St. Louis CITY SC make club history in Chicago, and a look ahead to Austin.

Yoann Damet and St. Louis CITY needed a lifeline after a pair of rough results and found the cure for what ailed them in defeating the Chicago Fire away from Energizer Park for the first time in club history. 

How about that US Open Cup, eh?

The opening frame from Bridgeview was uneventful as the Fire found the better opportunities and even found the post as Phillip Zinkernagel beat Roman Bürki. Still, CITY SC left the half with the only shot on target. Entering the 2nd half, the front trio of Sergio Córdova, Cedric Teuchert, and Marcel Hartel failed to make headway, as Gregg Berhalter’s side kept firm control of the ball and kept St. Louis at arm's length.

It wasn’t until Mykhi Joyner and Edu Löwen subbed on that CITY SC were able to put Chicago’s backline under strenuous pressure, and while the Fire struck first through Anton Salétros, St. Louis quickly put the Fire on the back foot.

Following the goal, the Fire subbed off Cuypers and Saléstros for Robin Lod and Jason Shokalook, and as CITY SC picked up steam through their subs, the Fire’s level dropped. 

CITY SC stayed on the front foot, taking advantage of a lapse in judgement during Chicago’s build up as Córdova took possession, ultimately finding Edu Löwen centrally as he helped facilitate the opening goal with a filthy backheel flick into space. Hartel broke into space and beat Chris Brady, but Joel Waterman’s goal-line clearance was quickly negated as Tomas Totland followed the play. 

Quickly, CITY SC found another goal at the culmination of a lengthy buildup. Joyner found himself on the ball entering the final third. He charged the end line before driving a cross through the feet of the Fire defense, spinning into the path of Löwen as he ripped his shot into the empty net. 

From there, St. Louis competently killed the match, dribbling to the corner and drawing fouls to run down the clock. It was a professional performance after a shaky first 60+ minutes at SeatGeek. 

“Yeah, we’ll take it,” Damet exclaimed afterwards. “I’m very happy for the guys, to be honest, like the grit and the spirit they're showing. I've been speaking a lot about it, and we haven't been rewarded enough, in my sense, and tonight to come back, get the win, move on to the next round, like yes is very good, like, I think it speaks for the work the guys are putting in every day.”

This might not have been THE biggest win in CITY SC history, but it’s up there. The club hasn’t won many do or die matches in its short history, and especially not in a road derby.

So, that Yoann Damet’s side sealed a quarterfinal appearance in the back of homegrown Mykhi Joyner and the returning Edu Löwen, it’s confidence that they can take forward, especially as the Fire rotated a few starters during last weekend’s 5-0 win over Sporting Kansas City. 

Some of the club’s similar problems popped up early. The weak side defending in transition, and rushing possessions, leading to turnovers when the attack would benefit from holding onto the ball and staying patient. Those mistakes started to clear up when Damet made the late match subs. 

“We needed to spend a little bit more time on the ball, rather than to rush and play, in one or two touch, the pitch didn't help.” Damet reflected on his thoughts at halftime, “I had the feeling sometimes we try to combine and play a little quicker, or maybe a little bit more, like we used to and tonight was more difficult. I think the technical mistakes on both sides were quite high tonight, and that was one of the messages. I'm trying to reinforce a little bit like the shape and what we wanted to do. But I thought the game was very, very tactical for a good part of it, and we had to be ready, most importantly, to roll up our sleeves and to work together.”

Damet would echo that sentiment on Friday as his side prepared to travel to Austin FC on Sunday. 

“There were a ton of things we could have done better,” the manager said. “Understanding that, in the end, the result is what matters in the cup, where you have to go through if you want to keep hoping to lift the trophy, but on the pitch, there were a couple of things we could have done better, and that was addressed this morning. So it's all about looking at ourselves and seeing how we can get better every day.”

St. Louis will host the Houston Dynamo on May 19th at Energizer Park with a spot in the semifinal on the line. If they win, they’ll play the winner of Colorado and San José, either traveling to Colorado or hosting San José. 

Looking towards Austin:

CITY SC’s last trip to Austin was a 1-3 win under David Critchley last October, and Yoann Damet is looking to replicate that result on Sunday. The short turnaround complicates that picture, but these are the matches CITY SC simply have to win after a daunting start to the season. Against Austin, CITY SC will face a non-playoff team for just the second time this season. 

Expect some rotation heading into this one, but it’ll be far from a new starting XI. Unlike the past few years, St. Louis actually has a relatively clean bill of health heading into matchday 10. Célio is the only player who has been ruled out for Sunday’s match with Sangbin and Orozco training on Friday. 

