St. Louis City will put the longest unbeaten streak across all competitions in MLS history on the line Saturday afternoon when they face struggling Minnesota United in Saint Paul, Minn.
St. Louis (14-6-9, 51 points), second in the Western Conference and just one point behind the first-place Vancouver Whitecaps, hasn’t lost a match since May 3. That’s a span of 166 days and 21 matches in all competitions, breaking the previous MLS mark of 20 set by the New York Red Bulls in 2016.
A win or draw with Minnesota (7-12-10, 31 points) — which is winless in eight straight matches — would break the MLS regular-season record of 19 straight matches without a loss set by the Columbus Crew in 2004.
“It’s more than a number,” St. Louis coach Yoann Damet said. “I think it’s the pride in working so hard to create that momentum and to sustain it and to show consistency. I think that is one the hardest things to do in sport at the professional level. … There’s a reason why it’s never been done before.”
St. Louis fought Vancouver to a 0-0 draw Wednesday. Simon Becher leads St. Louis with nine goals, while Rafael Navarro has potted seven in his seven matches since arriving via trade.
Next up is a Minnesota squad that will be fighting for its playoff life. The Loons enter the contest 13th in the Western Conference, seven points behind the ninth-place Colorado Rapids for the final playoff spot, with five matches to go.
Minnesota blew a golden opportunity to draw four points behind Colorado when it had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the 10-man Rapids on Wednesday. The Loons tied it on an own goal by Loic Williams and had chance to win it in the 90th minute, but Kelvin Yeboah, who set a team single-season record with his 16th goal earlier in the game, shot wide on a cross by Mauricio Gonzalez by the back post.
“Should have been three points,” Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles said. “(Yeboah) put himself in a great position, like he has done a number of times this year. For all the goals he’s scored, he’ll probably tell you that he should have had four or five more. But he’s having a fantastic season and a historic one for the club.”
The Loons enter the contest with a 2-5-7 home record, worst in MLS.
–Field Level Media
