St. Louis CITY SC goes back to back: Brendan McSorley, Bürki key performers.

St. Louis CITY SC hadn’t won two straight matches away from home in over two years, hadn’t won back-to-back since the second and third matches of the season, and hadn’t won back-to-back matchdays on the road since… well… ever. 

Olof Mellberg’s back-to-back wins preceded an eleven-match winless streak, which saw him become the shortest tenured manager in MLS since Troy Lesesne’s NYRB tenure. David Critchley’s final stretch as St. Louis CITY SC’s caretaker manager won’t be as consequential if he hasn’t done enough to win over Diego Gigliani, John Hackworth, and the future Sporting Director, then he’ll still have a place back at CITY2. 

Despite that uncertainty, the momentum is heading in the right direction. 

Young players are thriving in important minutes. João Klauss, Marcel Hartel, and Edu Löwen have found confidence in their roles, and, well, they’re finally benefiting from luck. 

Brendan McSorley (McScorley) has arrived.

St. Louis didn’t win the xG battle or the field tilt, but after Brendan McSorley opened up his MLS account, added an assist, saved a sure goal off the line, and finished his brace, St. Louis left the Bay with their first winning streak since the opening three matches of the season. 

It’s fitting that the club’s desire to flesh out its identity flowed through the CITY2 pipeline. 

David Critchley was promoted to the role in large part because of his work transitioning players through the academy and into CITY2. His work at CITY2, particularly through the start of the year, saw McSorley among a group of young attackers who thrived in MLS’s development league. 

So, in the absence of Sangbin – still in South Korea on personal leave – a McSorley start over Simon Becher might not be too much of a surprise when you consider the Providence grad’s work in the wide spaces for Critchley earlier this year. 

McSorley excelled next to João Klauss in the final third. CITY SC’s overload forced the opposite winger into a more central position, and it’s in that free-floating positioning that McSorley’s aerial ability became crucial. Marcel Hartel and Klauss floated between the lines, with the striker often dropping into the midfield as Hartel pushed forward into a more advanced role. A tactic that resulted in three goals in the first half, Klauss’s second straight with an assist, and Hartel’s third match with multiple goal contributions since Critchley took over. 

The first-half stats paint a picture of a squad that had control of open play, while outperforming their expected goals. It’s important to remember the game state heading into the second half. St. Louis wasn’t the more dangerous team, but they also pulled back on the accelerator, choosing their spots more carefully and attempting to clog the lanes as San Jose generated opportunities through Arango and Cristian Espinoza. 

"That's one of the biggest things we've been addressing lately in the training environment, is during these moments.” Critchley admitted. “How do we understand how to manage these moments as a team? [...] What we're starting to really see now is the process that we have talked about for several weeks; the process is now starting to become results as well for us.”

The Quakes attacked the space around Kyle Hiebert – recognizing the CBs weakness in possession and any potential hesitation in his first start in over two months. Hiebert didn’t panic, was never dribbled past, and while he lost some duels, the performance was one he should be happy about, with no goals allowed in open play. 

“We just gave him a shoutout in the locker room,” Critchley said afterwards. “His last start was June 25th against Orlando. I had to give him a shout-out because that is the example of what I want to see in a player. A professional that shows up every day, he stays prepared, he stays ready, so that when his chances are given, he’s fully ready for the opportunity.”

Of course, Roman Bürki had plenty to say about that.

Roman Bürki heard the talk.

The Roman Bürki conversation is a tough one. 

The captain is in the final year of his contract, has lived through back-to-back disappointing seasons, and watched the Sporting Director who convinced him to take a chance on St. Louis fail to reach the end of the season. 

Despite the constant winds of change, Bürki wants a new deal – you can always tell a Dortmund man. He has expressed that he would like to stay in St. Louis, but should CITY SC commit so much salary to an aging keeper? Would Bürki even consider a decrease in salary? 

That conversation was heading in a bittersweet direction before the Swiss keeper took things into his own hands this weekend, saving 1.72 post-shot expected goals – over a third of his cumulative season total – and staving off playoff elimination for a second straight weekend. 

Unless Bürki maintains similar performances over the final three matches, this will still be another season where his shot-stopping numbers have regressed. Bürki prevented 9.1 post-shot expected goals during his MLS Goalkeeper of the Year campaign in 2023, dipped a bit to +7.6 in 2024, and has saved “just” +4.1 this season. 

The squad in front of him hasn’t made it easy for him, of course, but it’s worth wondering if St. Louis should commit another $1.7 million to the position, the most of any club in MLS. Bürki brings more than shot-stopping; his ability with his feet will be harder to replace, but if CITY SC can find comparable keeper play from a player who won’t have to be bought down under the DP threshold, then they should move on… as tough a pill that will be to swallow. 

St. Louis returns to Energizer Park with an impossible road in front of them, but arriving at this barrier has been important. RSL lose 4-1 to LAFC for a second straight week, and for a second straight week, St. Louis CITY SC stayed alive in the playoff race. It’s a 1% chance… but it’s a chance for a club that has been down and out multiple times this season.

CITY SC simply needs to beat LAFC this weekend, followed by wins over Austin and RSL. Then, they will just need Dallas, Houston, RSL, and San Jose to lose every match left on their schedule. Simple.