St. Louis CITY SC draw FC Dallas as much needed reinforcements arrive.

St. Louis CITY SC sure knows how to keep things interesting. A 3-3 draw against 5th-place FC Dallas may have been a stomachable result heading into the night, but it was a clear missed opportunity for a group that led 3-1 in the 80th minute. FC Dallas grabbed momentum by the horns and pulled back within a goal in the 81st minute before CITY SC’s inefficiency — and a missed handball in the corner — came back to haunt them in the name of Logan Farrington's 97th-minute equalizer.

It started well enough; Simon Becher netted his 4th goal in as many matches and his 5th since the season resumed. He now has as many goals in the restart as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Denis Bouanga.

Simon Becher, one of the stars of Major League Soccer, as many have always said.

Dallas quickly drew level; however, when a Shaq Moore re-press turned into a scoring opportunity inside the box. 

Level through most of the first, St. Louis still had the most dangerous opportunities as they found space in behind the backline. Conrad Wallem and Tomas Totland continued to buzz, and finally, a juicy rebound from Simon Becher’s effort in the 43rd minute was met by a chasing Daniel Edelman, who is starting to sniff out more of those opportunities.

The 2-1 lead at the half was just desserts for a group who had the better of Dallas to the tune of 0.8 xG to 0.38 and 1.66 xG on target to Dallas’s 0.74. 

Into the 2nd half, Alex Mǎțan — who may have been the best player on the night — exited for Carlo Holse for his longest appearance since arriving earlier this month. Holse then quickly scored his first in CITY Red when Wallem found his back-post run after a nice interplay sequence with Sangbin. Holse’s first was nearly automatic, simply needing to redirect his effort into an empty net but, as CITY fans can attest, it’s not always that simple.

Up 3-1, Dallas were able to answer the bell. Partly due to a tired St. Louis group and Homse having to shoulder possession responsibilities on the left side. Zach Zaengue looked the part in his MLS debut, but Damet admitted afterwards that his inclusion was a compromise in light of Palmer Ault’s injury in training. Zengue was dispatched as more of a 9.5 on Becher’s right, interplaying with Wallem much in the way Sangbin had over the 72 minutes prior. 

All of this – the unstable formation, the tired legs, and a formidable opponent – meant that St. Louis were vulnerable. Still, 10 minutes to see out a 2-goal lead should have been enough, but Ineagha’s late-arriving run on the 81st-minute corner made it 3-2. Then, sloppiness in the corner — when St. Louis had a few opportunities to attack the goal with numbers — coupled with a clear handball at the feet of the AR led to Dallas’s game-tying march down the pitch. Farrington timed his run well off Petar Musa’s shoulder in the dying embers, and his effort beat Roman Bürki to grab a share of the points.

"We're frustrated." Daniel Edelman said, "Just let it slip away from us at the end. Played a great game but, yeah, we have to reflect and look at the goals because we had them right where we wanted them. I think everyone on the field, guys on the bench, we all feel like we could have done better."

This might be harsh, but Dallas generated 1.89 xGoT off of 0.79 xG; that’s a match that St. Louis should have had no issue seeing out but the final shot, while tricky, is one that Roman Bürki will have nightmares about if CITY SC miss out on a home playoff spot by 2 points. 

Bürki should be able to get to a less than 0.1 expected goal effort; he saved a tougher-headed effort minutes earlier. As St. Louis reaches the end of the window, their DP captain has to be the difference maker. On Sunday night, he let it slip through his fingers.

A few things can be true:

• Yoann Damet’s bench is depleted with Ault and Ostrák unavailable. 
• Damet needs to find reasons to trust players like Mykhi Joyner, Mbacke, and Miggy Perez. 
• St. Louis has struggled late in matches this season.
• CITY SC needed to keep their foot on the gas rather than playing to the corner for 10+ minutes.
• The AR stared directly at a handball that, if called, would give St. Louis enough time to ice the match.
• Even then, Roman Bürki needs to save Farrington’s effort. 

