Pre-match Preview: CITY SC hosting Austin FC, looking to rebound from road loss

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Matrix Midwest) - St. Louis CITY SC will be looking to rebound from its first loss of the season with a home match against fellow Western Conference club Austin FC.

CITY dropped its match against Philadelphia Union 1-0 last Saturday. It was the club’s first meeting with the Eastern Conference side and its first reunion with former head coach Bradley Carnell.

Last Time Out

Well, it finally happened. St. Louis suffered both its first goal and first loss of 2025.

From the jump, Philadelphia seemed ruthless in its build-up and attack. And eventually, after continuing to pin St. Louis in its own half, Ian Glavinovich deflected a corner kick into the bottom left corner of the goal. The goal came in just the eighth minute of play, but it ended up being the decider.

Despite sprinkling several chances to equalize throughout the match, CITY SC was unable to find the back of the net, ending its unbeaten run.

“We had enough chances to score a goal, but they had quite a lot of chances as well, especially in the first half,” Head Coach Olof Mellberg said after the match.

St. Louis was outshot 17 to five, and Philly’s eight shots on target gave them a 2.1 xG to finish the match.

To add to the frustration, CITY’s Eduard Löwen was shown a second yellow card midway through the second-half, leaving the club short-handed while still down a goal for the final 25 minutes. The card was given after Löwen was flagged for time-wasting for kicking a ball away following a foul call.

“Five seconds after, he would have come off anyway,” Mellberg said. “So it’s really unlucky with that in mind as well.”

St. Louis will be without its No. 10 for the match at home as he serves a post-red card suspension.

What’s Next

St. Louis CITY SC will now return home to host Austin FC for the first time this season.

Austin is coming off a 2-1 victory over MLS newcomers San Diego FC.

After beating LAFC the week prior, the Texas side has now overtaken both clubs as No. 2 in the Western Conference. That’s two wins in a row against two of the top five clubs in the conference.

The Verde and Black have spread out the load management of its attack thus far. After losing several notable ATX players going into 2025, new g Brandon Vazquez scored his first goal for the club just 10 minutes into the match last weekend.

Although Austin came out victorious, it was anything but a routine win. San Diego held it to just 39 percent possession and forced a very bunkered-in second half. Momentum is building with this side, but there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Following its first loss, St. Louis is now among four clubs tied for third place in the Western Conference.

The most troubling and immediate fix at the moment is its attacking play. A 6.21 xG and a total of 19 on-target scoring attempts rank in the bottom 10 of MLS clubs.

Similar to Austin, St. Louis does not have a clear leader in its attack - unlike its backline, which possesses several notable kingpins. This makes it much more reliable on team play, requiring different individuals to step up at different times.

All four of CITY’s goals have come from different scorers, including Simon Becher and Marcel Hartel, who lead the club in individual on-target scoring attempts. These two combine for over a third of the club’s total scoring attempts and are among the top three in xG. Overall, it’s a committee effort, but there are certainly a few essential pieces.

Bottom Line:

St. Louis will have to rebound after its gut-punching loss to Philly. To concede your first goal, first loss, and first red card of the season all in one match is brutal. But it’s still early. CITY is facing a club it has never lost to, taking three points from all but one of its four previous matchups. A win this weekend would add momentum as St. Louis heads into one of its toughest stretches of the season.

Kick-off is set for 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, at Energizer Park.

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

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