Sports stats



MLS St. Louis City SC

St. Louis CITY SC Scores Three Goals to Earn Win Against Rivals Sporting Kansas City

September 29, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
St. Louis City SC News Release


ST. LOUIS, MO - St. Louis CITY SC earned their second straight win, beating Sporting Kansas City at CITYPARK on Saturday night. Cedric Teuchert opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, which marked his fifth goal of the season. St. Louis led 1-0 at the half and added another goal in the 54th minute through Rasmus Alm, which was his second of the season. Sporting Kansas City responded with a goal from Stephen Afrifa, but Eduard Löwen secured the 3-1 victory for CITY SC with a strike in the 75th minute. The win was St. Louis' ninth win at CITYPARK across all competitions in 2024. CITY SC will head to the west coast to face LAFC for a midweek clash on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Postgame Notes

CITY SC finished the season unbeaten against Sporting Kansas City (1-0-2 record)

CITY SC is a perfect 3-0-0 across its three all-time regular season matches at CITYPARK, outscoring SKC 11-2 in those matches

Seven different players scored for CITY SC against Sporting Kansas City this season (Klauss, Célio Pompeu, Tomas Totland, Nökvvi Thórisson, Cedric Teuchert, Rasmus Alm, and Eduard Löwen)

Cedric Teuchert scored his fifth goal of the regular season

Eduard Löwen earned his fifth goal of the MLS season

St. Louis has an 18-3-3 record all-time when Löwen scores or assists across all competitions

Teuchert, Klauss, and Löwen are now tied for the team lead in goals

Teuchert has now scored in three consecutive matches and in five of the last six matches in MLS play

Rasmus Alm scored his second goal of the season

Akil Watts earned his second assist of the season

CITY SC moved to 8-0-1 in home matches across all competitions this season when scoring two or more goals

Teuchert notched his second and third assists of the regular season

Teuchert's three goal contributions matched Marcel Hartel (three assists against Portland Timbers on August 24) for the single-game team high this season

Goal-Scoring Plays

STL: Cedric Teuchert (Akil Watts), 33rd minute - Cedric Teuchert scored with a right footed shot from the central position outside the box to the middle right zone.

STL: Rasmus Alm (Cedric Teuchert), 54th minute - Rasmus Alm scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner.

SKC: Stephen Afrifa (Jake Davis), 63rd minute - Stephen Afrifa scored with a right footed shot from the central position outside the box to the top right corner.

STL: Eduard Löwen (Cedric Teuchert), 75th minute - Eduard Löwen scored a right footed shot from the central position outside the box to the bottom right corner.

September 28, 2024 - CITYPARK (St. Louis, MO)

Goals by Half 1 2 F

St. Louis CITY SC 1 2 3

Sporting Kansas City 0 1 1

Scoring Summary

STL: Cedric Teuchert (Akil Watts), 33'

STL: Rasmus Alm (Cedric Teuchert), 54'

SKC: Stephen Afrifa (Jake Davis), 63'

STL: Eduard Löwen (Cedric Teuchert), 75'

Misconduct Summary

STL: João Klauss (caution), 39'

SKC: Dany Rosero (caution), 45'

SKC: John Pulskamp (caution), 45'

SKC: Robert Voloder (caution), 45'+5

STL: Cedric Teuchert (caution), 80'

STL: Jannes Horn (caution), 86'

Lineups

STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Tomas Totland, D Henry Kessler, D Kyle Hiebert (Joakim Nilsson, 84'), D Jannes Horn; M Eduard Löwen, M Akil Watts (Jake Girdwood-Reich, 85'), M Marcel Hartel, M Rasmus Alm (Nökkvi Thórisson 61'), M Cedric Teuchert (John Klein, 85'); F João Klauss (Simon Becher, 76')

Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Josh Yaro, D Jay Reid, D Jake Nerwinski

TOTAL SHOTS: 14; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 9; OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 4

SKC: GK John Pulskamp; D Robert Voloder, D Dany Rosero, D Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe 59'), D Jake Davis ©, D Zorhan Bassong; M Memo Rodriguez, M Remi Walter (Khiry Shelton 59'); F Alenis Vargas (Johnny Russell 77'), F Willy Agada (Alan Pulido 78'), F Stephen Afrifa (Daniel Salloi 78')

Substitutes not used: GK Tim Melia, D Chris Rindov, D Robert Castellanos, M Danny Flores, F Daniel Salloi

TOTAL SHOTS: 18; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 14; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 1

Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Assistant Referees: Brooke Mayo, Walt Heatherly, Filip Dujic

VAR: Jorge Gonzalez

AVAR: Jozef Batko

Venue: CITYPARK

Weather: Clear, 70 degrees

Postgame Audio & Video

Audio: Recording

Video: Footage (Password: r00Q=G2^)

Interim Head Coach John Hackworth

Opening statement:

Look, I think sometimes I sit up here, and I say things over and over again, but that group of guys in that locker room, they keep coming to work every single day, and they don't just work hard, they work efficiently. They try to work really good as a team and when you work with a group of players like that, it's rewarding when you beat your archrival; you win your derby match. It's the momentum that I've been talking about for several weeks now. We all know and we believe that we are a much better team than our record demonstrates, and we just want to make sure that tonight, in particular, we sent those 22,500 people away as happy as they could be, and I want to thank them because they were amazing. At the start of the game, the noise and the enthusiasm were amazing. So big night for our club, our city, our fans. Turn it over to you, guys.