"I don't think we defended poorly." Damet said. "I think it's more key moments in the game. There is that corner, the second goal. The last one is second phase with the other ball, and the ball comes back, and they get to run inside the box. Those are moments where you need to take care of the defensive aspect, and the first goal is deflected, I believe. So again, overall, I don't think we defend poorly. Far from it. I think we did a good job but those key moments, if you don't take care of it against a good side, you get punished."

The other lasting point is that Carlo Holse has continued to shine.

Of course, there have been moments where he needs to take more care on the ball, and he is clearly still adjusting to life in MLS along with the tactical ask from Yoann Damet, but for a player who has had to adjust on the fly, it’s hard to expect more.

In 137 minutes, Holse has scored his first goal and, according to the American Soccer Analysis data, is up to 0.41 goals added and 1.5 xG +xA. 

"It's going in the right direction." Holse said. "I've come from zero training, almost, and five training sessions before this. So, it's taking small steps. That's for sure. I cannot go in and just make an impact straight away when I come from preseason and the guys here are in the middle of the season. So, it's going in the right direction. I'm taking it day by day now. I feel like with every game that's been played so far, it's getting better and better."

There has been an expectation that Holse will need to instantly match Marcel Hartel’s impact, but so far he has been about as good as expected. Hartel averaged 0.19 g+ per 96 minutes this season, ticked up to 0.29 g+ per 96 minutes over the course of the unbeaten streak when he really caught fire. Holse’s per 96 rate is identical, and while it’s unfair to use rate stats on such a small sample size, it at least suggests that what fans have seen from Holse has been in elite company.

The only player with a higher expected goals contribution and goals added per 96 rate than Holse?

Lionel Messi… too many words to say; it could be going much worse. 

Rafael Navarro.

The draw, at the very least, keeps the now 13-match unbeaten streak alive heading into the final day of the transfer window. It is, quite frankly, incredible that, given the comings and goings this month, CITY SC are still at this point, following the departure of Hartel and then Löwen, and compounding on never truly replacing João Klauss.

In fact, their rolling xGD has been higher than ever throughout August even as results slacked without as many difference makers in the lineup. Yoann Damet is proving he is everything that people around the league thought he would be, which makes the potential investment into his group so much more tantalizing.

On that investment, the deal to bring Rafael Navarro to St. Louis will officially be a new record fee for an intra-league cast transfer. Tom Bogert reported the deal as $12 million + add-ons + a new contract for Navarro, which will surpass the fee Cincinnati paid Portland for Evander in 2025.

It’s a statement of intent, opulent even, but CITY gets the guy who will lead St. Louis into their contending window. Navarro is just entering his prime and scored 32 goals in the past two seasons plus another 11 in 2026.

I wrote about Navarro’s fit in last weekend’s match preview – revisit here – but the Brazilian striker is 3rd in MLS in xG, and has been one of the more consistent strikers in the league on top of his value in possession and his work rate on both sides of the ball. 

Colorado has been one of the best defensive clubs in the league this season, and that all starts with Navarro’s work in the press.

A Second Striker.

Additionally, St. Louis is finalizing a deal to bring Southampton, USMNT, and former FC Köln striker Damion Downs in on loan.

Downs, 22, is probably seen as a reclamation project and is coming in on loan through the sprint season next spring. Downs had 15 goal contributions (11 goals, 4 assists) in 32 games for Köln as a 20-year-old in the 2. Bundesliga, but his transfer to Southampton last summer has resulted in a poor fit. Downs quickly found himself out of favor and in search of a loan to Hamburg over the winter. He also struggled through 12 appearances in the Bundesliga, but it’s hard to say if that is his skill set or the general fit as the backup striker for an attack that wasn’t generating many chances. Hamburg had the 2nd fewest expected goals in the Bundesliga last season but did slightly outscore that number.

