Tomáš Ostrák appears to be seizing his chance to make an impact for St. Louis CITY SC.
Ostrák authored arguably his best overall game with CITY during Saturday’s scoreless draw against FC Dallas, playing multiple positions, adding a dash of creativity to the lineup, and supplying CITY with a needed jolt. With Eduard Löwen recently away from the team, Ostrák filled in admirably for one of the club’s most important players. And if his performance this past weekend is any indication, Ostrák is poised to provide a much-needed presence in the middle of the field—and wherever else CITY needs him.
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“I want to give everything for the team,” Ostrák says.
The 24-year-old Czech midfielder navigated an uneven 2023 campaign after coming to North America as one of CITY’s first signings the prior year. Although Ostrák appeared in 30 regular season matches, his production was a mixed bag.
That was not the case on Saturday.
Aside from goalkeeper Roman Bürki, who posted his second clean sheet of the season, no CITY player was more impactful than Ostrák. He delivered seven passes into the final third and five passes into the penalty area, while posting a team-best 0.4 expected assisted goals. Ostrák also notched two interceptions and played all 90 minutes—something he did only once last season.
It was, in many ways, a Löwen-like effort for Ostrák, who helped drive an attack that seemed to do everything right but score. To his credit, Ostrák was primed for the moment. When Löwen left training camp this winter to receive his green card, Ostrák filled in and banked valuable reps. Now, he seems to be putting that work to good use.
“We’ve seen over time that Tomáš Ostrák is a really talented soccer player,” CITY head coach Bradley Carnell said. “Obviously, we knew in the off-season what was going to be happening with Edu and his green card absence and what have you. But players have to earn their spots and earn their minutes, and Tomáš has been playing away in training and doing really well and committing to everything.”
That includes a willingness and ability to play multiple positions, including in the same game. On Saturday, Ostrák started as a center-mid before shifting out wide during the second half. Best of all for CITY, Ostrák didn’t merely occupy those roles. He produced in them.
“I’m a flexible player,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where I play, I just want to give my best and help my teammates and just show [Carnell] that I’m flexible.”
It’s not just Ostrák’s flexibility that has earned him a place in the lineup. Behind the scenes in training, Ostrák is delivering consistent results.
“We want to create more minutes for Tomáš, but Tomáš has to earn them,” Carnell said. “So far, he’s doing that.”
