It seems to be an annual thing, the first game against an expansion team in Major League Soccer. This weekend will mark the first-ever meeting between FC Dallas and St. Louis CITY SC.
CITY started off the season red-hot, going 5-0-0 on their way to shattering some expansion club records. They’ve cooled off a bit in their last five games, however, losing three out of their last four, including a home loss last weekend against the Portland Timbers.
Here is our breakdown of who to watch out for, what matchup excites us the most, and how FC Dallas can snag all three points against the expansion side this weekend.
Key Player: Eduard Lowen
With fellow Designated Player Joao Klauss potentially out again this weekend1, the German playmaker will be called on to lead the attack for St. Louis. If Klauss is available, expect him to be the primary focus in the attack with Lowen. St. Louis has not lost a game when Klauss has scored a goal this season.
Key Matchup: Tim Parker vs Jesus Ferreira
Going into this weekend, this was a matchup I had circled as one worth keeping an eye on. The other would be whoever is defending Lowen in the midfield (ie: either Facundo Quignon or Edwin Cerrillo). Ferreira has five goals to his name this season and will need a big night against a City defense that has been leaking goals as of late.
Quick Notes:
Expect the press: FC Dallas has pressed less than any other team this season, recording just 94 high-press sequences. St. Louis City SC, on the other hand, has recorded 167 pressing sequences this season, third-most in the league behind only the Red Bulls (201) and D.C. United (171).
Tackle much?: St. Louis City SC has attempted an average of 22.3 tackles per match this season, 3.5 more than any other team in the league (D.C. United – 18.8), winning a league-high 13.6 per game. St. Louis also leads MLS in fouls committed, averaging 15.4 per game.
Record start: Despite just one win in its last five MLS games (which also includes one draw and three losses), St. Louis City SC's 19 points are the second most by an expansion team after 10 games in league history (LAFC – 20 in 2018). St. Louis has scored multiple goals in all six of its wins (20 total) while scoring just two total over its other four games (D1 L3).
Old friends: St. Louis’ defense has some familiar faces to it for FC Dallas fans as left back Johnny Nelson and center back Lucas Bartlett have each started several games this season. Nelson has been a constant figure in the defense for St. Louis, starting all ten games.
Availability Report:
Suspended: none
Out: Joakim Nilsson (knee), Joao Klauss (quad), Njabulo Blom (groin)
Questionable: none
Potential Lineup:
Bradley Carnell tends to run a 4-4-2 type formation that may be a bit more of a 4-4-1-1 with Lowen acting as a number #10 behind a target striker.
Burki; Nelson, Hiebert, Parker, Nerwinski; Stroud, Perez, Vassilev, Alm; Lowen, Gioacchini
Keys To Three Points over St. Louis
- Avoid stupid mistakes - One thing that pushed St. Louis to a fast 5-0-0 start was how teams were constantly giving up stupid mistakes in the back to them. Austin gifted them a goal. Charlotte gifted them a goal. You can’t do that to teams that press the way St. Louis does and not pay for it. Dallas has been prone to bad mistakes in the back this season, so Jose Martinez and Sebastian Ibeagha will need to play smart and simple in this one.
- Play direct, play wide - One thing Portland did very well last week in their win over St. Louis was their direct play off 50/50 balls. They also pushed St. Louis wide more than they were possibly expecting with crosses that kept the St. Louis defense on their heels. Dallas does do well at crosses, especially at home this season. They’ll need to go wide with the fullbacks pushing forward into the attack. This could be a game where Marco Farfan and Geovane Jesus really shine.
- Make them chase the game - Getting an early goal in this one will be key for Dallas, as St. Louis hasn’t shown too often the ability to come from behind. The more you make them chase the game, the more it will open up for chances on the counter-attack.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mlssoccer-com-injury-report ↩
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