Enemy Scouting Report - St. Louis CITY SC
(image via St. Louis CITY SC)
Going directly into an elimination tournament like the Champions Cup to start the year is a tough way to start a season. However, with the Houston Dynamo drawing St. Louis CITY SC, it puts them on a level playing field with another MLS team, compared to playing a team from LigaMX who are in the middle of their regular season.
St. Louis came into MLS in their inaugural season in 2023 and lit the world on fire! St. Louis finished first in the Western Conference regular season standings, earning their spot in this tournament. Now, whether last year was a fluke and they over-performed, like Austin in 2022, that is yet to be seen. St. Louis was by far one of the best teams in Major League Soccer last year, only to be shocked by Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs, ending their historic first season.
Houston was unable to defeat the expansion team in their two head to head meetings in 2023. The Dynamo got thrashed 3-0 in their first ever visit to CITYPARK and then dropped points at home when a late goal by Joao Klauss tied the match 1-1. Ben Olsen and the Houston Dynamo will play the first leg in a full stadium with a buzzing atmosphere as St. Louis will be in their first CONCACAF competition.
St. Louis CITY SC Preseason Record: 2W-2D-1L
Preseason results in the last 30 days:
January 26 – St. Louis 2-2 Nashville
February 3 – St. Louis 2-1 LA Galaxy
February 7 - St. Louis 1-0 LAFC
February 10 - St. Louis 2-2 New York Red Bulls
February 15 - St. Louis 2-3 Louisville
Past Match Staring XI - from 2023 (from mlssoccer.com)
2024 Active Roster
Goalkeepers: Roman Burki, Christian Olivares, Ben Lundt
Defenders: Jake Nerwinski, Joakim Nilsson, Anthony Markanich, Tomas Totland, Joshua Yaro, Akil Watts, Kyle Hiebert, Tim Parker, Nikolas Dyhr
Midfielders: Njabulo Blom, Tomas Ostrak, Chris Durkin, Eduard Lowen, Celio Pompeu, Indiana Vassilev, Rasmus Alm, Aziel Jackson, Hosei Kijima, Tyson Pearce
Forwards: Joao Klauss, Samuel Adeniran, Peyr Porisson, Caden Glover, Brendan McSorely
Will Houston be able to beat St. Louis at CITYPARK and bring an advantage back home for the second leg?
