St. Louis CITY SC's Historic Win Is No Accident

This story was produced in partnership with the River City Journalism Fund.

St. Louis CITY SC made history Saturday at CITYPARK, becoming the first Major League Soccer expansion team to start a season with four wins.

But for head coach Bradley Carnell the win and the style of play his team executed in defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 meant far more than a line in a record book. Anticipating the outcome before the match, Carnell had said in a pre-game press conference that “the record would be a nice little reward, but you don’t get silverware. It’s nothing for us.”

Afterward, Carnell said more important was that the match demonstrated that his team could measure up against anyone. “We can compete. We can come back. We can dominate.”

A Battle of Philosophies
CITY’s matchup with San Jose provided a showcase for contrasting identities and playstyles. “It’s completely different the way we play and the way they play,” striker João Klauss said after the match. “I think we could control really well their actions. And I think they didn't expect this intensity in our game. And also, our high pressing was really good. We worked it really well today.”

As expected, San Jose played with a structured 4-3-3 formation and was committed to playing out of the back throughout the match. A 4-3-3 is the foundational formation and shape for a team that likes to keep possession of the ball. San Jose ended the match with 55.1 percent possession. But just as expected, CITY’s high press made San Jose’s possession meaningless. CITY set up in a 4-4-2 formation, though this often looked more like a 4-2-4 when CITY was attacking or pressing. CITY used its two strikers to prevent San Jose from getting comfortable playing out of the back and to disrupt San Jose’s rhythm.

CITY’s first goal was yet another example of how dangerous the team is in transition- moments when CITY wins the ball and begins a counter-attack. Midfielder Eduard Löwen carried the ball through the midfield and passed the ball out to left-back John Nelson.

Nelson’s cross into the box was imperfect. But he was able to put the ball in a dangerous area where anything can happen. The San Jose defenders then committed a cardinal sin in soccer: They let the ball bounce in the box. This gives the attackers another opportunity to win the ball and rarely goes unpunished. In this instance, the ball bobbled off a defender and landed right into the path of striker Nicholas Gioacchini who scored.

San Jose’s defensive woes continued throughout the match. During first-half stoppage time, Klauss picked up the ball around the middle of the pitch and carried it forward. Klauss tried to connect with Rasmus Alm but his pass rebounded off a San Jose defender. Klauss reacted first to the rebound and bulled his way through the defense for a goal.


Tomás Ostrák’s goal in the 68th minute again demonstrated the teams’ contrasting identities. Löwen crossed a free-kick into San Jose’s box. San Jose won the initial header and blocked a follow-up shot by Ostrák. The ball then fell to San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza.

Espinoza would have been wise to clear the ball up the pitch or out of bounds. That would allow the team to reset and regain its shape. But San Jose was committed to playing out of the back. With Löwen pressing from behind, Espinoza found himself at the edge of the penalty area facing his own goal. CITY forwards Samuel Adeniran and Nicholas Gioacchini positioned themselves in front of the only two passing lanes Espinoza had. Espinoza should’ve really cleared the ball at this point. But he didn’t, and CITY made San Jose pay.

Espinoza tried and failed to slot the ball past Gioacchini. After several blocked shots, the ball fell to Ostrák who sealed the game with a deflected shot.

“It was my first goal for St. Louis CITY,” Ostrák said. “I was really happy and the most important is the way that we won.”

Making A Statement
MLS analysts predicted that CITY would be one of the worst teams in the league before the team had even kicked a ball. Critics said CITY had been lucky in each of its first three wins. But it’s hard to argue that the fourth win against a quality opponent like San Jose came down to luck. “We can take control, and we can execute,” Carnell said.

Carnell and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel were adamant before the season started that CITY would create havoc. The duo predicted that CITY would induce its opponents into mistakes high up the pitch and punish them accordingly. CITY has lived up to the principles so far and the results speak for themselves.

“I thought the boys had the most complete performance as of today's date,” Carnell said.

Pfannenstiel agreed. “You could feel today, exactly the principles we were talking about from day one. You saw the high pressing. We didn't give them a second to breathe. I'm really, really proud of the coaching staff and the players.”

Still, analysts continue to have their doubts. They predict that CITY’s playstyle will increase the risk of injuries and the team lacks the depth to continue to compete at a high level. But Pfannenstiel has faith in CITY’s roster and in how they are coached. “It's not always just about the level of the player, it's also about the mentality,” he said. “Come in and make that moment into a big moment for yourself.”

So far Pfannenstiel’s assessment has been correct. CITY’s level hasn’t fallen when its substitutes are introduced to the game. That’s a testament to the style of play and the extensive scouting that went into the recruitment of each player.

“That's the beauty of having a system. It's the beauty of having an identity and the beauty of applying principles,” Carnell said.

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