There was MLS history being written when St. Louis CITY SC took the pitch at Subaru Park on Saturday, March 22nd, as St. Louis were on the quest to become the first club in MLS history to begin a season with 5 straight clean sheets. Unfortunately, the ink hadn't dried, and Philadelphia Union smeared the writing with a 1-0 victory over the midwestern side. St. Louis CITY SC now sit with a 2-2-1 record (8 pts) at the fourth slot in the Western Conference.
Key Takeaways:
Ben Lundt is reliable. The German shot-stopper came up huge for CITY, keeping them in the match with 8 saves, 7 of which coming in a first half barrage from the home side. Many fans had questions about his abilities to replace Roman Bürki, who is out with a fractured hand, but it is clear after St. Louis's 1-0 victory over Seattle last weekend and tonight's performance on the road that he is a good man to stand between the sticks.
Ben Lundt through 45'+, ladies and gentlemen:
— Will Bratton (stlcityscviews) (@willbrattonstl) March 23, 2025
- 8.4 SofaScore rating (best on the pitch)
- 7 saves
- 0.95 goals prevented
- 100% accurate short passing
- 8/13 long ball accuracy (with no target...)
- 1 aerial duel victory
- 2 clearances#AllForCITY #stlcitysc
No Klauss? The Brazilian designated player spent yet another match starting from the bench, however, he did appear in the 71st minute for St. Louis. Without João Klauss, St. Louis had an obvious struggle to win aerial duels, missing their hold-up-man up top. CITY struggled to handle former St. Louis CITY SC coach Bradley Carnell's high press system, leading to a large quantity of long balls that resulted in many turnovers due to the lack of that true target striker.
St. Louis have only scored 4 goals in 5 matches. Is it time for red flags to fire regarding the attack in the coined "CITY 2.0" under head coach Olof Mellberg? For me, the answer is 'no.' There are certainly points for improvement and perhaps some for slight concern, however I am nowhere near breaking the glass around my panic button at this point. St. Louis have yet to concede a goal from the run of play, with the one goal conceded in 5 matches coming off a set piece. If they can figure out how to advance the ball into the final third and deal with high pressing clubs, the points could start piling up as St. Louis push for a playoff spot and a shot at winning the conference.
Eduard Löwen picked up a red card and will serve a subsequent one-match suspension in next week's match against Austin. Edu was clearly frustrated with the officiating all night (which was certainly warranted at times), but you don't want to see one of the big leaders on the team acquire two pointless and undisciplined yellow cards like that.
Betting Recap:
Eric Sontag was not confident in his abilities to bet on CITY just yet, but his lean of CITY in the draw no bet market did not hit. I personally would have taken that bet given the circumstances heading into the match--certainly a disappointing result for St. Louis.
What's Next:
St. Louis will come home to Energizer Park to play host to Austin FC for a Sunday afternoon tilt on March 30th. Austin FC have had some great moments thus far, but St. Louis will look to shut them down and rebound off this weekend's loss with a big home victory.