St. Louis City SC and visiting FC Dallas have the same record but vastly different mindsets as they enter their matchup on Sunday.
While St. Louis (9-6-6, 33 points) is riding high after its most uplifting win of the season, 2-1 over the Houston Dynamo, Dallas (9-6-6, 33 points) is lying low after its most humbling loss this year, 5-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
With its win over then-first-place Houston, St. Louis extended its MLS unbeaten streak to a franchise-high 11 matches (8-0-3). During the run, St. Louis has advanced from 14th place in the MLS Western Conference to a tie for fourth.
The streak, which also is the longest for any MLS team this season, has continued despite the departures this month of Marcel Hartel (six goals, four assists) to Hannover 96 of the 2. Bundesliga and Eduard Lowen (three goals, two assists), who was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes.
“For us as a group, it’s about focusing on the people that are there, our journey together and the next game to prepare,” coach Yoann Damet said. “We’ve got a group that understands that sport is like that, life is like that. People move on, people take different directions.”
The exits leave Simon Becher (five goals, five assists) and Daniel Edelman (two goals, three assists) as the top threats for St. Louis.
Dallas will answer Sunday with MLS scoring leader Petar Musa (16 goals), Joaquin Valiente (one goal, eight assists) and Logan Farrington (six goals, four assists).
With Dallas playing its third match in seven days and Musa nursing a pulled hamstring, coach Eric Quill rested his star in the first half against Vancouver, and the Whitecaps scored four of their goals in the first 45 minutes.
Dallas had possession for just 38.1% of the match and put only one shot on goal.
“We’ve got to make ourselves better and stare it in the face and call it what it is,” Quill said, adding that Dallas “didn’t show up to play.”
Dallas and St. Louis have played to 1-1 draws in each of the past two times they’ve met, including on April 11 in Dallas.
“It’s hard to look back. We are a different team. They are a different team as well,” Damet said. “It’s a brand-new game this weekend between two teams that want to compete and want to keep climbing in the table.”
–Field Level Media
