Carlo Holse recorded a natural hat trick Sunday night and St. Louis City became the second team in MLS history to post a 20-match unbeaten streak across all competitions by routing the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 6-2.
Star striker Rafael Navarro added a brace, giving him seven goals in six matches for St. Louis (14-6-8, 50 points), which moved within a point of Vancouver for first place in the Western Conference. Those teams play each other Wednesday night in St. Louis.
Lukas MacNaughton also scored for St. Louis, which is unbeaten in 18 straight MLS matches dating back to May 9. Prior to this match, the 2016 New York Red Bulls were the only team in league history to go unbeaten in 20 straight.
Robert Taylor and Joao Klauss scored for Los Angeles (9-11-9, 36 points), which stayed in the ninth and final playoff spot in the West. The Galaxy were coming off consecutive 3-2 wins, but it was apparent very early that they had zero answers in this one.
Navarro pounced on a giveaway in the second minute, dribbling down the left side and feeding a sliding Holse at the goalmouth for his fourth marker. The same duo teamed up for a second goal five minutes later as Holse curled a shot from left to right past JT Marcinkowski.
Holse completed his hat trick in the 21st minute, but Taylor pulled one back in the 31st minute via a nice individual move and a laser to the right corner past Roman Burki. However, Alexandru Matan was fouled in the box in the 45th minute and Navarro converted from the spot.
MacNaughton completed a five-goal half when he headed Matan’s free kick into the net in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time.
Navarro made it 6-1 in the 53rd minute when he turned and flicked a shot from left to right that sailed by a flat-footed Marcinkowski. Klauss — who led expansion St. Louis to the top record in the West in 2023 — earned a long round of applause from its fans after he beat Burki with a header in the 71st minute.
–Field Level Media
