David Critchley is looking for growth vs Portland Timbers.

When St. Louis CITY SC hosts the Portland Timbers on Sunday evening, they will be well aware of their place in the table. The playoff math is not in their favor, especially after this most recent five match stretch. The gulf between 14th and 9th has stretched to 12 points, but the squad is still hungry to show that they can turn this thing around.

So, while three points would be celebrated, the group is not dancing around their current situation.

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There will be some help.

Tyson Pearce and Jaziel Orozco have received short-term loans for the second straight week.

Fullback has been a position the club has been desperate to find a long-term option, and Orozco impressed in his CITY SC debut last week with a 100% tackle rate and completed 45/49 passes. Pearce replaced Tomáš Ostrák last weekend and subsequently impressed in his 27-minute appearance, where he completed 92% of his passes and 100% of his tackles.

Tyson Pearce and Jaziel Orozco’s inclusion will be bolstered by Edu Löwen’s return to the lineup. Löwen’s absences have loomed large over CITY SC’s struggles this season, but his return to training this week was felt through Marcel Hartel’s comments after Friday’s pre-match session.

“He is a very good player,” Hartel said. “I know that when he’s playing, I know he can break the lines, I know I can have my position much higher, and we can have a smaller gap between us and the opponents.”

Sentiments shared by manager David Critchley.

“Edu will be a focus for part of the game this weekend,” Critchley added. “His presence is contagious on and off the field. On the field, we know his skills. We know he’s a very technical, very talented footballer.”

CITY SC players are bringing a small level of confidence into this one.

Portland offers Critchley his first opportunity to revisit a previous opponent. In Portland, his squad broke the deadlock through Akil Watts’s first goal of the season, but they couldn’t hold on for a result with David Ayala’s stoppage-time goal twisting the knife.

“I thought Portland was one of the better performances for me since I’ve taken over.” Critchley said. “To come back now and face them again at home, we should have the advantage. We know where we stand in the table, but we’re back in front of our fans and our supporters. Combine that with a really good training week, I’m really excited to watch these guys.”

Now, CITY SC will need to find a way to be more efficient in its attacking opportunities. In Portland, the group scored just once on 2.57 expected goals. They outplayed Portland on that day, but luck—injuries, bad bounces, and otherwise—has not been on their side.

That in mind, the starting lineup should look similar to what lined up in Salt Lake. Jake Girdwood-Reich and Josh Yaro started as the CB pair, but Michael Wentzel’s return to the group may see a return to a younger pairing that Critchley complimented in a previous appearance.

St. Louis desperately needs a win, not just to scrape themselves off the floor but for personal pride. They’ve yet to win without Edu Löwen in the lineup, but maybe the German’s return can be a catalyst for a late-season surge.

Regardless of the result, St. Louis has to show growth ahead of a pivotal transfer window.

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