Daniel Edelman returns to New Jersey. CITY SC prepares for the home stretch.

St. Louis CITY SC are staring down the homestretch of history with a new challenge on the horizon because, believe it or not, CITY SC has never faced Red Bull New York – or New York Red Bulls for that matter. Yoann Damet’s side is searching for a 17th straight result in MLS play, but they’ll face some unknowns as they head to Harrison, New Jersey.

The big questions: what does the starting XI look like given the full week of training, rotations, and the challenge of Michael Bradley’s Red Bulls? How will the unknowns of RBNY’s key absences and the challenges of potentially playing through the nor’easter that is forecasted to hit the area ahead of the match on Saturday?

Assuming this match goes forward as planned, there will be some absences. 

CITY SC will miss Damion Downs, who has been called in for USMNT duty following the injury to Ricardo Pepi last weekend. The absences to RBNY’s XI will be much more noticeable. 

Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall have joined Downs with the USMNT ahead of tomorrow’s match in Orlando; Matthew Dos Santos and Dennis Nelich have been called into the US U19s; Mijahir Jimenez, Rafael Mosquera, and Omar Valencia have already joined Panama for their friendlies against India and New Zealand, and Ronald Donkor was called in for Ghana’s African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. In total, that’s 4 starters from last week’s 0-1 win over NYCFC and 3 big misses in Hall, Mehmeti, and Donkor. 

Damet would love to have more certainty in the lineup his squad faces tomorrow night, saying:

“It might change the profile of the players, but at the end of the day, those opportunities come for players to go to the national team; it usually gives an opportunity to players that are playing a little bit less to get on the field. And those players want to prove themselves to the coach and the coaching staff. I'm not looking at this group and thinking, oh, they've got a couple of guys on international duty, and they are weakened by it. I'm actually looking at it the other way around, thinking like that might make them stronger on the weekend.”

Red Bull enter Saturday’s match with back to back 1-0 wins away from home, largely thanks to the strong hands of former USMNT keeper Ethan Horvath, who has been one of MLS’s best this season. 

Saturday’s match will most likely see Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting start for just the 3rd time this season with Hall on international duty, and the biggest change will be in the midfield where Mehmeti has started all but one match this season, when Ronald Donkor started in the 3-2 win over Orlando. Of course, Donkor won’t be available either. 

In an ideal world, MLS wouldn’t have to play through this international break but it is a problem that will be fixed when MLS switches calendars next summer, and at the very least, MLS is not playing important playoff matches without key players or interrupting its playoff structure to adjust this season.

So, MLS fans will take what they can get even if it potentially negatively affects RBNY’s playoff chase after the Hudson River Derby win vaulted them into 8th place last Friday night. 

It’s worth saying that CITY SC would’ve posed problems for the Red Bull regardless of their absences in the midst of an unbeaten run that will reach 5 months long if they take care of business this weekend. 

Damet will be eager to reach the international break as well.

“We have to embrace it.” Damet said, “We have three weeks of actual training. This week, preparing for New York. Next week with the break, and then the week after we have 5 days to prepare for the Galaxy. I'm very excited by that. I think it's a good opportunity to reset the standards a little bit, but also to push the group and to strengthen everything we've done so far this season. It's also a good opportunity to bring the new guys up to speed with what we've been doing for nine months, because we haven't had too much of an opportunity to get that done with those new guys.”

Daniel Edelman’s Return 

Daniel Edelman arrived in St. Louis searching for growth. 

The 23 year old midfielder experienced remarkable highs for his boyhood club after a playoff hero-level performance in 2024 earned the homegrown player a start in the MLS Cup Final. It was a big moment, but his performance through a tumultuous 2025 season led to a desire for change, especially as the hiring of Michael Bradley and the rise of Adri Mehmeti meant his role in New Jersey would have to change.

“It's definitely been a process in adapting to getting on the ball more,” Edelman said. “ I’m trying to exploit those offensive abilities that I think I've always had in my locker, but now I'm trying to show them more in this philosophy and style of play. Whereas maybe at Red Bull it was a little overlooked at times, or you know what I was asked to do in that system. It wasn't as clear and evident for the eye to see and for the perception.”

The deal has worked out well for all parties.

