It was a balmy night in St. Louis, but St. Louis CITY SC would make the most of their night in the dense summer air. The Western Conference leaders jumped all over Austin FC from kick off, with Josh Wolff’s side looking lethargic throughout most of the first sixty minutes.
St. Louis’ strong start speaks to Bradley Carnell’s confidence in his team’s fitness ahead of the restart.
Training sessions were noticeably intense in the return from the Leagues Cup break, and it was that intensity that allowed Austin just .02 expected goals in the first half, Austin’s lone shot attempt coming in the 3rd minute of the match.
However, the best laid plans often go awry in a river town summer.
The final score tells the rest of the story, a match that ended 6-3 with four goals after the 87th minute, it was pure pandemonium as the heat melted players’ concentration late in the match.
A noticeably hoarse Bradley Carnell would try to add words to the madness, “It’s very difficult to find words to describe the good start to the second half. During the first half performance, the way we stayed true to our principles, credit to the boys, they stayed in the match, didn’t let it slip away and, you know, whether you win 6-0 or 6-3 it was a good show for the fans.”
Carnell was right to be proud, the starting XI took it to Austin from the opening minute, with Jared Stroud’s forward defending efforts earning him a foul in the first twenty seconds of the match.
Finding success through the fluidity of their 4-2-3-1 formation, Eduard Löwen picked up his first of three assists in the 20th minute. A free kick earned at the edge of Löwen’s scoring distance, the maestro sent a beautifully weighted ball into the box, a ball post marked for the forehead of Tim Parker. The opening salvo would be Tim Parker’s fourth goal of the season.
Löwen had Austin FC’s midfield eating out of the palm of his hand all night long.
Another spectacular assist would come in stoppage time as he would corral the ball deep in CITY’s half before sending a ball that would free Niko Gioacchini into the attack for St. Louis’ second goal of the night. Gioacchini deserves credit for his poise on the ball as he dribbled in on Brad Stuver, marking his first goal since June 21st against Real Salt Lake.
Gioacchini continued on, scoring a second on the other side of halftime after a gorgeous cross from Rasmus Alm left him alone against Stuver at close range. Stuver covered the first attempt but Austin defenders were unable to close out the rebound as Gioacchini secured his brace, his 10th goal of the season.
Löwen heaped praise on Gioacchini after the match for his finishing, “He was patient on the ball, didn’t rush the situation and made a great finish, it’s the way a striker has to be.”
“I scored two goals and I probably should have had a third but I was a little too generous.” Gioacchini would joke with reporters after the match, “I’m feeling confident now.”
…and then the game fell off the tracks.
The clubs combined for six goals over the final thirty minutes of the match, including four goals in the final three minutes plus stoppage time.
“The first thing to go in this heat is your concentration”, Carnell would rationalize, “Your brain wants to do things that your legs just can’t keep up with as your levels deplete, and that’s when you make mistakes.”
When the dust settled, it was still St. Louis who would answer every one of Austin’s attempts to claw back into the match. Carnell knows too well that his club can’t leave the door open for talented teams to regain confidence, “Austin is a good team, Sebastian Druissi will make you pay every time if you give him the space to play into a match.”
The confidence that CITY showed in their attacking skill was ultimately too much for Austin to handle.
The final dagger coming with the late addition of Sam Adeniran to the match. Adeniran’s combination of size, strength, and skill, was just too much for Austin’s tired defense.
Scoring a first goal after driving through Austin’s final third and pinging a shot from an impossible angle with the outside of his foot.
Then, ‘Big Sam’ intercepted a lazy throw from Brad Stuver, curling his shot into past the stunned keeper for the final kick of the match.
Bodies hit the floor as the referees whistle blew; players, managers, fans, and media, all ready to finish their time in the oppressive late August humidity.
“That was the toughest weather I’ve played in” Edu Löwen said after the match, “it was torture in a way, but I’m proud of how the guys played through it tonight.”
Sam Adeniran would have a more tangible analysis of the heat, It felt like Houston out there.”
When asked if that meant that he felt comfortable, “No, you never really get used to it.”
St. Louis CITY now sit seven points clear of second place LAFC in the Western Conference, with ten matches remaining, it’s starting to look like a home playoff match is inevitable.
St. Louis will be ready.