Q. On a night you guys get officially eliminated from the playoffs, but when you look at how this team played tonight, how confident, optimistic are you about this team's future?

I've been saying it for a long time, right. Long time meaning probably five, six weeks, that this group has the ability to be a really good team, and then regardless of what happened to end this year, I was very confident that we would be a good team next year. Those guys are working towards that, and they are putting it on display against our main rival. So really confident that we are going to be a good team next year.

Q. You've got to like what you see, but Teuchert when he's not only scoring goals, but setting up goals.

Yeah, Cedi was really good tonight. His first goal was fantastic. It was a little bit of a chess match there in that first half. So, something had to give and thank goodness Cedi is on our team. Really good overall performance.

Q. Speaking of Cedi, just how close was he to not playing tonight?

Really close. Like really close. But he's tough. He's passionate. He is a really exceptional teammate. You know, when we came in at halftime, I just said, "Are you feeling okay?" He's like, "You know." I'm like, "Well, you can ask me to come off the field but you're not coming off. So, you're going back out there." And for him, he's like, "Okay. No problem. Going back out." Even though he was probably in a significant amount of pain.

Q. Playing Teuchert with a hurt knee --

Just between me and him when he tells me he's going to be ready, I have to trust him and he has to trust me, and you know, in this case, communicated well and thank goodness we had him on the field couldn't.

Q. On the same lines, of what Cedric was able to do tonight, what was it like seeing those players play so fluidly together, rotating to the right ask to the left and having those nice little passing plays that you've been working on since you took over?

Yeah, I keep telling you, I like this fluidity and mobility. I like the interchanging of positions, and I really think that's something that these guys enjoy doing, too, and you can kind of tell when we get going in a good way, they are having fun. And when you're playing at this level and you still enjoy it at the level, they are doing it, I think we see some positive performances coming out. And when we do that, and a key play, like a little combination between those guys, gives us a little bit more confidence that we can go and get the next opportunity to penetrate and go find the next goal.

Q. How important was Rasmus on the right side for you tonight? He kind of gave it his all tonight, put the stick in there and really making it back.

He always puts in a good shift. Happy for him that he gets a goal. We knew that on the right side we were going to be more vertical and on the left side we were going to play a lot more and try to build up the rhythm. It was nice that both those work. He was open a lot in the first half. When we didn't find him, he made a lot of runs where he didn't get the ball, but he didn't stop.

Q. Speaking of that fluidity, how much of a weapon is it to have a striker who doesn't need to take a shot to impact the game as much as Klauss did tonight?

Yeah, [João] Klauss was good, wasn't he? It was nice.

Q. Does it help with that fluidity?

Of course. Of course. And you see, when I'm talking about like the joy of playing, like you could see [João] Klauss having fun tonight. You could see him combining. Of course, he likes to bang a little bit but at the same time it was just fun. I know I was probably yelling at the assistants going, "Clip that out!" "Clip that out!" "Clip that out!" Now I have a lot of clips to choose from to show that fluidity and that mobility that we had. It was nice.

Q. Talking about the chess match early, it seemed like right before Cedi's goal, things kind of opened up and you went from having to play everything out of the back to finally getting some connection. Was that just getting the short stuff going on the left, or what did open up the game so much for you guys?

Two things. I thought we got the game going on the left, and specifically, we played forward in times where previously earlier in the game we were playing backwards. So, we were playing kind of safe, if you will, being conservative. And that's not who we are, really. We want to -- we talk about just having the ability but also the decision-making to play between lines. In our club, we call it the zwischen den drom (ph). We do it pretty well.

Q. Most importantly, what are your bicycle buddies going to think about tonight?

Cool Beans Cycling is No. 1, they are probably all drunk, and number two, they are having a lot of fun, and they can't give me any more sh-t. So, I'm really happy about that.

Q. Rasmus looks next-level happy after the goal. Did you sense it was a big thing for him to get that?

I do. I've talked about it before. He's an amazing person. He's an amazing professional. He works so tirelessly for everybody else. To see him get that reward, just it makes everybody smile.

Q. And given the intensity of the rivalry with Sporting Kansas City, how did your preparation for this match differ compared to other games in the season? Were there other tactical adjustments to counter Kansas City's style of play?

