Pre-match Preview: CITY SC back home, looking to secure a much-needed 3 points against FC Dallas

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis CITY SC is back in action at CITYPARK this weekend, looking to grab a much-needed win against FC Dallas.

Last week was a disappointing result, as CITY SC fell 3-1 to Real Salt Lake on the road - a club they previously drew with in Week 1. After an early goal by Indiana Vassilev, Real’s Cristian Arango scored a second-half hattrick, including a goal in stoppage time to give St. Louis their first loss of the year. Arango already has five goals and four assists this season. Vassilev’s goal, timed at two minutes and three seconds into the match, marked the quickest goal scored in CITY SC history.

“We win games, we feel comfortable, but it comes down to we need everybody together as a collective,” said midfielder Célio Pompeu. “I think we are the best team, and I don’t think we were very good as a collective last game.”

St. Louis (1-1-4) now sits in 10th place (7 points) in the Western Conference, tied with LAFC and Portland in points. They’ve won and tied two matches at home so far in MLS play this season. All time, CITY SC is 12-4-4 at CITYPARK. St. Louis has only lost one of their last nine regular season home matches. FC Dallas, a club CITY SC has faced only twice, is No. 12 in the Western Conference with 3 points. Althogu falling to them in the first meeting, St. Louis won the second match at home 2-1, thanks to goals by Anthony Markanich and Nökkvi Thórisson.

“Dallas is a good team, no doubt,” said Head Coach Bradley Carnell. “They’re very good defensively. They bunker, buckle down, and I think we’ve improved in that aspect as well in of getting in behind, creating more dangerous moments.”

Despite the score last match, one of the more hopeful sightings was vice-captain Tim Parker, who made his return after missing some time due to injury. Parker has played and started in 33 regular season games for St. Louis CITY SC, adding four of the loudest goals in the club’s history. Last match against Real Salt Lake, Parker made his 250th MLS appearance. They’ll need the big, powerful center back in action as much as possible in order to climb the difficult ladder that is the MLS Western Conference.

Bottom line: Dallas has a 1-4-0 record on six goals so far this year. St. Louis is in need of a spark as they have not won a match since March 2, drawing most of their fixtures since then. On the other hand, FC Dallas is on a four-match losing streak dating back to that same date. If CITY SC can find a way to take three points, it could mean a significant jump in the standings. And some much-needed momentum heading into a two-month stretch of mainly home games.

“This league always has good players on the other team, and we have to mitigate that at all costs,” Carnell said.

St. Louis: Grab your bucket hats, it’s time to get rolling again.

The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at CITYPARK. Fans can watch the match live on MLS Season on the Apple TV app.

For more on St. Louis CITY SC, click here.

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