Mehmeti has quickly transformed into one of the league’s best young CDMs, while Edelman has transformed into a scoring threat of CITY SC’s midfield. 4 goals and 3 assists in 2026, Edelman’s tally bests his cumulative career high for his entire time in New Jersey. 

It’s paying off, and Edelman has improved as the season has marched on and CITY SC has added different options to complement his skill set either in the double pivot or slotted higher up the pitch in the new look midfield diamond.

“I think offensively, wherever I'm asked to play in this system, whether it's out wide in the diamond, or maybe it's a little lower. I think it's been great for me so far.” Edelman said. “The team's getting me in great positions, coaches have been working with me on how to get into the box better, and you can see that I'm starting to add numbers to the game right now.”

The return to New Jersey will be a different feeling for a midfielder who made his first professional appearance with the Red Bulls in 2022 after advancing through the Academy and RBNY2.

“It’s exciting,” Edelman said. “It's never happened to me before, and I think I'm just trying to keep everything chill. It's just another game. Focus on the routines that we've been doing, and not really overanalyze anything, but still appreciate the moment that coming back to where this club gave me everything kickstarted my young career.”

Edelman and CITY SC will hope to tap into some of that 2024 Red Bulls magic to keep the unbeaten streak going. CITY SC could move into 2nd place in the Western Conference with a win, and potentially into 3rd in the Supporter’s Shield standings. It’s not something the team would have been concerned with back in April, but CITY SC now has multiple opportunities to qualify for Concacaf next season. They could qualify early with a win in the US Open Cup Final next month in Columbus but can also qualify via a top 4 finish in the Shield standings (or top 5 if any team ahead of them wins the MLS Cup). CITY SC continue to be the hottest team in the Western Conference, and only behind Philadelphia in points earned since the World Cup break. 

It’s hard to win on the road in MLS, especially when conditions are bound to create unexpected circumstances Saturday on the East Coast, but CITY SC will be expecting to head into the international break with all 3 points in hand. 

“It's a really nice feeling. But we just want to keep going.” Edelman finished.

St. Louis CITY SC Acquires U.S. Youth International Goalkeeper Zack Campagnolo on Loan From Colorado Rapids.

Corey Wray took another swing on Thursday as CITY SC acquired the Colorado Rapids Homegrown on Loan with an option to buy in exchange for the club’s open international spot through the 2027 spring season. 

Goalkeeping is hard to broadcast but Campagnolo rep'd USYNT this summer and was a highly rated GK prospect heading into this season.

Maybe most important for the short term, he should also be MLSNP playoff eligible w/ Welsh's injury (and hasn't had the year he needed).

The GK depth chart does need some mending as Wray and his staff look ahead. Christian Olivares can be the immediate next guy but he's also 24 and was recalled from his loan in Jacksonville after Sporting JAX pivoted to Jake McGuire full-time when Olivares temporarily returned from his loan post-WC break. Does CITY SC just decline his option this winter and attempt to re-sign to a supplemental roster deal? 

There appears to be some worry about where the GK position goes post-Bürki compared to any other position currently. 

So, that CITY SC can take advantage of Colorado's need for an international spot and potentially grab a piece for the future isn’t a bad deal even if it is another lottery ticket compared to what GAM could net in the future.

If you're taking a swing at the depth chart currently:

Roman Bürki (35) - DP through 2027 w/ option

Ben Lundt (31) - 2027

Christian Olivares (24) - club option

Lucas McPartlin (19) - non-contract SLU

Zack Campagnolo (19) - HG contract

Colin Welsh (23) CITY2 2026

Andrew Samuels (21) - non-contract Princeton

Nathaniel Martinez (22) CITY2 2026

There are some more Academy guys like Brady Cochrane (SIUE) and others, but you never know who is going to hit, and you'd rather be prepared with a domestic keeper who can do the job vs. going out and spending big on another Bürki-level signing. It’s also important to remember that CITY SC will value a keeper with the ability to step up and move the ball when shot-stopping numbers are similar. 

Ben Lundt was a US Open Cup hero for his PK performance vs Houston, but he also nearly cost CITY SC points vs SKC earlier this season. That’s the trade-off Corey Wray will consider as he looks to the future, especially with Bürki’s contract coming up mid-season at the end of 2027 or 2028 with the current option. 

It would probably behoove both parties to renegotiate the end of that deal and try to open up a DP spot in the process.