Pre-match Preview: CITY SC hosts Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps FC

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis CITY SC will face the Western Conference leaders, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, for its final home match of the month.

St. Louis is now riding a four-match losing streak after last week’s loss.

Things won’t get any easier as the club will now go from facing one conference leader to the next.

Last Time Out

St. Louis was unable to come away with any points in its last match, suffering a 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew at Energizer Park.

Despite an energetic start, which included a goal by João Klauss in the seventh minute, CITY SC could not find the back of the net for the remainder of the match.

After multiple near misses, Columbus delivered a blow just as the first half was expiring. Last season’s MLS Defender of the Year, Steven Moreira, scored a volley off a cross in extra time, leveling the score to 1-1. And just 10 minutes after halftime, the Ohio side’s leading scorer Diego Rossi carved through the St. Louis backline and slotted a low ball past Ben Lundt for a 2-1 advantage.

The Crew was very dominant in possession for the entire 90 minutes. But, more importantly, during the portions of the game that tend to swing momentum and results. Columbus scored both its goals during the time that sandwiches the halftime whistle - arguably the most important parts of any soccer match.

Both sides ran a 3-4-2-1. Columbus finished with 12 shots and five on target, and St. Louis finished with 13 shots and six on target. The only difference between these two, besides possession, was the Crew’s ability to capitalize.

“We managed to create these big chances through the possession we had,” Coach Olof Mellberg said after the match. “So obviously extremely disappointing not to win this game or at least get a point.”

There was certainly a heavier focus on the attacking half compared to previous matches this season. And St. Louis will need to continue that mentality as it prepares to face another conference leader this coming weekend.

What’s Next

St. Louis CITY SC will now face the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC for its second bout in a back-to-back home game stretch.

Vancouver has easily had the most impressive start to the season through eight weeks. The Whitecaps are 6-1-1 with a league-leading 19 points and 17 goals.

Brian White is having a career season. The 29-year-old striker is tied for first in MLS with six individual goals. He scored four times (yes, four) in Vancouver’s 5-1 win over Austin FC, earning an easy decision as MLS Player of the Matchday.

The Whitecaps were the first club to score more than once against the Verde & Black this season, and now average over two goals per match. The club’s overall goal differential of 11 is far and away the best in MLS, along with its 2.0 xG.

Impressive, right?

Well, if that wasn’t enough, the Whitecaps are also tied with several other teams (including CITY SC) for fewest goals allowed this season.

Again, this is easily the most impressive club in MLS through eight weeks.

St. Louis has now dropped to No. 12 in the Western Conference. This last loss was the club’s fourth in a row, and second consecutive at home.

Although CITY was unable to come away with any points, there were still some positive results to be taken from this match. Leading up to the kick-off, Olof Mellberg indicated there’d be changes in the club’s attacking play. It was very evident within those first 15 minutes (and at other times, too). The three-man set-up up front, for example, seemed to provide much more opportunity in the final third, and gave options for those on the ball.

For the first time in a while, Célio Pompeu looked like Célio Pompeu again. Pompeu has reinserted himself as the club’s most dominant 1v1 playmaker, which ultimately led to the creation of St. Louis’s lone goal last Saturday. The Pompeu-Klauss connection has worked very well in past matches, but it has been a long time since we last saw one of these link-ups.

Klauss had his best game of the season, despite being denied a late brace. He scored his first goal in nearly an entire year, and his spot-on positioning created multiple other chances as well. With the help of this performance, CITY finished with its highest xG number since defeating LA Galaxy 3-0 in March.

This must be built on in the future. St. Louis is about to take on, statistically, the best team in MLS, with a beaten-up roster. As of Wednesday, Joakim Nilsson, Tomas Totland, and Jannes Horn were seen participating in some capacity in training. Which could indicate a return soon, although Timo Baumgartl was fantastic in his first-ever start last weekend.

To be clear: a fully healthy St. Louis backline could still struggle against this Vancouver attack. But, if last week was an indication of anything, it’s that this club can compete with the goliaths of the league. There’s still a lot of soccer left to be played this season.

“Every week we have a new opponent. They are all very different from each other,” Mellberg said. “So, we have to look at each game individually and try to have a really good game plan for each opponent.”

Kick-off is set for Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. at Energizer Park.

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