Pre-match Preview: CITY SC returns home following massive road win

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Matrix Midwest) - After a much-needed road win, St. Louis CITY SC will return to Energizer Park this weekend to face Seattle Sounders FC for its second home match of 2025.

St. Louis delivered a masterclass last week on Sunday Night Soccer, defeating reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy 3-0.

Club History Made

Sunday evening, CITY SC secured its first win and first three goals of 2025 while continuing its streak of defensive dominance as the only club in MLS to have not conceded a goal.

This was the fifth time St. Louis and LA faced each other. Following the result, St. Louis remains the only Western Conference team LA Galaxy has not defeated in the last two years.

Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel, and Simon Becher provided the scoring that would lift the club to three points. Teuchert’s goal and assist landed him a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday, and Bürki’s eight saves earned him the MLS Player of the Matchday award.

“I was really happy with the way we looked formation-wise, and added a little bit more quality today, especially in the final third,” said Head Coach Olaf Mellberg after the game. “Some great finishing for the goals.”

This was the first time CITY SC has ever gone three matches in a row without conceding a goal in club history. St. Louis also became the fifth team in the past decade and the 11th in MLS history to not concede a goal in the first three games of a season.

They are one of eight clubs to be unbeaten thus far but will come home to host an opponent that, ironically, is unbeaten against them.

What’s Next

After spending multiple weeks on the West Coast, St. Louis will return home to face Seattle Sounders FC.

Sounders Breakdown

Seattle is currently eighth in the Western Conference and has looked formidable recently. Before being eliminated by Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday, the Sounders delivered a masterful performance against one of the elite clubs in MLS, LAFC.

Seattle defeated LAFC 5-2, with five different players scoring, including three of the bench. They now have the second-most goals of any club in the Western Conference (7) and are among the top five in the league in key es (36), scoring attempts (45), and assists (9).

Midfielder Albert Rusnák has proven to be a catalyst thus far, leading all MLS players in shots on target (8), key es (12), and tying for second in assists (3). Prior to his injury in the Cruz Azul match, forward Jordan Morris had racked up three goals in three matches as he continues to drive his legacy as one of Seattle’s greatest players of all time.

On defense, the Sounders look somewhat similar to St. Louis’s last opponent - in that they have struggled.

Seattle has allowed six goals this season, which is tied for third in the league. Despite giving up only 10 shots to opponents, they rank last in MLS in save percentage (45.5) and are just outside the bottom five in clearances (16).

CITY SC Breakdown

St. Louis is now in sixth place in the West. With the third-highest goal differential in the conference, they are one of four teams without a loss.

Last Sunday’s win saw the first three CITY SC goals of the season, giving a boost to the club’s offensive stats to go along with a continued defensive dominance.

The three goals place St. Louis in the middle of the pack in total goals for the year. The 14 scoring attempts they added from the last match were more than either of their previous matches, and they had more key es against LA (14) than their previous two matches combined. There is still work to be done in the midfield, as CITY sits near the bottom of MLS in completed es. But after breaking the scoring drought this past week, a positive trend is forming.

St. Louis remains the only MLS club to not concede a goal this year and ranks third in the league in clearances (37), second in aerial duel percentage (66), and is tied for second in shots against (9). Henry Kessler is second among all players in clearances (10) and continues to lead a strong defensive third.

This is the fifth time these two have met, and St. Louis has come up short in all four previous outings. The Sounders have had to deal with multiple key-player injuries as of late, but are still a dangerous opponent.

If CITY SC can build off a promising attacking performance and maintain its consistency in the defensive third, they could find themselves racking in another three points this weekend.

Kick-off on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. at Energizer Park.

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

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