It’s a low-risk add for Corey Wray; if Downs can find his form – an upside that has landed him on Pochettino’s USMNT radar – then St. Louis will have three good to great MLS strikers at their disposal. If his game isn’t up to the level, then St. Louis won’t need to facilitate a way to move him off the roster.

Comings and Goings.

The key aspect to the addition of Navarro and Downs is supplying an option for Damet that the manager has been dying to showcase. Damet has wanted to deploy a second striker to stretch the lines in certain matchups and scenarios this season, to the point that Zach Zengue was used in that role in his debut against Dallas. That Downs is also a different profile than Navarro and Becher is a boost, another tool for a manager who has found his toolbox lacking throughout August. 

St. Louis may still be active ahead of Wednesday’s midnight deadline; there seems to be a need to add at either midfield or wingback, and there still could be a deal to move Fallou Fall, who has failed to make the matchday roster over the past three matches. Teams have also inquired about Mykhi Joyner this window, but to this point Corey Wray hasn’t entertained any offers; that tells you that teams are interested in a young player who can’t seem to break the lineup this season. 

Heading into the twilight hours of the window, it’s incredible how much the roster has been retooled on the fly… to borrow a Chris Armasism, Corey Wray has had to rebuild the house during a hurricane. 

Since January, St. Louis’s departures now total João Klauss ($2.375 million cashfer to LAG), Cedric Teuchert (option declined), Sergio Córdova (loaned in, option declined), Josh Yaro (loaned out), Jake Girdwood-Reich (undisclosed fee to Motherwell), Marcel Hartel ($1 million to Hannover), and Edu Löwen ($425k GAM with $500k in add-ons). 

7 players out the door for $4-5 million in total value, not including JGR's undisclosed fee. 

Corey Wray has been even more active bringing players in since the winter.

Aquiring Conrad Wallem on a permanent deal (around $2 million), Dante Polvara ($200k to Aberdeen, $150k to NYCFC), Daniel Edelman ($500k 2026 GAM, $200k 2027 GAM + add-ons), Lucas MacNaughton (FA signing), Mbacke (undisclosed), Raphael Santos (FA signing), Zach Zengue on a buy option ($50k GAM), Tahir Reid-Brown ($150k GAM + $300k add-ons), Alex Mǎțan (free transfer), Palmer Ault (CITY2 signing), Carlo Holse ($6 million), Damion Downs (loan), and now Rafael Navarro ($12 million + add-ons). 

Overall, Wray has acquired 13 players for around $21 million in total value, not including add-ons and escalators, around $16 million in total spend after this season’s departures.

That’s a near-complete overhaul and a big spend on top of Holse and Navarro’s DP contracts. The commitment to the build is there, and now the squad has to make good on what has probably been an inefficient roster spend this summer. However, once a player is a DP, that spend doesn’t matter until it reaches a point where ownership cuts it off, and Wray built in flexibility with the low-cost additions of Wallem, Polvara, Edelman, MacNaughton, and Mǎțan.

Glancing forward, Damet's squad could use reinforcements at wingback but the next transformation ahead of the sprint season will be CITY SC’s U22 spots.

Currently, there is one opening following JGR’s departure and will have a 2nd open spot when Sangbin comes off the designation this winter. U22 spend is inherently inefficient and might even change as early as this winter when MLS explores restructuring the salary cap/roster rules. Leaving that flexibility is good, especially if the anticipation is that the U22 mechanism will either be retooled or abandoned in favor of more robust spending across the roster.

Looking ahead.

The road doesn’t get any easier for CITY SC as they embark on their trip through Cascadia. Vancouver continues to be the toast of the Western Conference with a 10-1 goal differential over the last 4 matches. If Navarro is available, the road will look a little smoother, especially with the Whitecaps taking on Montreal midweek in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal, the first of 7 matches in September for the ‘Caps. 

If St. Louis is to keep the unbeaten streak alive, it’s going to take a statement performance.