St. Louis CITY SC added a point to the standings for the first time since March 15th, but still remains 13th in the Western Conference after a scoreless bout with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Video Against Ravioli demon plagued CITY for the second straight match, this time overturning a Marcel Hartel goal off a backdoor feed from Conrad Wallem.
Injuries:
I repeatedly have to add an injury section, because while CITY may have gotten key defenders Jannes Horn and Tomas Totland off the injured list (though they didn't feature against Vancouver), the cornerstone of the St. Louis defense, Henry Kessler, went down at Friday training with a grade 2 hamstring strain, Olof Mellberg reported post-match. He will miss about a month. Josh Yaro was back (and played very well) after a concussion scare last weekend, and goalkeeper Roman Bürki is reportedly very close to returning.
The news we all did not want to hear: Mellberg says Henry Kessler has a grade 2 hamstring strain, looking at missing "about a month or so."#AllForCITY
— Will Bratton (stlcityscviews) (@willbrattonstl) April 20, 2025
Key Takeaways:
CITY held the most prolific goalscoring club in MLS to 0 goals and just 1.13 xG. Vancouver went into the match at Energizer Park averaging above 2 goals per game and leading MLS in goals (19), goal differential (+11), and points (19). The weekend prior, they dropped FIVE goals on Austin's head--a club that was tied with St. Louis for lowest goals against in MLS prior. CITY prceeded to shut them out entirely. Mellberg-ball may not be scoring a lot so far, but man is that defense top quality.
João Klauss and Célio Pompeu continue to cause serious problems for the opponent. The two Brazilian ballers were pretty brilliant in creating opportunities to set up shots in the final third, but the finishing touch was once again lacking. Pompeu had a measly 6 attempted passes, but not because he was not impactful; rather, it was due to him receiving the ball cleanly and taking every single 1v1 opportunity he could--and for a second straight weekend, he made a top-5 defense in MLS look silly. His work directly led to the recalled Marcel Hartel goal, as he created space for a shot that was deflected to the feet of an initially offside Conrad Wallem, who floated a beautiful back door feed to Hartel for the goal.
The CITY attack is starting to click, and a breakthrough might be right around the corner. Wallem, Hartel, Pompeu, and Klauss continue to perform well. Cedric Teuchert was not getting quite enough value to my liking, despite this being the most balanced CITY attack in 2025, with a relatively even distribution of attempts in each attacking channel (left/center/right). Kyle Hiebert of all people led St. Louis in passes into the final third. These are the types of signs of a club throwing numbers forward confidently, which is a huge change from what we saw in the first handful of matches. If Teuchert can get some value and the others continue to play this way, good things are destined to come. The locker room feels like they're right on the brink of a breakout.
Wallem said "we are a step closer to the goal and looking like a solid team. If we get that goal, this could be a game we win 2 or 3 to 0."
— Will Bratton (stlcityscviews) (@willbrattonstl) April 20, 2025
"We just need to work hard. Today is a step in the right direction... If we continue like this, we will win games." #AllForCITY
Betting Recap:
Eric Sontag's bet resulted in a half-victory with Vancouver picking up a draw on the road.
Looking Ahead:
Not a single St. Louis team won yesterday, but the good news is that better times are destined to lay ahead for CITY. What better stage to announce your presence than a breakout match away at BMO Stadium in a Sunday Night Soccer tilt with LAFC? Collecting all three points in that road win would be an unbelievably huge result for St. Louis going forward.