As San Diego Loyal prepares for its 2023 regular season opener on March 11 at Torero Stadium against Detroit City FC, they will undoubtedly have to find a way to deal with a player who needs no introduction to soccer fans across the country: Stephen Carroll.

The 29-year-old Irishman and captain of Le Rouge, as Detroit City FC is nicknamed, has been a staple in their defensive backline for several years as his team visits San Diego for the first time in 16 months.

“It’s been a while, I love San Diego and the city is great plus the weather is always great,” said Carroll. “I know San Diego Loyal is a good team that attracts a lot of talented players. They’re in a perfect spot being in San Diego and who doesn’t want to play in San Diego? I feel they are going to be a very strong attacking team which is going to be tough for us on Saturday, especially being the first game of the season.”

The last time Detroit City played in San Diego was on Oct. 16, 2021, at Canyon Crest Academy against 1904 FC when it was still a member of the National Independent Soccer Association  (NISA) with Carroll scoring the game-winner in the 68th minute to help Le Rouge come out with the 2-1 victory. At that point; Detroit City FC had gone undefeated in 31 of its previous 32 matches including a 27-game undefeated steak which still stands as the longest among the five professional soccer leagues recognized by the United States Soccer Federation.

“NISA was great to us, obviously we were taking a step through the soccer pyramid here,” he added. “Winning what’s possible is always a great thing, especially in a professional environment. It’s a great thing to actually win a trophy as a professional.”

Carroll ended up with two NISA MVP awards including the 2020 Fall Championship Golden Ball Award for his performance during that season’s championship tournament in what turned out to be the first of three-straight league titles before joining the USL Championship in 2022. He played a total of 30 games last season and logged over 2,600 minutes of playing time as Detroit City ended up making the playoffs in its rookie season competing at the Division 2 level.

Carroll’s passion for soccer started early on with his father’s side of the family being into the sport while his mother’s side was into Gaelic football and hurling which are just as popular in Ireland.

“It’s a very sporting family from both sides, I played as much sport as I could until I was 16 or 17,” said Carroll. “Then after I had to choose and that’s when soccer came out on top. I think it was a good decision.”

He appeared on the bench for the Cork City FC senior team of the Irish First Division in 2012 after spending time in their academy system. Since coming to play in the United States his impact on the pitch has only helped increase the support among the Detroit City FC fandom.

Carroll was married in May of 2022 with his whole immediate family and about 25 friends coming over for the wedding which gave them a chance to see him play as Detroit City came out with a 3-1 win over Atlanta United 2.

“My mother has been over a few times, I think she’s been to two or three games at Keyworth Stadium,” Carroll concluded. “I appreciate anyone who can make it to San Diego and see us play. We’re going to give it our all and try to pick up points as we get this season on the road.”

Photo by Jon DeBoer