Rotation will have its largest impact out wide, as Tomas Totland admitted to feeling the effects of back to back starts in Chicago on Wednesday. It’ll most likely mean a return to Raphael Santos – left off the roster on Wednesday – but it’s worth noting that Damet was left impressed by Mykhi Joyner’s impact on both sides of the ball in the 2-1 win. 

“We've got guys that can compete, that are creating different options, different looks to the team.” Damet started. “It's good to have Totty [Tomas Totland] back in the team, his second start of the year on Wednesday, bringing more competition. Rafa [Rafael Santos] wasn't with us in Chicago on Wednesday, is going to be back in play this weekend. Mykhi [Joyner] came in really well. So there is competition. There are guys who are there to get that spot. And it's great because we've got a ton of games coming, and what you want is making sure your best performers on the field and when they are not fresh anymore, or if they are not performing, some of the guys can jump in, and that's part of being a group that that competes with each other, but also that are there for one another, you know that competition, I think, is very healthy, and it's pushing everybody, and at the end of the day, it's also getting us closer to being consistent with performances”

Similarly, the competition up top has been heating up as well, with Damet admitting that the option at the 9 has more to do with the chemistry and player profiles of the dual 10s playing underneath the striker or if Damet sees the need for a dual striker formation. That those two options – Córdova and Simon Becher – have combined for 2 goals across all competitions isn’t great, and 3 if you include Brendan McSorely, who doesn’t seem to be in Damet’s plans as a pure striker. Using the 2024 SuperDraft pick as more of a floating attacker off the bench than someone who has been tasked with the responsibilities at the top of the formation. 

Finally, there’s the growing impact of Eduard Löwen since returning to the team. So far, Löwen’s usage has seemed to frustrate fans who want to see more playing time for the midfielder, but the club is being cautious about throwing too much too soon at him, with Damet saying that the German could handle “at least 30 minutes” ahead of the trip to Austin. 

Still, his impact has left a clear impression.

“He's also had no preseason and no rhythm in the past few weeks. So we have to be mindful of that. A big part of our game is intensity, is energy, and we need to have everybody at a certain level to make sure we can do that from the first whistle. So, we need to have an understanding, in a couple of weeks, about where he is, and how he can contribute, and make sure we make the best decision for the team. He showed that he's ready to go for a good 30 minutes at least. So, that's a big positive, and now we have to see when we make the jump from that to more and to eventually start a game as well. There is no rush for me. I think it's an understanding [...] that there is still a lot of work that needs to happen on the physical side, and now there is a lot of game coming, so a lot of opportunities as well for a lot of players to get some minutes and to contribute.”

St. Louis is going to need all attacking hands on deck if they are to beat Brad Stuver and a – most likely – bunkered Austin defense. 

Austin is fresh off a 2-0 derby win over Houston, but they sit just one place ahead of CITY SC in the table. It’s been a struggle for Nico Estévez’s side, and if it wasn’t for Stuver’s best in the league shotstopping numbers, they’d be in worse shape. 

Datavizer

If you clicked that link above, you may have noticed the https://www.soccerdatavizer.com link. This is a new data viz project by Chris Gebhardt of St. Louis Soccer News fame and ChatCityTactics.

Obviously, it’s great for seeing some of the CITY SC trends we’ve been talking about over the past month, but it’s a great resource for league-wide numbers, pulling from the American Soccer Analysis and other databases and presenting those numbers with a clean UI.

Not to open fresh wounds, but CITY SC will regret not putting this one away.

MLS NEXT Pro and Private Equity. 

In MLSNP news, investment fund KKV announced a $170 million commitment to MLSNP in a joint venture called Hometown Soccer Holdings. 

The investment will be aimed at spawning MLS affiliate clubs in smaller markets as the league looks to grow its footprint and build fanbases outside of a club’s home market. Cynically, this is a way to beat the continually expanding USL into certain markets, but it’s also an acknowledgement that most 2 teams aren’t drawing much interest. Most MLSNP clubs aren’t profitable, but clubs are taking on that burden to hopefully develop future MLS contributors while keeping reserve players close to the first team. Not every club has the same priority, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber (more on him later this weekend) specifically cites Nashville SC’s reserve side in Huntsville as the model this investment will be attempting to replicate.

However, not all clubs will be opting into this endeavor. That could be clubs like DC United and Montreal, who haven’t invested in a reserve side, but that will also most likely include the MLSNP side in St. Louis. Conversations are ongoing, but sources at the club have indicated that CITY2 won’t be going anywhere. The club likes the closeness of the pathway – Academy to CITY2 to CITY SC – interacting at the facility, as well as the opportunity to introduce fans to Energizer Park who might not be able to attend first team matches.

It’s a fluid situation, and I’m skeptical that a MiLB setup will work any better than the current system outside of an aggressive push to bring in independent clubs who will invest in more mature rosters. 

As always, time will tell.

Alright, thanks for reading. We’ll talk again real soon.