It felt like the beginning of a new era.
On a picturesque Sunday afternoon—before a crowd of supporters eager to will the club to a much-needed victory—St. Louis CITY SC emerged determined to flush the bad vibes that have undercut its second season and replant its flag at CITYPARK. With a 4-5-4 record in Downtown West entering this past weekend’s matchday, CITY has clearly struggled to maintain the commanding advantage it established at CITYPARK in 2023. Opposing teams have looked at the glistening stadium not as a theater of nightmares, but as a venue where any competent team can succeed.
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But with the Western Conference-leading LA Galaxy in town for a nationally-televised showdown, CITY was poised to prove that CITYPARK is a fortress to be defended.
In a 2-1 win, St. Louis made a statement: This new-look CITY squad is intent on putting the past six months in the rearview and building upon a brighter future.
CITY’s recent acquisitions did as they’ve done since arriving for the Leagues Cup tournament this summer—they pushed and propelled the club to victory, with Cedric Teuchert and Marcel Hartel each scoring goals en route to clinching three crucial points. Perhaps just as important, CITY sealed the win at home; the club’s fourth in six matches in St. Louis across all competitions since July 1.
“It feels like home,” Teuchert said. “It was so nice. The fans were so amazing to give us the extra push to win this game. And I think we need everybody. We need the team, the staff, and also the crowd.”
Indeed, the hometown crowd was energized. And, for the first time in weeks, everyone was accounted for. Supporters in the North End returned following a boycott of Leagues Cup action. Their presence—along with their noise—fed a belief that no one should be able to come into CITYPARK and expect an easy day.
“I think you have to have a mentality every single day about what you’re doing and a belief that you’re doing the right things,” CITY interim head coach John Hackworth said. “It’s easy to say you work hard. But it’s [all about] working efficiently and working smartly, and having a group that sees the little incremental advancements that you’re making. This team could have made a choice a couple weeks ago and not gone in the direction that we are right now. Despite having games like Club Améríca, or last week where you could lose that belief really quick, we never did that. It’s a credit to the guys in that locker room because it comes from leadership, it comes from the coaches trying to constantly push the guys, but also believe in them. The more you do that, the more you get that feeling of confidence and belief.”
For CITY, the idea of self-belief is vital as the club spends the remaining seven matchdays chasing an unlikely playoff opportunity.
Although so much has gone so terribly wrong for St. Louis this season, the club is getting a boost when it needs one the most. Building on the arrivals of Teuchert, Hartel, and others, the club is in the process of working João Klauss and Rasmus Alm back into action. Klauss returned to the pitch on Sunday for the first time since late June, prompting calls of “Santa Klauss” from the local supporters.
The return of Klauss is especially noteworthy for a CITY squad that spent so much of the season struggling to kickstart an ailing attack. Now, Klauss and another new addition, Simon Becher—among others—give the club some intriguing lineup options as it navigates the homestretch of the season.
“We brought Klauss onto the field [late]. We brought Ras onto the field [late],” Hackworth said. It’s been a long time since I looked down the bench and had those kinds of weapons to bring on to the game, especially late.
Moments after Klauss took the field, St. Louis regained its lead. He was part of a platoon of subs who entered midway through the second half to help spark CITY to victory. Jay Reid, who came on with Klauss and Nökkvi Thórisson, postmarked a gorgeous ball for the foot of Hartel in the 68th minute. In fluid motion, Hartel knocked the ball into the net for his first goal of MLS play. It was a beautiful strike, but not quite enough on its own to finish the job against the league’s most vertical attack.
As CITY worked to finish the job, Klauss sucked up every defensive clearance in his immediate vicinity as the Galaxy struggled to generate many dangerous opportunities. By the end of the day, the Galaxy—led by Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus—generated merely 0.75 expected goals. Hackworth’s gamble of including Jake Nerwinski and Jannes Horn in the lineup also paid off in spades, as his defense managed to fix some of the issues that led to easy back post tap-ins multiple times this season.
And of course, goalkeeper Roman Bürki was immense for CITY once again, making a big save against his former teammate Reus during a pivotal free kick late in the match.
“I was a little bit nervous.” Bürki said about locking eyes with Reus. “I knew it wasn’t his best position—a little far out—and I’m glad I was able to get the best of it.”
It was a fittingly thrilling punctuation to CITY’s emphatic return to Downtown West. Yes, the club remains nine points behind ninth-place Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Yes, it’s getting very, very late to make up significant ground.
But for a couple hours on a perfect day at CITYPARK, it felt like things were right with CITY once again. The club believed it could win, and it did. The club still believes there’s something to play for in 2024, and maybe there really is.
If that’s the case, CITYPARK—where the club will play three more games this season—will play a pivotal role in CITY’s quest to salvage its season and get back to where it always wanted to be.