Sure. That's a mouthful of a question, by the way. There's a lot; I could probably write a couple chapters on it. Our preparation, and one of the reasons why I said earlier that I really like coaching this group of men is because they come to work and they are like, okay, what are we going to do. And then when I challenge them, they go for it. So, our preparation for many weeks now has been that we're trying to get better every single day, and the competition in training is great. That means players are pushing each other. When I am throwing tactical ideas at them, like here is what we are going to do on the left side, and here is what we are going to do on the right side, and they are two completely different things, they don't blink an eye. They are like, okay, let's follow the game plan. Starts with that guy at the back, Cedi, having a really good performance. But mentality is what I'm really talking about, and that's what makes it so fun for a coach to work with players like that.

Q. Defensively, I bet you would have loved to have a clean sheet?

I mean, Roman [Bürki] deserved a clean sheet. We all did. It's a mistake that we keep making when we get overloaded on one side, and it's correctible. We did a much better job -- Afrifa, I think his name is Stephen. I told him after the game, "That's a wonderful goal." At the same time, you have to give an attacking player like him credit. I know a little bit about him, and apparently, he's been scoring goals for a long time. You know, kudos to him.

Q. Talk about, last week you won your first road game. Tonight, first time you've won two games in a low row, another one of those..

What are you talking about? I've won a lot of two games in a row. I'm just kidding. It's a winning streak, and we're happy to have one finally.

Forward Cedric Teuchert

On whether his goal or assists were better:

I think the assists. Of course, I love to score goals, but I also love to make assists. But the most important thing is the win against Kansas, the derby win for us, for the city. So, I think the win is more important.

On the significance of winning the game:

We spoke a lot before the game - I think the balance on the field was important, the mentality in the game was important. And end of the game, we scored three goals, and we are very happy to win this game.

On how the win can give the team momentum to close out the season strong:

Yeah, to go not on the playoffs was hard for us, but I think every week is important for us for the next season. We have a lot of new players. It's not easy to go straight in the perfect shape. So, we train hard, and yeah, end of the week, we have the game. And to celebrate the win, yeah, makes fun.

Midfielder Rasmus Alm

On the future of the team:

I think the future is bright, and I think to play today we suffered a lot, but it was fun. So, and I think that's something we have to get used to, that it's hard to win games, but when we play like we did today, we can win games.

On coming back from injuries:

I mean, this is the light you see when you when you get close to coming back, you know, to be injured, to be a soccer player is not fun and not fun for my family to see me going through all this but yeah, everybody in this club, my family, everybody around the club, has been so supportive. So, I'm grateful and I mean, yeah, at the end of the day when you get back, you're just so happy.

On scoring tonight:

Yeah, I mean, with these two years with a lot of injuries, it felt like such a relief. And for Yeah, it was, I can't describe it in words.

On playing tonight:

Yeah, I was exhausted, to be honest. I felt fine going into halftime. I felt fine the first five minutes of the second half, and then I ran into a wall, and it was hard to stay on my legs. But yeah, I think Hack made the right decision to take me out there.

Defender Akil Watts

On what this game meant to the team:

It means a lot. You know, it's a big one, especially being a rivalry. You know, we went there, and we tied, we thought we should have come home with a win. To get a win at home in front of the home fans, it feels amazing.

On what the difference was between this game and the last time they played Kansas:

Intensity, you know, from the start to finish, we felt like we played a full game.

On his chances to play recently:

I am enjoying it, for sure. You know, Chris [Durkin] is a big part of this team, and he does a lot of dirty work and to step up and fills his shoes, it means a lot to me.

On how the team has started playing recently with the key acquisitions:

I mean, we're excited for next year for sure, you know. And they're very good players. They're teaching us a lot, and for them to come in and, you know, be impactful right away, it's, it's a big boost to the team.

Midfielder Eduard Löwen

On how Cedric Teuchert has impacted the team:

I mean, obviously a lot. It's not only the goals and assists he is giving the team, but also tactically, defensively, he's in great spots. He is somebody who knows how to read space very well, and I think today his performance was even more exceptional.

On the overall performance:

Yeah, I think in the first half we had a couple of really good moments where we were patient but brave. But I think that was missing a little bit in the first half, we were either impatient or we were not brave enough. And then we had moments where we were just playing the ball to each other, playing back and forth, moving a lot, and Marcel [Hartel] did a great job of moving here and there. Jannes [Horn] did a very good job as well. And then Akil [Watts] did well. Once the movement came in, especially then on the left side, I think we played a little bit patiently and waited for the gaps to open up, and then we found the gaps, found the moments. But I think in the second half we could have done a better job, just keeping the ball and keep playing, keep being brave. But then we started to just whip the balls out. And that's definitely an area that we've been talking about a lot, and something we want to improve on.

On scoring tonight:

Yeah, I expected this season to be better for sure, team wise, also individually. There was obviously a lot going on and with the injuries as well, yeah, I was just relieved. I was just happy that I received the ball in that moment and got a good first touch and a clean finish. And I was, I was just grateful, and as always, glory to God that I was able to score that goal and also to give the team a good performance. And it was a very, very important win for us. Even if the playoffs are out of reach for us, we knew that this game not only meant a lot to us, but especially also to the fans in the CITY.

Check out the St. Louis City SC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from September 29, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central