Pre-match Preview: CITY SC to face San Jose following tough loss at home

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis CITY SC will look to rebound off a tough home loss with a match against the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend.

Last week will likely serve as the nail in the coffin for CITY’s 2024 campaign. It was a match that St. Louis desperately needed to win in order to keep playoff hopes alive.

Although there’s still technically a path to the playoffs for St. Louis, the odds are razor-thin.

Last weekend, CITY SC lost 3-1 in their first meeting with Minnesota United this year. The match started on a high note, as Cedric Teuchert found the back of the net in just the 4th minute to give St. Louis the lead. This marked Cedi’s third goal of the season. He now has three goals and an assist through his first five MLS matches as a CITY SC player.

Following the early strike, Minnesota took control of the rest of the match.

Forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane equalized later in the half, then gave the Loons the lead just after the start of the second half. These were Hlongwane’s third and fourth goals in two matches for his new club. Kelvin Yeboah delivered the final dagger by converting a penalty kick in the 62nd minute, securing the win.

What’s Next

As we look ahead to the final five matches of the year, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

After dropping their last match, CITY SC’s playoff chances are all but done for. St. Louis will see Minnesota again before the year concludes, along with Houston, LAFC, Sporting KC, and San Jose this coming Saturday.

San Jose happens to be one of the few sides ranked lower than CITY in the MLS power rankings. The Earthquakes are sitting at the very bottom of the Western Conference, and the MLS, with 17 points.

Despite an 11-point lead in the standings, both St. Louis and San Jose have won just one regular season match in their last five. In addition, each side has only won twice in MLS play since the start of July, which was kicked off by a CITY SC victory at home over the Quakes.

San Jose is led by senior forward Amahl Pellegrino. The Norwegian has six goals and an assist in 19 games started. Alongside him is Argentinian No. 10 Cristian Espinoza. Espinoza has racked up a club-leading 11 assists, with four goals to add. He’s currently fourth in the entire league in Key es Completed.

St. Louis has kept their spot at No. 13 in the Western Conference. João Klauss still leads the club in goals with five, trailed by Eduard Löwen and Nökkvi Thórisson who each have four. Löwen, Marcel Hartel, and Indiana Vassilev are tied for most assists on the roster with four each.

CITY SC Injury Report following press conference with Coach John Hackworth:

• Midfielder Chris Durkin has an inflamed knee that is causing pain.
• Defender Henry Kessler is feeling better but is in concussion protocol.
• Defender Joakim Nilsson is participating in practice.

Bottom Line: For St. Louis to have even a sliver of hope of making the playoffs, they’ll have to win at least four of these remaining bouts. A five-for-five finish won’t improve their odds much. But, at the very least, it’ll provide a strong finish heading into the 2025 season. CITY has already beaten this opponent at home - there’s no reason to believe they can’t capture their first road win on Saturday. Especially since the Quakes are coming off a mid-week meeting with Seattle Sounders FC, where they were barely able to escape with a point. Despite playoff chances sinking deeper and deeper, St. Louis should come into these final matches with a strong sense of urgency. Because, even if it doesn’t seem like it, they will matter tremendously in the long run.

Kick-off is set for 9:30 p.m. at PayPal Park.

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