. On May 18, Inter visited Oakland County FC, a power house Semi Pro team from the Midwest. Inter held the match tied 1-1 until the 80th when Oakland County snagged 2 goals to pull away. Inter had over 70 away supporters travel to the match, who supported throughout the full 90 minutes, which was impressive to the Oakland County FC players & supporters.
The following day, Inter faced Force FC, a rival one division ahead, in the Michigan State Cup. After a torrential downpour caused a delay of 35 minutes, Inter scored a goal with minutes left in regulation to advance 2-1 in the cup. It was a GREAT weekend for the new club.
And the final event I’d like to mention happened on June 15, 2019. Inter played Detroit United in the round of 16 of the MPSL League Cup. Inter again pulled off a huge upset over a rival club 2 divisions ahead to win the match 4-3. Inter advanced to the quarterfinals of the cup with that win, which was huge for the young club.
Supporters
Supporters of Inter Detroit are mainly family and friends, as well as many followers from the club’s active social media platforms.
Noteworthy Players
I’d like to highlight 3 players in this section.
Juan Jimenez – Center back who was on the original Coahuila FC and had never missed a game in over two years until a knee injury in the summer of 2019. Juan has 8 Goals & 30 Appearances for the club.
Rene Montanez- Outside back who was also on the original team. Rene has played every single game in club history, making over 40 appearances for Coahuila & Inter combined, scoring 10 Goals.
And lastly, Eduardo Cardenas is a center back who joined the club and has never missed a game. Eduardo made a graceful transition from striker to center back and has more than 40+ appearances for the club.
Noteworthy Managers
The club has only had one manger under both its names. The manager is Luis Jimenez from Pontiac, Michigan. Luis is the brother of Edwin Jimenez (the club’s Owner). Luis is a player favorite and has gained the respect of his peers across multiple leagues.
Rivals
The club has 3 main rivals. Sporting Detroit, Wayne County Sporting, and LK St. Clair.
Inter has no wins and 2 losses vs Sporting in league play. Owners of both clubs are good friends and the games are always thrillers. It is a friendly rivalry.
Inter has only faced Wayne County Sporting one time and lost the match, but WCS is another Latino based club in the region fighting to see who’s best.
And lastly, the rivalry with LK St Clair comes from facing off in knockout competitions. Inter knocked LSC out of the League Cup, while LSC beat inter in the State Cup. This rivalry should continue to grow in the future if the teams face each other in more knockout competitions.
Stats & Records
The stats and records we’re about to discuss are as of October 2019, which is when we are recording this video.
Inter has played one season in the Open Division of the MPSL and plans to venture out in the years to come.
The club has not won a trophy yet but hopes to win some silverware soon.
Inter’s record first team appearance holders are Rene Montanez & Eduardo Cardenas who each have more than 40 appearances for the club.
The club’s record goal scorer is Irvin Castro with 15 goals. Second place is Dante White with 10 goals.
Oscar Jimenez has the most clean sheets in the club’s history.
And one last interesting fact about the club: Inter gives out free popcorn at all home games. It’s also free admission and the club does other giveaways during matches.
So there you have it… a bit of history on Club Internacional de Futbol Detroit. Let’s continue the discussion in the comments section below the video.
Thanks for stopping by the Soccer Tavern. Hope to see you again soon. Vamos Inter!
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