Pre-match Preview: CITY SC hosting conference leaders LA Galaxy with playoff chances hanging by a thread

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis CITY SC will host Western Conference leaders the LA Galaxy this weekend, needing a win to keep themselves in the playoffs chase.

Alright, St. Louis, you got what you asked for: the offense is...alive. Last weekend, CITY SC found themselves in a high-scoring battle with Portland Timbers FC. The match ended in a 4-4 draw, leaving St. Louis as the only club in MLS without a road win this year.

New Solutions, New Problems

After holding a lead for 89 minutes in Portland, CITY SC unfortunately had to share points in their last match.

It didn’t take long for this newly vamped offense to prove itself yet again. SLU alum Simon Becher notched his first MLS goal in the 11th minute off a corner kick delivery by Marcel Hartel. About 20 minutes later, Eduard Löwen converted from the penalty spot to give CITY SC a two-goal advantage.

Portland responded soon after to cut the lead to one, but Cedric Teuchert made it 3-1 to CITY SC heading into halftime. At this point, it was clear that this club’s offensive struggles may be a thing of the past. But the second half revealed a new problem; defense.

Despite responding to a Felipe Mora goal within a minute of conceding, the remainder of the match saw a shocking defensive collapse by CITY. Mora scored again in the 65th minute before Evander tied it up in stoppage time. The latter of the two came after Mora was sent off for stomping on midfielder Chris Durkin’s head. An inspiring performance overall, but still not enough to secure their first road win.

“We obviously have a lot of things to work on, particularly on the defensive side of things, but the willingness, the attention that the guys are putting into it is impressive,” said Interim Head Coach John Hackworth.

Positives:

It would appear St. Louis has found a solution to this year’s common denominator; lack of finishing. Newcomers Simon Becher, Marcel Hartel, and Cedric Teuchert have contributed to ten goals during the team’s four most recent matches.

In his Team of the Matchday performance, Hartel proved he is as much of a distributor as he is a scorer. The German midfielder marked his first, second, and third career MLS assists.

In combination with the old guard of Eduard Löwen, Hartel, Becher, and Teuchert seem to have kicked this offense into gear again. This was the first time this season St. Louis has scored three or more goals in the first half of an MLS game.

Negatives:

With the departure of Tim Parker, and Joakim Nilsson still sidelined due to injury, St. Louis’ backline is in search of some new leadership. Defenders Henry Kessler and Jannes Horn made their CITY SC debuts, with Kessler even making a goalline block in the second half.

The two new defensemen are still finding their footing in St. Louis. The talent is there, but what’s missing is a clearly defined leader. Someone to organize the line and control the defensive half. That role, previously held by Tim Parker, could decide whether or not this club finds a way to sneak into the playoffs.

A Must-Win at Home

This club’s new form will have the ultimate test dropped at their doorstep on Sunday, a bout with the Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy.

You couldn’t have scripted it better. In a match that could ultimately decide the rest of the season, CITY SC will face the club that roped German superstar Marco Reus straight out of the St. Louis rumor mill. In his debut with LA, Reus scored and assisted to give the Galaxy a 2-0 win against Atlanta United.

With CITY SC still 10 points behind a playoff spot and eight matches remaining, this club has to win at least four of those in order to have a chance at making the playoffs. Anything less, and the 2024 season is over.

This LA Galaxy squad has improved immensely since last drawing 3-3 to St. Louis in March. The Galaxy are ranked first in completed es as a team and are second in total goals scored as a club. They have steadily climbed to reach the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, holding a five-point lead over their neighbors LAFC.

In their last five regular season matches, LA is 4-1. As for the leaders on this team, pick your poison. Four different players have scored over five goals, with two of them also in double-digits for assists. Forwards Dejan Joveljic and Gabriel Pec, and Spanish star No. 10 Riqui Puig have each made multiple Teams of the Matchday. The trio has been able to carve open defenses all season long and will look to continue against a St. Louis defense that’s still adjusting to its new form.

Bottom Line: In all three meetings between these two sides, neither has been able to take more than a point from each. The gap between them is much larger than it has been in the past. With the last match in the books, St. Louis now knows how vulnerable they can be defensively. Which is something that won’t be fixed overnight, certainly not against one of the top teams in MLS. For St. Louis to win this game, they’ll have to out-offense their opponent. Despite the defensive woes, CITY has proven they can be a dangerous side in their opponent’s half. If Hartel, Löwen, Becher, and Teuchert can continue producing at the rate we’ve recently become accustomed to seeing, there might be an opportunity to snatch three points and keep the season from sinking. Is the best offense a good defense?

“In the end, it’s also for us to give everything we have to go in the playoffs,” said Marcel Hartel. “And we have to win against LA.”

Kick-off is set for 1:45 p.m. Sunday at CITYPARK.

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

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