Pre-match Preview: Year 3 begins

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Matrix Midwest) - St. Louis CITY SC will kick off its third season this weekend with a home match against the Colorado Rapids.

This will mark the first-ever match played in St. Louis since the club’s stadium was renamed Energizer Park.

After four meetings between these two sides, Colorado holds a 2-1-1 advantage. And CITY will now have an opportunity to even things up to kick off the 2025 MLS season.

New Coach, New Roster

With some major changes unfolding during the offseason, there is still some lingering uncertainty regarding expectations of St. Louis CITY SC this year. Last year exposed some harsh realities for this growing but, still young, club that had previously finished No. 1 in the Western Conference.

As a result, CITY starts the year with a very different roster, and under new leadership.

former head coach Bradley Carnell midway through the season after winning just three matches through July. The club’s Technical Director Jon Hackworth took over as interim head coach.

Saturday’s match against Colorado will mark Mellberg’s first regular season outing. After overseeing CITY’s preseason matches, some of the questions surrounding his impact on play style were answered.

Notably, Mellberg introduced a new formation involving three center backs and two wingbacks - a change from St. Louis’ classic four-center-back formation. As a former defender and captain of the Swedish National team, he is heavily focused on reinforcing the defensive third while continuing to run an offense that thrives on a quick counter-attack.

“We definitely want to be an unpredictable team and surprising team,” Mellberg said in a preseason press conference. “You know, we like to direct attacks and to get in behind the opponents, and that is something we are working on.”

As for its roster, St. Louis has added a ton of depth. Injuries and other absences proved problematic in 2024. But, since then, St. Louis has brought in some tremendous talent in all thirds of the pitch.

Starting Strong

Momentum can swing very easily in a sport like soccer, and starting the season off with a positive result can certainly help control it early on and establish a good foundation to build upon.

In 2024, CITY SC’s first five matches resulted in one win and four draws - not necessarily the worst possible outcome, but nothing to be pleased about either.

By mid-June, St. Louis had fallen to No. 11 in the West with 18 points. But, as the summer rolled along, some new acquisitions helped boost their final stretch, providing some hope for the 2025 season.

In their final 10 matches, they went 4-3-3, not including a deep run into the Round of 16 of Leagues Cup.

Colorado finished at No. 7 in the West that year with 50 points, beating St. Louis 4-1 in July.

However, the Rapids lost five of their last 10 matches in regular season play and were outscored 10 to five in the latter half of them. St. Louis outscored its final five opponents nine to seven.

The Rapids have a fairly well-rounded group from front to back. The club’s greatest strength, however, lies in its attacking third. Rafael Navarro (15) and Djordje Mihailovic (11), who scored a hattrick against St. Louis in June, led the club in goals last season. Overall, with 58, Colorado finished eighth in total goals among all MLS clubs in 2024.

Mihailovic also proved his ability to create for others with a roster-leading 14 assists, alongside senior midfielder Cole Bassett, who tallied nine goals and seven assists. Navarro finished 15th in the league in goal scoring, and Mihailovic was 11th in assists among MLS players in 2024.

The weaker part of this club lies in its defense.

Colorado finished ninth in goals against last season with 60 - three fewer than CITY SC. Only six of the Rapids’ 34 matches resulted in them holding an opponent scoreless. But, the additions of center backs Chidozie Awaziem and Ian Murphy may help solve some of these problems in the back line.

St. Louis will immediately look to build off a positive preseason record of 3-2-1.

As previously mentioned, many changes from the offseason will be on full display Saturday night; a new formation, new roster, even a new stadium. The MLS has these two sides neighboring each other in its power rankings, with St. Louis at No. 16 and Colorado at No. 15.

With players like Célio Pompeu returning from injury, and an all-around revamped roster, there’s no telling how high the ceiling is. The team may need some time to acclimate to these changes, but they are certainly showing promising signs of a comeback.

The season-opener kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Energizer Park.

For more on CITY SC, click here.

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