Pre-match Preview: CITY SC to face Minnesota United at home as playoff chances dwindle

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis CITY SC will return to CITYPARK to face Minnesota United this weekend after drawing with the New England Revolution last week.

It was a, somewhat, shocking result last weekend as CITY SC was forced to share points with the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. This marked the 13th draw of the year for St. Louis. They are tied with New York Red Bulls for most draws by a club in 2024.

A Reunion Of Strangers

Up until Saturday night, St. Louis had never faced the New England Revolution. But what better way to break the ice than a match that would see two former players face off against one another with playoff chances for each club hanging by a thread?

On top of that, who better to strike first for St. Louis than the former Rev Henry Kessler? Kessler flicked in a phenomenal looping header in the first half to put St. Louis in front. It was his first goal for St. Louis and came off a cross by Marcel Hartel, who now has five goal contributions in his past three MLS matches.

“You know, went to a back three, and he’s the only guy in the middle, and played really brave,” said Interim Head Coach John Hackworth after the match. “For him to score the goal, fantastic.”

The Revs responded just minutes after with a goal by Luca Langoni. New England then scored again to take a 2-1 lead before the half concluded.

As the second half began to close, Simon Becher scored in the 73rd minute to tie things up again. Becher has now scored four times in his last seven appearances across all competitions. This most recent goal was his second in MLS play this year.

Both Hartel and Becher earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Hartel has been named to the Team of the Matchday after all three MLS matches he’s appeared in.

Although the match resulted in a point for CITY, playoff chances are now even thinner as they head home to face Minnesota United for the first time this season.

“I’m positive Pete here, and I’m going to say I’m blue in the face, but I believe in this group of guys. I still think we have a good chance,” Hackworth said.

Playoff Hopes, Minnesota

With just six matches remaining in St. Louis’ 2024 season, the margin for error has now moved from slim to slimmer.

Current Potential Scenarios:

• CITY must win at least three of their remaining games to have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs. If they win exactly three, with the current MLS standings, they will have less than a one percent chance to sneak into the No. 9 spot in the World Card match.
• Four wins would mean exactly a one percent chance at making that same spot.
• Five wins would equal a 19 percent chance at snagging the No. 9 spot, with a less than one percent chance at claiming No. 8 and No. 7.
• If St. Louis CITY SC finishes the season by winning all six of their remaining matches, they’ll have a 60 percent chance at the No. 9, a 13 percent chance at No. 8, and around a one percent chance of finishing in each of No. 5 through No. 7.

These numbers are only accurate if we assume every other MLS match ends with the stronger, favored team coming out victorious. And even if that happens and St. Louis is perfect to close out 2024, there’s still a 26 percent chance they’ll miss out on the playoffs.

“When I sit up here and I think and I hope, and I look at what we can do, I’m very optimistic that we will do it, but we’re not there yet,” Hackworth said in a press conference Thursday.

This will be the first time St. Louis plays Minnesota United this season. The series between the two is tied, with St. Louis coming out on top in the most recent match by a final of 2-1. Interestingly enough, Minnesota is the club that ended CITY SC’s five-match winning streak at the start of their inaugural season.

The Loons are coming off a 2-1 win against San Jose Earthquakes, leaving them with a 10-11-6 record as they continue to hold the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference - the spot St. Louis will be chasing for the remainder of the year.

Minnesota’s offense is led by Bongokuhle Hlongwane. After having a shaky start to the season, the 24-year-old South African forward has now scored nine goals. If there’s one trait that separates Bongi from other forwards, it’s his ability to play end-to-end and provide reinforcements to the defending third. This is something to keep in mind when playing the counterattacking style St. Louis has grown accustomed to.

Minnesota’s delivery man, Robin Lod, leads the team in assists with 12. He has also contributed six goals to their campaign. Despite this, the Loons midfield has struggled since the departure of CDM Kervin Arriaga. Their inconsistencies in that sector of the pitch could prove advantageous for CITY SC.

In addition, St. Louis’ defense will have their hands (feet) full with some well-placed, pacey balls off the boots of Joseph Rosales. The 23-year-old midfielder has notched 10 assists this season. From corner kicks to long crosses, the young Honduran has proven that when given space to operate, he can put the ball in the places it needs to be.

“I think we know that we have our work cut out for us, and at the same time, we’re focused on ourselves, and can we continue to be a team that creates many chances, while, as I said earlier, limiting than the ones that we give up,” Hackworth said.

Bottom Line: The push for a playoff spot continues for another week. After a huge win to kick off the month of September, last week’s draw was not what this club needed with such little room for error. The final three matches of the month carry tremendous weight. Minnesota, San Jose, and Kansas City: three clubs that are well within CITY’s realm of competition and are also hunting for playoff positioning. Minnesota currently holds the spot that St. Louis needs to be in by the time October rolls around. A win this Saturday would not only lift St. Louis higher in the standings, it would also keep their opponents from further securing that final playoff spot. Over the last month, this club has shown huge promise with its new gs making an immediate impact. If they can end September by claiming those final nine points, it’ll provide some much-needed momentum heading into a tougher October schedule that will decide everything.

Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at CITYPARK.

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

Copyright 2024 KMOV. All rights reserved.