Hamtramck — It seems like every week some Detroit City FC player explains his recent success by saying he is being encouraged to look for attacking opportunities.

Next up is Rhys Williams who, after going 85 games without scoring in his DCFC career, has scored in two consecutive games for the club.

“(I have) a little bit of freedom to move around the court, get behind the ball and just not be afraid to shoot,” Williams said. “I wasn’t really shooting much, I was just trying to get to the end zone and cross it. I was in position to do it and the defender didn’t step up, so I was like, ‘You know what? Let me just see what happens.’”

Magic happened. Saturday’s goal in the 44th minute of Miami FC’s 4-0 win came just outside Williams’ hometown, where an estimated 20 friends and family members witnessed the second goal.

“They were always there, of course. Very supportive over the last few years,” Williams said of his parents. “It was nice to finally give them something to celebrate. No, it was a great feeling. I had some of my best friends from childhood, and my parents, too.”

Williams previously thought he had scored his first goal earlier this season when he took a shot against North Carolina FC on April 6 that deflected off a defender and into the net — but it was ruled an own goal. Later in the same match, Williams took a forearm to the face while running into the penalty area, suffering a broken cheekbone that required surgery and sidelined him for more than a month.

DCFC head coach Danny Dichio said he wanted the player to move higher up the pitch because he is an “effective weapon” and has “the confidence to attack opponents, which I think is rare these days.”

Williams has traditionally played more in defence than attack, but Dichio has made it his intention to ensure Williams scores more goals this season.

“Most players like to play up front and get the ball in the pockets, where he’s a guy who can get the ball on the wing and has the confidence to play one-on-one,” Dichio said. “We want to take advantage of that. We don’t have a lot of pace in the team, especially in the forward line.”

Departing flights

Yesterday DCFC suffered a big loss as an assistant coach Yianni Michelis has officially left for a new job abroad. Michelis, in his first season at DCFC, left on Tuesday to become a video analyst at Beşiktaş JK in the Turkish Süper Lig. The move represents a major promotion for Michelis.

This season, DCFC have already had to come to terms with the loss of a member of their technical staff, who replaced their former Football Operations Manager Chris Stanton — who also left to take on a larger role elsewhere — with Daniel Fajardowho worked with Chicago House AC for some time.

Tuesday was also an opportunity for Dichio to explain his departure Ali Cootean exciting striker signed by DCFC last off-season, whose contract was sold to the Irish club just months into his career. Coote’s final spell with the club came on June 15 in a win over Charleston Battery, in which he did not feature.

“He was really homesick. I think he realized when he got there that it was a completely different place than what he was used to in Europe,” Dichio said. “He’s a guy who’s never been to the U.S. before, so that kind of worried me, but we liked what we saw. We talked to him on the phone and he seemed positive about coming. I don’t think it was because he didn’t try hard; he just had trouble adjusting to the pace of the league and I think he was a little surprised by the quality of the league.

“First of all, I think he really missed his family. He’s really close to his father and he just said he had to come home. Sometimes that’s all.”

Team of the week

Defender Michael Bryant produced one of his best performances of the season in Detroit’s 4-0 win over Miami, earning him a spot on the USL Championship Team of the Week award.

Bryant scored in the 51st minute, his first of the season, and completed 96 percent of his passes, connecting on 4 of 6 long balls, 3 of 4 one-on-ones and forcing two fouls in the 90 minutes.